The project didn't change the office.
That surprised Harvey more than it should have.
He had expected something. A shift in how people spoke to him. A different tone in emails. Maybe even a small sense of arrival. Instead, Redfield Group stayed exactly the same.
He came in early, opened his laptop, and started working through the rollout timeline. The numbers made sense. The risks were manageable. It was the kind of work he was good at.
Jake stopped by mid-morning, coffee in hand.
"So," Jake said, leaning against the divider, "you're officially busy now."
Harvey glanced up. "Looks like it."
Jake nodded toward the other side of the floor, where Laura had just walked past. "Yeah man… Laura."
He smiled slightly. "She doesn't waste words."
Harvey let out a quiet breath. "No, she doesn't."
"That's probably why she likes your stuff," Jake added. "No circles."
He pushed off the divider and walked away like it was nothing.
The rest of the morning passed quickly. Harvey sent one clarification email, adjusted a timeline, and reviewed a draft Jake forwarded him. He didn't overthink any of it.
Near noon, Laura stopped by.
She didn't sit. She didn't linger.
"David approved the adjusted schedule," she said. "Using your numbers."
"Okay."
She paused for half a second. "If anything shifts, flag it."
"I will."
She nodded once and left.
That was the entire interaction.
At lunch, Emily was already sitting at their usual table. She slid her bag aside so Harvey could sit across from her.
"You look more focused today," she said.
"Busy," Harvey replied.
She smiled. "That suits you."
They ate and talked about small things. A show Emily had started watching. A café near her apartment that she wanted to try. Nothing heavy. Nothing urgent.
It felt easy.
After lunch, Harvey found himself moving through tasks without hesitation. One thing led to another. Decisions were made and left behind without revisiting them.
The quiet in his head was unsettling, but also calming.
Late in the afternoon, as he was finishing a summary for David, the familiar shift returned. This time it didn't feel like a marker. It felt heavier. Slower.
The words appeared without warning.
[Decision recorded]
[Time ahead: 3 years]
Harvey's hands stopped moving.
He didn't look away. He didn't blink.
[Work: stable]
[Money: sufficient]
[Personal life: narrowing]
[Mental state: restrained]
No explanation followed.
No emotion.
Just the record.
Harvey stared at the last line longer than the others.
Restrained.
The words faded quietly, leaving the screen exactly as it had been. No one around him reacted. The office noise flowed back in, unchanged.
Harvey leaned back in his chair and let his breath out slowly.
Three years.
Stable. Sufficient.
Narrowing.
That night, Emily walked with him part of the way home. They didn't plan it. It just happened.
"You doing okay?" she asked as they stopped at the corner where their paths split.
"Yeah," Harvey said. He hesitated, then added, "I think so."
Emily smiled, softer than usual. "Good."
She waited a moment, like she might say something else. Then she didn't.
"Text me when you get home," she said.
"I will."
She turned and walked away.
Harvey stood there for a few seconds longer, watching the crowd move around him. Everything felt fine. Normal. Manageable.
And yet, as he started walking again, the words stayed with him.
Personal life: narrowing.
He didn't know what it meant yet.
Only that it had already begun.