A Dangerous Lunch

Alana's POV

"Desmond..." I hesitate, the weight of his name hanging in the quiet air of the room. My voice trails off as I stand frozen by the door, desperately trying to weigh the massive risk of abandoning my mountain of assigned work upstairs against the sheer, bone-deep exhaustion of the day. My feet ache in my shoes, and the idea of sitting down for just half an hour feels like a luxury I ca