Arthur leaned forward slightly, hands braced against his knees, drawing in air as if each breath had to be negotiated. The sharp edge of his distress had dulled, but it hadn't vanished. Eli stayed close, one hand hovering near Arthur's back, unsure whether to steady him or give him space.
After a moment, Eli spoke. "What just happened?"
Arthur let out a quiet breath that tried very hard to sound like a laugh. "Nothing," he said. "Just an old guy being an old guy."
He paused, then added, "These parties take more out of me than they used to. Late nights, too much noise. Doctors keep telling you to slow down, but you never listen." A faint shrug followed. "Guess it finally caught up with me."
Something about the way he said it snagged Eli's attention.
It wasn't the words — it was the rhythm beneath them. The careful pauses between sentences, stretched just enough to assemble the next safe explanation. The way his voice softened, testing each lie before committing to it.
Eli had heard that pattern long ago, in a dim room where a man sat beside a bed, promising everything was fine while quietly reshaping the truth. He remembered staring at the ceiling, counting the gaps between words, knowing exactly when the next excuse was being invented.
Eli frowned slightly. "You don't really seem like someone who just… blacks out."
Arthur glanced at him.
"I mean," Eli continued, choosing his words carefully, "sure, you're not exactly young, but you don't strike me as fragile either."
Arthur waved a dismissive hand. "Stress does strange things. Blood pressure, fatigue — it's all connected. They're just getting me now, that's all."
Eli nodded, though unease lingered.
Then, almost without thinking, he asked, "Was she here?"
Arthur blinked. "Who?"
"The woman you were argu—" Eli corrected himself immediately, "—talking to. Mrs. Hales."
For the briefest moment, Arthur's composure slipped.
Surprise surfaced first — sharp, unguarded. Then something closer to fear. It vanished almost instantly, replaced by practiced calm. The speed of the recovery unsettled Eli more than the reaction itself.
"What are you talking about, son?" Arthur said evenly. "You must be mistaken. We were just discussing some usual business matters."
Eli studied him, puzzled now. The question had been simple. The reaction hadn't been.
Arthur adjusted his cuff, buying himself a second. "Mrs. Hales is…"
There was a pause — small, nearly courteous.
"…a good friend of mine."
The word landed strangely, heavier than it should have been.
"You didn't answer my question," Eli said after a beat. "That perfume — it's not really common. Not something I noticed on many people tonight. At least, not like that."
Arthur straightened slightly. His breathing had steadied now, his voice firmer — controlled. "She probably left shortly after you did," he said. "Why would she stay? These events drain me more than they used to."
Another pause. Shorter this time. More careful.
"Age humbles you," he added.
"If you say so," Eli replied.
He didn't press further. Arthur clearly didn't want him to. Still, as they stood there in the cool night air, Eli couldn't make sense of why a simple mention of Mrs. Hales had shaken the man so deeply — or why Arthur had looked, for that fleeting second, as if he'd been caught rather than questioned.
And that confusion stayed with him, heavier than the night itself. A thousand small, unnamed thoughts passing through his mind without settling on any one of them. Relief. Confusion. A dull, persistent question he didn't yet have words for. He was still half inside those thoughts when movement caught his eye.
She stepped into view from the hallway opening, almost seamlessly like a answer to his every thoughts, as if she had been standing just beyond sight the whole time.
"Mr. Hayes," she said, calm and even, "I almost forgot to hand you the documents from earlier—the amended figures from the Westbrook account. I didn't expect you to still be here."
Her gaze flicked to Arthur properly then, assessing. "Are you feeling alright?"
It wasn't much. Just a sentence or two. But it was the longest Eli had heard her speak.
There was no tremor in her voice. No softness, no urgency. Just clarity. The same controlled tone he had noticed in fragments throughout the party—short exchanges, polite acknowledgments, nothing wasted. Unlike Arthur, whose composure seemed to arrive and leave in waves, hers never wavered.
Eli became aware, distantly, of how that voice landed. Not in any dramatic way. Just a quiet pull, like noticing a rhythm you hadn't realized you were listening for. He didn't look at her directly for a second longer than necessary, but the sound of it lingered longer than it should have.
Arthur straightened slightly, drawing in a deeper breath this time. Whatever panic had gripped him moments ago retreated behind practiced control.
"Yes—yes," he said, nodding. "I'm fine. Just… stood up too quickly, that's all. These things catch up to you at my age." He gave a short, dismissive wave, as if brushing the whole episode aside. "I'll look over the figures tomorrow."
She inclined her head once. "Of course."
There was nothing intimate in their exchange. Nothing overt. Yet something about the space between them felt measured, intentional—like two people who understood exactly how much to say and when to stop.
Arthur turned to Eli then, his composure almost fully restored. "Thank you again, Eli. I appreciate the help. Truly."
"No problem," Eli replied. "Glad you're okay."
Arthur nodded, already shifting his attention away, clearly ready to close the moment. He gestured lightly toward the exit, assuming—almost expecting—that she would follow.
She did.
But not immediately.
She took a few unhurried steps, letting enough distance form between herself and Arthur. Enough that his attention was elsewhere.
She slowed just slightly.
Eli felt it before he fully understood it—that brief pocket of stillness, tightening around the two of them.
And then she turned her head, just enough to meet his gaze.
Calm. Assessing. Aware.
"You blended in better when you were just driving," she said quietly.
"Try not to stand out."