LOGINOliver didn’t ask if it was a good idea.He didn’t frame it as a discussion.“I’m going to see him.”That was all he said.Max reacted first.“That’s not smart.”It wasn’t harsh. Just immediate.Sarah didn’t interrupt, but her expression shifted slightly, like she was already thinking three steps ahead.“What exactly are you expecting to get out of that?” she asked.Oliver didn’t answer right away.Because the truth was—He didn’t know.Not clearly.Not in a way that made sense when said out loud.“I’m not going for answers,” he said finally.That much, at least, was certain.Max let out a quiet breath, running a hand through his hair.“Then don’t go.”Oliver shook his head once.“I have to.”There was something final in the way he said it.Not emotional.Not stubborn.Just… decided.Caspian had been quiet the entire time.Watching.Listening.Measuring the space between what Oliver was saying—and what he wasn’t.“I’ll come with you,” he said.Oliver didn’t argue.That, more than anyt
The building wasn’t far.That didn’t make the walk feel shorter.Max had said something before they left—something about waiting, about planning it properly—but Oliver had already picked up his jacket.Caspian followed without arguing.Sarah stayed behind.Not because she didn’t want to come.Because she understood this wasn’t a group moment.Max lasted exactly thirty seconds before giving in.“I’m coming,” he said, grabbing his keys.Oliver didn’t stop him.He just kept walking.Ethan’s department building was quieter than the rest of campus.Late afternoon had already started thinning out the crowds, leaving long hallways and half-lit corners behind.Oliver didn’t slow down.He didn’t hesitate at the entrance either.He pushed the door open like he’d been there before.Max caught up beside him. “You sure he’s here?”“Yes.”“You texted him?”“No.”Max blinked. “Then how—”“He’ll be here.”C
The room didn’t feel the same anymore.Nothing had changed physically.Same table. Same screens. Same document waiting to be finished.But the focus had shifted.The statement was no longer the only thing in front of them.Max leaned back in his chair, arms folded now instead of typing.“So we’re just… pausing this?” he asked, nodding toward the laptop.Oliver didn’t look at him.“Temporarily.”Sarah tilted her head. “That didn’t sound temporary.”“It is,” Oliver replied.But his attention wasn’t on the document anymore.It was on his phone.Again.Unlocked.Messages open.Scrolling.Not quickly.Not aimlessly.Carefully.Like he was matching something piece by piece.Caspian stayed where he was, watching him.“You’re not guessing,” he said.Oliver didn’t respond.Max exhaled. “Okay, I’m officially confused now.”Sarah stepped closer to Oliver again.“Walk us through it.”
The document stayed open on the screen.Unfinished—but no longer uncertain.Max scrolled slowly through what they had written, eyes moving line by line like he was testing it for weak points.“…this is going to land,” he muttered.Sarah leaned against the table, arms folded. “It already is.”Caspian didn’t look at the screen.He was watching Oliver.Oliver hadn’t moved far from where he’d been standing. One hand rested lightly on the edge of the table, his attention split between the document and the steady stream of notifications lighting up his phone beside it.Not reacting.Just… noticing.Max tapped the trackpad again.“We just need the ending,” he said. “Once that’s done, we push it.”Oliver nodded faintly.“Finish it.”Sarah tilted her head slightly. “You already know what you want it to say.”Oliver didn’t answer that.Caspian spoke instead.“Make it final,” he said. “Not something they can keep pulling
The document didn’t feel blank anymore.It felt exposed.Max stared at the screen for a second longer than usual before speaking.“…they’ve already picked that line up.”Sarah looked up. “Which one?”Max turned the laptop slightly.“The one where you said it.”Oliver didn’t need to ask.Caspian didn’t look at the screen.He was still watching Oliver.“How fast?” Sarah asked.Max refreshed.“Clipped, reposted, quoted… it’s moving.”Sarah exhaled through her nose. “Of course it is.”Oliver didn’t react.Not outwardly.He just looked at the words on the screen.Exactly as they were written.Unedited.Clear.Caspian stepped closer.“You expected that,” he said.“Yes.”“Then don’t slow down now.”Oliver nodded once.“I’m not.”Max shook his head slightly, still watching the feed.“They’re not even arguing about whether it’s real anymore.”Sarah crossed her arms. “They’ve moved past that.”“They’re reacting to it,” Max said.“How?” Oliver asked.Max scrolled.“Some support. Some confusion.
They didn’t switch rooms this time.Sarah pushed two tables together, clearing enough space for laptops, phones, and scattered notes that started forming almost immediately.Max sat cross-legged on his chair, typing fast, occasionally stopping to scroll through reactions before jumping back into the draft.“Still stable,” he said. “People are waiting now.”“That won’t last forever,” Sarah replied, pulling a chair closer. “We use the window.”Caspian stood at the edge of the table again, not writing yet—just watching how Oliver moved.Oliver didn’t sit.He stayed on his feet, one hand resting lightly against the table as he looked at the blank document on Max’s screen.“This isn’t the same as the video,” Max said. “We go deeper here.”Oliver nodded.“I know.”Sarah leaned forward slightly. “Then we need to decide how far.”Caspian answered before Oliver could.“All the way.”Max glanced up. “That’s not a small decision.”“No,” Caspian said. “It’s the only one that works.”Sarah looked





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