The office felt the same when Harvey walked in. Same desks, same low noise, same quiet movement that never really stopped. Nothing new waited for him.
He dropped his bag under the chair and opened his laptop. A few emails were already there. One update from David. One forwarded message from Jake. Normal start to the day.
He worked for a while without looking up. Numbers, sheets, small edits, nothing heavy. When he finally leaned back in his chair he noticed Laura standing a few desks away speaking to someone else. Short conversation, low voice, no gestures.
She turned and walked toward him.
Not rushed, not slow, just direct.
"Do you still have the demand projection from last quarter" she asked.
"Yeah," Harvey said. "It's in the shared folder under Q3 review."
She nodded. "I saw two versions."
"The second one is updated."
Laura paused for a second, then said, "Okay."
That was it. No follow up. No small talk. No lingering. She turned and walked away.
The interaction felt clean. Contained. Finished.
Jake noticed it from his desk. He leaned back in his chair and called quietly, "Man, she treats conversations like transactions."
Harvey glanced at him. Jake smiled a little. "Not a bad thing," he added. "Just different."
Harvey shrugged. "Works for her."
Jake turned back to his screen.
The rest of the morning passed without friction. Work moved. Emails moved. People moved.
At lunch Harvey went to the break area out of habit. Emily wasn't there yet. He grabbed his food and sat at one of the side tables, not their usual spot, just a free chair near the wall.
A few minutes later Emily walked in with two coworkers. They were talking about something he couldn't hear. She noticed him and lifted her hand slightly in greeting. Harvey lifted his hand back.
They didn't sit together. Not because they couldn't. Just because the moment didn't line up.
Emily sat with the others. Harvey stayed where he was.
The room didn't change because of it. People kept eating, talking, leaving.
Emily looked over once while talking. Harvey was already looking down at his phone.
Later she passed by his table on her way out. "See you later," she said.
"Yeah."
That was all.
Back at his desk the afternoon moved quietly. No urgency. No pressure. No interruptions. Jake sent one short message. Client approved. Harvey replied. Good.
Nothing else followed.
Near the end of the day Laura passed again. Didn't stop. Didn't look. Just walked by with a folder in her hand. It didn't feel cold. It didn't feel distant. It just felt professional.
Emily didn't come by his desk before leaving. He didn't go looking for her.
When Harvey stepped outside the building the sky was already darker than he expected. The air felt heavier than the morning. Warmer. Slower.
Halfway home his phone buzzed.
Emily: Heading home now
Harvey stopped walking for a second, then typed.
Okay.
He kept walking.
At home he dropped his keys on the table, changed his clothes, and sat on the couch. He didn't turn the TV on. Didn't pick his phone up. Just sat for a bit.
Later he made food, ate slowly, cleaned up.
His phone buzzed again.
Emily: Long day
Harvey stared at the message, then typed.
Yeah.
She replied a few seconds later.
Emily: Talk tomorrow
Harvey read it and set the phone down.
The apartment felt quiet. Not empty. Not heavy. Just quiet.
He moved through it without thinking, straightening a chair, picking up a jacket, placing it on the back of the couch.
Before bed he opened the notebook again. Flipped one page, then another. He didn't write anything. He closed it, set it back on the table, turned off the light.
Harvey turned onto his side. Pulled the blanket up. Closed his eyes.
Laura's short question came to him. Jake's comment. Emily's half wave. The separate tables. The short messages.
Nothing dramatic. Nothing sharp.
Just lines that didn't cross. Moments that didn't connect. Timings that didn't match.
The day ended quietly.
Not badly. Not well.
Just clean. Just separate.