Noah woke up on the couch.
His clothes were still on. Shirt wrinkled. Pants twisted around his legs. One shoe on. One off.
He blinked. The ceiling was white. Unfamiliar. Then familiar.
My apartment.
He sat up. Too fast. His head pounded. His mouth was dry. He looked around. Coffee table. TV. Window.
Then it came back.
The party. Atlas. The crying. The—
His chest went tight. He stood up. Walked to the bathroom. Each step felt heavy. Wrong.
He turned on the light. Looked in the mirror.
His face was swollen. Eyes red. Puffy. Dark circles underneath. His hair stuck up on one side.
He tried to look at himself. Couldn't. His eyes hurt. Like the light was too bright.
He looked away.
Turned on the shower. Hot. Stepped in fully clothed. Then remembered. Stepped back out. Took everything off. Got back in.
The water hit his shoulders. His back. Hot. Almost too hot.
He stood there. Tried to feel it. The heat. The water running down his body.
Feel something. Anything.
Nothing came.
"It's over," he said out loud. His voice was rough. Raw. "I don't want this anymore."
The water kept running.
He stood there until it started to go cold. Then got out. Dried off. Got dressed.
Black jeans. White shirt. He went to his dresser. Picked up his cologne. The one he loved. Sprayed it once. Twice. The scent filled the room. Cedar. Bergamot. Something else.
He made coffee. Put it in his favorite mug. While it cooled, he went back to the bathroom. Put on a face mask. The cooling kind. Waited.
His mother's voice came to him. Clear. Like she was standing right there.
Don't lose yourself.
He closed his eyes. Took a breath.
Washed off the mask. Drank his coffee. Got his bag. Left.
---
Elias was already at his desk when Noah walked in.
"Morning," Noah said.
Elias looked up. Smiled. But his eyes didn't leave Noah's face. "Morning."
Noah set his bag down. Sat. Opened his laptop.
Elias kept looking at him.
"What?" Noah asked.
"You look like you just finished a war."
Noah's fingers stopped on the keyboard. He looked up. "Had to end it so I could live."
Elias didn't say anything. Just nodded. Once.
The door opened. Clara walked in. "Morning."
"Morning," Noah and Elias said at the same time.
Clara set her bag down. Took off her coat. Then turned to Noah. "I love your cologne."
Noah smiled. Small. "Thanks."
They worked in silence for a while. Noah read reports. Made notes. His hand moved across the page but he didn't remember what he was writing.
At noon, Clara stood up. "Let's get food."
They went to the same place as yesterday. Thai. Noah ordered the same thing. Pad see ew. Ate more this time.
His phone was in his pocket. He remembered turning it off last night. Or was it this morning? He didn't know.
He pulled it out. Turned it on.
Messages flooded in. Group chats. Friends. Instagram notifications.
No messages from Atlas.
He stared at the screen for a second too long.
Then one from Marcus.
[Instagram link] did you see this?
Noah stared at it. His thumb hovered.
Not now.
He put the phone face down on the table.
"Everything okay?" Clara asked.
"Yeah. Just—a lot of messages."
They talked about the project. The presentation. Deadlines. Normal things.
After lunch, they walked back. Noah's phone felt heavy in his pocket.
Back at the office, Clara and Elias went back to work. Noah sat at his desk. Stared at his screen.
Then he picked up his phone.
Opened Marcus's message.
Clicked the link.
Instagram loaded. A video. From last night. The party.
He pressed play.
The video started. People talking. Laughing. Then the camera moved.
Atlas.
Standing with a woman and a man. The man was tall. Dark hair. Familiar. The woman was blonde. Wearing a black dress.
Atlas and the man were standing close. Their shoulders touched. They were laughing. Talking. The woman reached over. Touched Atlas's arm. Then she looped her arm through his. Kept talking.
The man put his hand on Atlas's shoulder. Squeezed.
Noah's jaw tightened. His stomach twisted — a sharp, sour pull that made him sit straighter.
He felt heat crawl up his neck. His fingers dug into the desk without meaning to.
Noah watched it. Once. Twice. Three times.
Then scrolled to the comments.
omg new love??
who are they???
Atlas looks so happy
couple goals
Noah's throat went tight. His foot started bouncing under the desk. Fast. Too fast. He couldn't stop it.
His breath came short. Shallow. The room felt smaller.
"You okay?" Clara's voice cut through.
Noah looked up. His vision was blurred. He blinked. "Yeah. I just—I need some air."
He stood. Walked out. To the terrace.
The door closed behind him. He leaned against the railing. Looked up at the sky. Gray. Overcast.
He criticized my friends. And this is what he does.
He took a breath. In through his nose. Out through his mouth.
This is what he does.
He looked out at the city. Buildings. Cars. People moving. Everything normal.
"It's over," he said to no one. To himself. To the sky.
He stood there for a while. Just watching. Breathing.
Then he went back inside.
Sat at his desk. Opened his laptop. Worked.
---
At six, Clara stood up. "Let's get out of here."
They packed up. Noah grabbed his bag. His coat.
Outside, the air was cold. Clean.
Clara walked up to him. Wrapped her arms around him. "If anything happens, call me. Okay?"
Noah nodded. "Okay."
Elias stepped forward. "If you don't want to be alone, you can come to ours."
Noah smiled. Small but real. "Thanks."
He hugged Elias. Held on for a second longer than usual.
"See you tomorrow," Clara said.
"Yeah. See you."
They walked in different directions. Noah headed toward the subway. His phone buzzed in his pocket.
He didn't check it.
Just kept walking.