UNWANTED VISITOR

A week passed in a blur of work, meetings, and carefully maintained routines.

The quiet ease Mark and I had settled into over the weekend carried through the following days. We worked side by side, exchanged the usual teasing remarks, and spent most of our evenings winding down with the Lego project, which now advanced slowly due to our lack of free time. The days were predictable and structured. A rare kind of balance had settled between us.

But then, today happened.

Mark had been… off.

It started in the morning—small things at first. He seemed distracted; his usual efficiency slightly offbeat. He checked his phone more than usual, and at lunch, when I made an offhand comment about our schedule next week, he hesitated before answering.

By mid-afternoon, it was impossible not to notice.