Read chapter 1 of “The office dad” before reading on…

Hal rode the elevator to the fifth floor and approached the glass doors of his new office suite. They opened with a soft hiss, and Hal hesitated for a moment before stepping inside, immediately hit by the hum of activity. The sleek, modern space was just as intimidating as he’d feared—polished concrete floors, open workstations, giant monitors, and the steady click-clack of keyboards filled the air. This is their world, he thought. And I’m just visiting. 

Hal tugged at his tight white dress shirt, feeling it ride up with his every step. The familiar pressure on his belly returned, his anxiety spiking. The shirt was pulled so taut that he feared it would give up any second. He tried to focus on the immediate task at hand—check in, find his way around, and get through the day without drawing too much attention to himself. 

Approaching the front desk, Hal was greeted by a young guy sitting behind an impressive three-monitor setup, the glow of the trio of screens illuminating his face. He was slim, clean cut, and probably a good 15 years younger than Hal. Hal also noticed that his shirt was perfectly fitted, like everything else in this office. 

“You must be Hal,” the receptionist said with an easy smile, handing Hal a lanyard with his new employee badge. “Welcome to CodeXify.” His voice was casual, friendly—no hint of judgment in his tone. 

Hal took the badge, glancing at the picture on it. He winced. Hal had taken the photo himself a couple of weeks ago and uploaded it to the employee portal with the rest of his onboarding paperwork. He could already see how his face had filled out since. “Yep, that’s me,” he said, forcing a smile. 

“Welcome aboard. You can head over to Cobalt and start getting logged into everything. There should be a packet of materials on the desk.” 

Hal paused. “Cobalt?” 

The receptionist chuckled and leaned forward, as if letting Hal in on an inside joke. “All the hot desks in the office are named after elements.” He pointed at a row of computers next to the wall of windows. “Cobalt is down there, between Tungsten and Krypton. If you hit Chromium, you’ve gone too far.” 

What’s wrong with just numbering them? Hal thought but bit his tongue. “Thanks. I’ll find it” 

“If you need anything special—favorite office supplies, coffee pods, plant-based milks, whatever—just let me know and I’ll order it. Good to have you here.” 

Hal nodded, mumbling a quick thanks, and slipped the lanyard over his head. He positioned the badge atop the placket of his dress shirt, hoping it would hide some of the puckered gaps between the buttons. He turned and headed toward his assigned workstation, eyes scanning the room as he walked. It was exactly what he expected—clusters of guys in their twenties, all tapping away at their keyboards, laughing in groups, or chatting casually over cups of coffee. They were dressed in casual tech-bro style—hoodies, fitted jeans, sneakers—looking like they belonged in a startup ad, the kind of look Hal could never pull off. He swallowed hard, resisting the urge to adjust his collar. 

As he approached the Cobalt workstation and sat down, he immediately felt the familiar weight of eyes on him. Here it comes, he thought. The old guy in the room. His stomach knotted tighter than the buttons on his shirt, and he instinctively hunched forward trying to make himself smaller. The anxiety from earlier flared up, and his heart beat faster. 

“Hey! You must be Hal,” a voice called from behind. 

Hal turned, startled, and saw a young guy standing in front of him—light brown, slightly messy hair, slim build, and a wide, easy smile. He had that effortlessly put-together look that Hal could never master. He wore a simple fitted white t-shirt and jeans, but on him, it looked like something out of a magazine spread. 

“Uh, yeah,” Hal replied, clearing his throat. “That’s me.” 

“I’m Eli,” the guy said, stepping forward and offering his hand. His grip was firm but casual, and Hal couldn’t help but notice how comfortable Eli seemed in his own skin. “Good to meet you. Heard you’ve got a ton of experience.” 

Hal blinked, unsure how to respond to that. Experience? Is that code for old? 

“I guess you could say that,” Hal said, trying to smile but feeling the familiar sting of self doubt creeping in. Experience sounded like a nice way of saying, “You don’t belong here.” 

Eli’s eyes traveled down, landing on Hal’s shirt—the one he’d spent all morning obsessing over and trying to hide under an equally ill-fitting jacket, which hadn’t even lasted the commute to the office. A flicker of amusement crossed Eli’s face, but not in a mocking way. “Nice shirt,” Eli said, his tone playful but warm. “Really fits you well.” 

Hal’s heart sank. He noticed. Of course he noticed. How could anyone miss it? He felt the heat rising in his cheeks, ready to laugh it off awkwardly, but before he could say anything, Eli did something completely unexpected. 

He stepped closer and gave Hal’s belly a light pat. 

“Seriously, man, you’re rocking that solid bear look,” Eli said, his grin widening. “The team’s gonna love you.” 

Hal froze. He had been prepared for ridicule, maybe some teasing, but… this? The casual, friendly pat on the belly felt completely out of place with the judgment he’d been expecting. He stared at Eli, searching his face for any trace of sarcasm or a forthcoming punchline, but all he found was genuine warmth. 

“Thanks… I think?” Hal managed, though the words felt awkward in his mouth. His mind raced, struggling to process what had just happened. The belly pat—a playful, confident gesture—didn’t carry the sting of mockery. It felt more like… appreciation? 

Before he could make sense of it, another young guy approached. This one was taller, with sandy blond hair that stuck up in all directions, like he hadn’t bothered with a brush. He had a lanky frame and the same youthful energy that everyone in the room seemed to radiate. 

“I’m Jake,” he said, holding out his hand. His handshake was quick, friendly. “Glad to have you on board. Mason’s been going on for weeks about how we need more guys like you.” 

Hal remembered Mason from his interviews. The stereotypical “big boss” of a tech company, Mason was probably closer to Hal’s age than to the guys who populated the office. He’d radiated sleek, corporate style, and even over webcam, Hal noticed that Mason had not a single hair out of place. 

“Yeah,” Eli added, casually leaning against Hal’s desk. “Someone with some real-world experience. Trust me, we could use it.” 

Hal stood there, completely taken aback. These guys were treating him like… like he belonged. No sideways glances at his graying hair or ill-fitting shirt, no awkward pauses about his age. Just compliments. Real ones. 

“We usually go to lunch around one,” Eli said, breaking Hal’s train of thought. “You should come with us. We’ll catch you up on everything. Get you settled in.” 

“Yeah, for sure,” Jake chimed in. “You’re killing it with that look, by the way. Rocking the whole bear vibe.” 

Hal glanced down at his belly, the same belly he had been so desperately trying to hide all morning. He wasn’t used to this. The tightness in his chest wasn’t from shame—it was something else. Confusion, maybe. Was this what belonging felt like? 

“Thanks,” Hal said, his voice steadier now, though his heart was still pounding. “I appreciate it.” 

“No problem, Dad,” Eli added with a wink as he turned to walk back to his desk. 

Hal froze again. Dad? 

He let out a small laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. Dad. Was that what this was? Not the outsider, not the old guy—but the dad. Somehow, the label didn’t sting. In fact, it felt strangely fitting. 

As Hal settled back into his chair, he caught a glimpse of Eli and Jake chatting across the room. Eli glanced over at him, flashed another easy smile, and returned to his conversation. For the first time in months, Hal felt the knot in his stomach start to loosen. 

Want to know how Hal’s journey toward becoming the office dad ends? Buy the full story on Kindle to find out.