"I don't know." The words come out quiet. "We just—"
"Don't," all three say in unison.
The shutdown is absolute.
Nadia leans forward, palms flat on the table. She looks at Liv, then Priya, then back at me.
"Okay." Her voice is steady. "Let's spell it out so it gets through that thick skull of yours."
She looks directly at me.
"He's staying in New York, Sam. And it's because of you."
Liv's voice is softer, but just as certain. "He's fighting ten years of muscle memory telling him to run. Because he wants to be here."
Priya grins, slightly wistful. "Damn, girl. He couldn't stop looking at you." She leans back. "Lock it down."
They all laugh.
I stare at the table and try not to smile.
It doesn't work.
My mouth curves up.
"You're all impossible."
"We're all right," Priya says.
Liv reaches across the table and taps my hand. Light. Gentle. "Sam. You brought him to meet us."
I look up.
"That's not 'just colleagues,'" she says.
I don't like how right she is.
I pick up my latte and take a sip.
"I wanted you to meet him." The admission is quiet. "To see if... I don't know. If I'm seeing something that isn't there."
"You're not," Nadia says immediately. "It's there."
She pauses.
"Question is, what are you going to do about it?"
I set the cup down.
"I don't know." I trace the rim with my thumb. "He's in my system now. I can't just... file him away."
"Good," Priya says. "You shouldn't."
She leans forward.
"But you also can't control how this goes, Sam. You're going to have to trust the process."
My jaw tightens.
