Chapter 29
Derek’s POV
The library meeting room felt claustrophobic, the air thick with the musty scent of old books and the faint, comforting aroma of coffee drifting in from the café down the hall.
The fluorescent lights hummed softly overhead, casting a sterile glow over the scratched wooden table.
Alex sat across from me, his laptop screen casting a soft blue glow on his face.
For the past twenty minutes, he had been watching me, the restless tapping of my fingers on the table, the way my eyes kept darting to my phone, the tension in my shoulders that I couldn’t hide no matter how hard I tried.
Finally, he closed his laptop with a quiet click.
“Derek,” he said gently, leaning forward, elbows on the table. “You’ve changed. You’re exhausted all the time, you zone out mid-senten
