I HAD BEEN IN LOVE WITH DANIEL FOR YEARS, SO WHEN HE ASKED ME OUT, I COULDN’T SAY NO
The truth is, I had been in love with him for so long and never thought he would ask me out. But when he did, I couldn’t say no.
He invited me to dinner after work, and I spent the whole day going crazy. I borrowed a nice dress from a friend, did my makeup, styled my hair; I was nervous but excited.
I arrived at the restaurant and waited. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Then thirty.
No sign of him.
I was starting to feel like a complete idiot when a waiter came up to me and handed me a note. I opened it and, I swear, my heart almost stopped.
The first sentence of the note said: “Get up and go to the bathroom” ⬇️
⸻
I HAD BEEN IN LOVE WITH DANIEL FOR YEARS, SO WHEN HE ASKED ME OUT, I COULDN’T SAY NO
I had never thought I would become visible to Daniel, the handsome and charming boss of my department.
For three years, I had watched him from behind the screen of my computer, admiring how he dominated every room he entered. His confident stride, his easy smile, and the way everyone gravitated toward him at office parties.
“Earth to Cindy,” my friend Margo would say, snapping her fingers in front of my face whenever she caught me staring. “You know he’s out of your league, right?”
I would just sigh because, of course, I knew. Men like Daniel didn’t notice women like me. On the few occasions he brought dates to our work events, they were all like runway models. Meanwhile, I was more Rubenesque. I exercised regularly and played sports, but all I managed was to increase my strength. I also tried every popular diet, but my weight never changed. At 32, I tried to stop worrying about my weight, but it wasn’t easy. Life is hard when you’re stuck in a body that attracts critical stares everywhere you go.
But then, one Tuesday afternoon, everything changed.
I was hunched over the quarterly reports, the office nearly empty as the clock struck six. The sudden presence at my desk made me jump.
“Working late again?” Daniel asked, casually leaning against the wall of my cubicle.
I nodded, unable to say a word as his cologne (something expensive and woody) filled my small workspace.
“You know, Cindy, I’ve noticed how dedicated you are.” His smile revealed perfect teeth. “How about we grab dinner tomorrow after work? You deserve a break.”
My heart stuttered. “Dinner? With you?”
“Unless you’d rather have dinner with someone else?” His eyebrow arched playfully.
“No! I mean, yes. Dinner sounds great.” The words shot out before my brain could process what was happening.
“Perfect. Luigi’s at seven? It’s that Italian place on Maple Street. See you there.”
I nodded again, watching him walk away with that confident stride. Only when he disappeared around the corner did I allow myself to breathe.
I immediately called Margo. “You’re not going to believe what just happened.”
“What? Did you finally fix the spreadsheet error?” Margo asked, the sound of her kids yelling in the background.
“Daniel asked me out. On a date. Tomorrow.”
The line went silent.
Then Margo screamed so loudly I had to take the phone away from my ear. “Are you serious? Department head Daniel with the killer butt?”
“The same one,” I confirmed, still in disbelief.
“This is amazing! I’m grabbing my blue dress right now. The one that makes even my post-twin body look good.”
“You can’t! I’m still at work. Can we meet at my place in an hour?”
The next day dragged on. Daniel acted normally in our morning meeting, but the little smile when our eyes met confirmed that I hadn’t imagined the invitation.
I arrived at the restaurant fifteen minutes early, wearing Margo’s blue dress. The maître d’ led me to a corner table, where I ordered a glass of water and waited.
“More water?” the waiter asked for the third time, clearly pitying me.
“He’s just running late,” I said, more to myself than to him.
By 7:30, I had turned the napkin into confetti. That’s when the waiter came back, this time with a folded note.
“They left this at the reception,” he said.
A WAITER IN A RESTAURANT | Source: Pexels
My hands trembled as I unfolded the note, hoping for an explanation: a work emergency, a puncture, anything.
Instead, I read: “Get up and go to the bathroom. And when you open the door, you have to close it behind you ;)”.
My stomach twisted.
A woman making a face while holding a paper | Source: Midjourney
This wasn’t the Daniel I thought I knew. It was rude, suggesting something I would never do.
Was this how he saw me? That I was so desperate I would go to the bathroom on my first date?
Anger replaced disappointment as I headed toward the bathroom. I would tell him exactly what I thought of his “offer” and leave with my dignity intact.
A woman looking angry and determined | Source: Midjourney
I pushed the door open and froze.
Daniel was inside with two men I recognized from the marketing department. One of them was holding a phone with the camera aimed directly at me. They were all laughing.
“That’s it, I won the bet. I did it,” Daniel announced, not looking at me, but at his friends.
A man bragging in a bathroom | Source: Midjourney
“A bet?” The words barely escaped the knot in my throat.
Daniel shrugged, already ignoring me. “Nothing personal.”
His friends followed him, still filming, still laughing. I was frozen in place, their laughter echoing in my ears long after they had gone.
A sad woman in a bathroom | Source: Midjourney
As horrible as it was to think that he had asked me out just to hook up in a bathroom, being the target of a childish prank was even worse.
I went home and curled up in bed, still stunned by the shocking turn the night had taken.
But when I got up to go to work the next morning, I found Daniel had gone a step further.
A woman sitting on a bed | Source: Midjourney
My phone started buzzing nonstop while I was brushing my teeth. When I saw the messages coming from the work group chat, I opened it immediately.
I was stunned. Daniel had shared the video of my entrance into the bathroom with a brief caption: “Wasn’t hard to convince her😏”.
As if winning his stupid bet wasn’t bad enough, now he was making me look desperate for him!
Neither of them could know how much they would regret their actions in two days.
A sad woman in her bathroom | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t face my coworkers after that, so I called in sick. I couldn’t believe how badly I had judged Daniel… Had I been so blinded by his attractiveness that I didn’t realize who he really was?
The next day, I called in sick again. When the phone rang on the third day, I was about to not answer. But the caller ID showed Mr. Reynolds, the owner of the company.
My stomach turned.
A woman answering a phone call | Source: Midjourney
“Hello?” My voice sounded small, even to my own ears.
“Cindy,” Mr. Reynolds said, his tone unreadable. “I expect to see you at the office in an hour. Or clean out your desk.”
I swallowed hard. “Yes, sir.”
“Report to my secretary when you arrive.”
A serious woman on the phone | Source: Midjourney
Ninety minutes later, I entered the main conference room, where Mr. Reynolds’ secretary had told me to meet him.
Confusion mixed with fear when I saw the entire company gathered. Daniel was sitting at the front, with a smug smile on his lips.
Mr. Reynolds was at the head of the room, next to a projection screen. When he saw me, he gave a slight nod.
“Now that we’re all here,” he said, “I want to address something.”
Office workers sitting at a conference table | Source: Pexels
The screen flickered, and there I was again, entering that bathroom. My face burned as murmurs rippled through the room.
Then Mr. Reynolds laughed.
“Alright,” he said through chuckles. “Who thinks this video is funny? Be honest. Raise your hand.”
Seven hands went up, including Daniel’s.
A man raising his hand | Source: Midjourney
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The unshed tears burned in my eyes as I turned toward Mr. Reynolds.
I wanted to scream at him or make good use of all my years in the gym and flip the conference table, but then I realized something.
Mr. Reynolds was no longer smiling. He was staring at Daniel coldly, his jaw clenched tightly.
A stern businessman | Source: Midjourney
“And who,” Mr. Reynolds continued, “thinks this is disgusting and unprofessional behavior that has no place in our company?”
Slowly, the hands started to rise. Five, then ten, then fifteen. I couldn’t believe it.
“To everyone who found this funny,” Mr. Reynolds said, his voice suddenly cold, “I ask that you gather your things and leave. You no longer work here.”
The room fell silent.
Office workers sitting at a conference table | Source: Pexels
Daniel’s face drained of color. “What? He can’t be serious. It was just a joke.”
“Workplace harassment is not a joke,” Mr. Reynolds replied. “Nor is recording someone without consent or spreading videos meant to humiliate them.”
“Security will escort you out,” Mr. Reynolds cut in.
An angry businessman in a conference room | Source: Midjourney
Mr. Reynolds then turned to the rest of the employees. “Those who supported Miss Wilson will find a bonus on their next paycheck.”
I was frozen, unable to process what was happening.
As security escorted Daniel and the others out, Mr. Reynolds approached me. “Miss Wilson, I owe you an apology. This should never have happened.”
A serious man in a suit | Source: Midjourney
“Thank you,” I managed to say, still dazed.
“There’s one more thing,” he said. “We now have a vacancy for the department head position. Based on your performance evaluations and the respect you clearly inspire in your colleagues, I would like to offer it to you.”
“Me?” I blinked rapidly. “You want me to replace Daniel?”
A surprised woman | Source: Midjourney
“I want the most qualified person for the job,” he corrected. “Your quarterly reports have been exceptional, and unlike your predecessor, you understand that leadership requires character, not just charisma.”
The room blurred as my eyes filled with tears. From invisible to department head in three days: it didn’t seem real.
“Do you accept?” Mr. Reynolds asked.
A man in a suit smiling weakly | Source: Midjourney
I thought about Daniel, the video, all the times I had felt small. Then I thought about what I could do with this position, the changes I could make, and the people I could help.
“Yes,” I said, with a voice stronger than it had been in days. “I accept.”
As I looked around the room at my colleagues who supported me, I realized something important: I had never been invisible. I had just been seeking validation from the wrong people.
