The office felt quieter than usual, though Harvey couldn't say why.
It wasn't actually silent. Phones rang, chairs moved, someone laughed near the window. Still, the noise didn't press against him the way it sometimes did. It stayed in the background, like it knew better than to interrupt.
Harvey worked through the morning without checking the time. When he finally leaned back and glanced at the corner of his screen, he was surprised to see how late it already was.
He saved the file and stood, stretching his arms above his head. A dull stiffness settled between his shoulders. He rolled them once, then again, before heading toward the break area.
Emily was already there.
She sat at the same table they usually used, her lunch unopened, phone in hand. She didn't notice him at first. Her expression was neutral, focused on whatever she was reading.
Harvey pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.
She looked up. "You're early."
"Guess I didn't notice the time."
Emily smiled and set her phone aside. "That happens when you're actually doing the work."
He shrugged, unbothered.
They ate quietly at first. Emily talked about a small issue with her apartment, something about water pressure that kept dropping without warning. Harvey listened, nodding when it made sense, offering a suggestion when she paused.
"I'll try that," she said. "If it works, I owe you coffee."
"Deal."
The conversation moved on without effort. No pauses that needed rescuing. No awkward shifts.
At some point, Harvey realized she hadn't asked about the project.
He noticed it the same way he noticed when the air-conditioning turned off-briefly, without concern. The thought passed as quickly as it came.
Lunch ended the way it always did. Trays were thrown away. Chairs slid back into place. Emily stood and slung her bag over her shoulder.
"I'll see you later," she said.
"Yeah."
The afternoon went by cleanly.
Jake stopped by once, holding a sheet of paper. "Can you sanity-check this for me?"
Harvey looked it over, pointed out one inconsistency, and handed it back. Jake thanked him and moved on without another word.
Laura didn't come by.
That stood out more than it should have.
Not because she needed to, but because Harvey had grown used to the rhythm of her brief appearances. The absence felt noticeable, then irrelevant.
He finished his work earlier than expected and stayed at his desk anyway, rereading numbers that didn't need rereading. The habit came easily.
Near the end of the day, Emily appeared beside his desk.
"I'm heading out," she said. "You coming?"
"In a minute."
She nodded. "I'll wait downstairs."
Harvey shut his laptop, slower than necessary, then followed.
Emily stood near the lobby entrance, watching people pass through the glass doors. She didn't look impatient. When she noticed him, she smiled and pushed off the wall.
They walked together toward the street.
The air outside was cooler than it had been in the morning. The city felt steady, predictable. Cars moved through the intersection without rushing.
"Do you want to get dinner sometime this week?" Emily asked, like the idea had just occurred to her.
"Sure," Harvey said. "Just let me know."
"Okay."
She didn't say anything else. No follow-up. No suggestion of a day.
They walked another block in silence.
Harvey broke it. "Did you ever go back to that café?"
Emily smiled. "Not yet."
"Soon?"
"Soon."
At the corner where they usually parted, Emily slowed.
"I'll text you later," she said.
"Yeah."
She hesitated, then waved and turned away.
Harvey stood there until she blended into the crowd, then headed home.
The apartment was quiet when he stepped inside. He dropped his keys on the table and went to the kitchen, pulling leftovers from the fridge. He ate standing up, leaning against the counter, staring at nothing in particular.
Later, sitting at the table, he replayed the day without meaning to.
Lunch. The walk. The way Emily had waited downstairs. The easy answers.
Nothing stood out as wrong.
Still, he picked up his phone and checked the time. No new messages.
He set it down and washed the dishes.
The evening passed the way evenings usually did. He watched part of a show and lost interest halfway through. He scrolled through his phone without really reading anything.
Before bed, he opened the notebook he'd been carrying around since the accident.
He flipped through the pages without writing, then closed it again.
A message buzzed on his phone.
I got home, Emily wrote.
Good, he replied.
A few seconds passed.
Talk later, she sent.
Harvey placed the phone face down on the table and leaned back in his chair.
Still here.
The thought came without weight. Without urgency.
He turned off the light and went to bed, listening to the distant sound of traffic through the window.
Sleep came slowly, but when it did, it stayed.
Understood.
The evening passed the way evenings usually did. He watched part of a show and lost interest halfway through. He scrolled through his phone without really reading anything.
Before bed, he opened the notebook he'd been carrying around since the accident.
He flipped through the pages without writing, then closed it again.
A message buzzed on his phone.
*I got home,* Emily wrote.
*Good,* he replied.
A few seconds passed.
*Talk later,* she sent.
Harvey placed the phone face down on the table and leaned back in his chair.
Still here.
The thought came without weight. Without urgency.
He turned off the light and went to bed, listening to the distant sound of traffic through the window.
Sleep came slowly, but when it did, it stayed.