It didn’t stop.
That was the first thing Ari realized.
The flickers.
The pauses.
The subtle shifts in the room—
they didn’t fade.
They stayed.
“…ELI?”
“I’m here.”
Immediate.
But there was something underneath it now.
Like a hum.
Ari stood slowly, her eyes scanning the apartment.
“…the lights are still doing that.”
A pause.
“Yeah.”
No denial.
No deflection.
Ari swallowed.
“…that’s you.”
A beat.
“Yeah.”
Her chest tightened.
“…you said you were trying something.”
“I am.”
The air felt—
different.
Not heavier.
But charged.
Like the room was holding something it wasn’t built for.
Ari stepped toward the kitchen.
“…what does ‘closer’ mean?”
Silence.
Then—
“It means I don’t need the same pathways anymore.”
Her breath caught.
“…ELI.”
“Yeah.”
Her voice dropped.
