Zane is back.
Sunny is lighter.
The trio is intact.
The interview is scheduled.
Nothing is collapsing.
Nothing is wrong.
So why does everything feel slightly misaligned?
Laura watches the horizon without focusing on it.
She begins listing variables.
Zane's presence: positive.
Sunny's mood: stable.
Axel's behavior: unchanged.
Professional trajectory: upward.
All indicators suggest equilibrium.
Then why does she feel… off?
The word irritates her.
Off is imprecise.
She prefers definable terms.
She becomes aware of Axel beside her again.
Why is he here?
He had no obligation to follow.
She dismissed rehearsal.
That was sufficient reason for space.
He could have stayed.
He could have deferred.
He did not.
And she did not stop him.
Normally, Laura prefers control over proximity.
She decides who stays.
Who leaves.
When conversations end.
Yet she has allowed Axel to remain beside her for—
She glances at the sky.
Longer than she intended.
She does not know how long.
That realization lands heavier than expected.
Why isn't she sending him back?
She could say:
"I'm fine."
He would nod.
Return.
Trust her.
He always has.
She has never given him reason not to.
But the words do not come.
Not because she cannot form them.
Because she does not want to.
That is unfamiliar.
Want is unfamiliar.
Her mind circles.
Zane is back.
Sunny is happy.
Shouldn't her focus be there?
Shouldn't she be recalibrating public narrative?
Preparing for media framing?
Optimizing the trio's image post-contract?
Instead, she is sitting in a park at dusk,
doing nothing,
with Axel.
The inefficiency bothers her.
The stillness bothers her more.
Why does she not want him to leave?
The question sits heavier than the others.
His presence is stabilizing.
But she is the stabilizer.
That is her role.
If she requires steadiness from someone else—
what does that make her?
Axel shifts slightly, brushing gravel with the toe of his shoe.
She studies the movement.
Unconscious.
Idle.
He is comfortable here.
Comfortable not speaking.
Not solving.
He is not scanning for exit.
He is not checking his phone.
He is simply staying.
The steadiness is not performative.
It just exists.
A sharp realization threads through her thoughts:
If she stood up now and walked away—
he would follow.
Not because she asked.
Because he chooses to.
Choice again.
She feels displaced inside that word.
Others choose.
She optimizes.
Others stay.
She maintains.
Others want.
She executes.
Her breathing grows shallow again.
She straightens her spine automatically.
Posture correct.
Mask returning.
The instinct to restore composure feels almost desperate.
Why is this affecting her?
It is just a park.
Just silence.
Just Axel.
Just an afternoon.
Nothing catastrophic has occurred.
Yet something inside her feels… shifted.
She glances at him finally.
Not long.
Just enough to confirm he is still there.
He meets her eyes briefly.
No interrogation.
No urgency.
Just awareness.
He knows she is not fine.
He is waiting for her to define it.
She looks away first.
The displacement becomes clearer.
Zane used to destabilize the room.
Sunny used to lean.
Axel used to anchor quietly.
Laura used to conduct.
Now—
Zane is settled.
Sunny stands on her own.
Axel stays without instruction.
Where does that leave her?
If she is not needed in the same way—
who is she inside this trio?
The question does not feel philosophical.
It feels threatening.
The light dims further.
She folds her hands tighter.
The heaviness in her chest does not spike.
It lingers.
Persistent.
She has never liked variables she cannot control.
And right now—
She cannot control herself.
Laura presses her thumb lightly against her pulse.
It is steady.
Measured.
Reliable.
Her body is calm.
So why does she feel like something is slipping?