Surprises get ruined.
It sucks — missing Tony’s birthday, missing the guys out on the Cape — but it’s not some grand mystery. Not everything has to mean something darker.
I straighten up in my chair and pull my focus back to the screen in front of me.
Spreadsheet.
Deadlines.
Normal life.
Still, as I plug the phone into its charger at the edge of my desk, I hesitate for just a second longer than necessary.
Not scared.
Not suspicious.
Just… aware.
Because somethinghasbeen off lately — not just today, not just the party — but in little ways that don’t quite add up until you stop and look at them too closely.
And I don’t want to do that.
Not yet.
I let the phone charge and turn back to work, telling myself — honestly, convincingly —
It’s just a phone.
I call Sage at work.
Not accusing. Not sharp. Just… checking.
“Hey,” I say when she answers. “Random question—did you know anything about the fishing trip today? The Cape thing?”
There’s a pause. A small one.
“Fishing trip?” she repeats. “No. What fishing trip?”
“Tony’s birthday,” I say. “Deep-sea fishing. Apparently everyone went.”
Her voice shifts immediately. Concern floods in, warm and genuine. “Oh my God, baby. No. I had no idea. I’m so sorry you missed that.”
“It’s fine,” I say, automatically. “Honestly, my new phone’s been acting weird. I think it ate the voicemails. I’m gonna swing by Verizon at lunch and get it sorted.”
“Oh no,” she says, and she sounds truly upset. “That sucks. You would’ve loved that trip.”
“I know,” I admit.
“Well—” she brightens, quick and eager “—maybe for your birthday we can do something like that. Just us. Cape trip. Fishing. A whole weekend.”
“Yeah,” I say. “Yeah, sure.”
I hang up feeling… oddly calmer.
Annoyed, sure. But still convinced this is a tech thing. A dumb phone problem. Not life. Not people.
At lunch, I walk into the Verizon store two blocks from the office.
