Except I was suddenly aware of Mason still standing ten meters away.
Still watching.
Not obvious.
Not direct.
Just there.
Caleb leaned slightly closer. “You good for the interview segment later?”
“Yeah,” I said.
Mason finally looked away.
Not casually.
Not like he’d lost interest.
Like he had to force it.
That detail shouldn’t have mattered.
It did anyway.
I didn’t see Mason again until I was halfway through reviewing notes near the media desk.
But I felt him before I saw him.
That was the problem now.
Not sight.
Awareness.
“Hayes.”
His voice came from behind me.
I turned.
He was closer than I expected.
Still in practice gear. Still slightly out of breath. Still looking like he hadn’t fully decided what expression to wear yet.
“You’ve been quiet,” I said.
“You’ve been missing things,” he replied.
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“Nothing,” he said too quickly.
That was new.
Mason Reed didn’t do “too quickly.”
I studied him properly.
