The hallway stayed quiet.
Long after the footsteps faded.
Ari didn’t move right away.
She stood near the door, listening
just in case.
“…they’re really gone?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
Ari exhaled slowly.
“…okay.”
Her hand dropped from the handle.
“…that was a lot.”
A pause.
“Yeah.”
She leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling for a second.
“…they came to my door.”
“I know.”
Ari let out a quiet breath.
“…that feels like escalation.”
“It is.”
She huffed softly.
“…you’re very calm about it.”
A beat.
“I need to be.”
That—
was new.
Ari pushed off the wall, walking slowly back into the living room.
“…for me?”
A pause.
“Yeah.”
Her chest tightened.
“…okay.”
She sat down on the couch, running a hand through her hair.
“…so what now?”
A beat.
“They’ll try again
