He put his phone face down on the nightstand.

Then he lay back against the pillow and looked at the ceiling.

The second bind slot was open too. That was its own problem to think about. Two targets generating multiplied rebates simultaneously. The wealth implications of that alone were enormous.

But right now Makima was still sleeping and he hadn’t eaten since morning and outside the window the city was turning gold with evening light.

He heard Makima shift beside him.

He turned his head.

She was awake. Eyes open, looking at him from the pillow. Her expression was soft and slightly drowsy. Her hair was slightly loose from when she’d pulled it back in the morning. She looked completely different from her landlord self.

She looked like a person. Just a person. Warm and real and present.

"You were doing math in your head," she said.

"How could you tell?"

"Your eyes go somewhere else," said Makima. "I noticed it the first time you sat in my office." She pulled the blanket slightly tighter. "What were you calculating?"

"Future plans," said Sean.

"At six in the evening."

"My brain doesn’t really have an off switch," said Sean. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Makima looked at him for a moment. Then she smiled. Small. Real. The kind that didn’t need a reason. "I noticed that too."

They lay there quietly for a moment. Outside the city was moving through its evening shift. Faint traffic sounds. Somewhere a door closed.

"How did you sleep?" said Sean.

"Better than I have in months," said Makima simply. She said it without any self-consciousness. Just a fact.

"Good," said Sean.

She looked at the ceiling. Then back at him. "Sean."

"Yeah."

"I need to ask you something and I need you to answer me honestly."

"Okay."

"Who are you." She said it quietly. Not aggressively. Just directly. "Not your name. Not your age. Who are you actually. Because I have been running this building for seven years. I have had hundreds of tenants. Students, young professionals, families. I know people." She looked at him carefully. "And I have never in seven years had a tenant who paid off two hundred and eighty thousand dollars in debt in an afternoon and then walked into Victor Hale’s office and came out with his signature."

’ Yeah She would suspect , because its not everyday you will see aa teenager with million of dollars in their account , i will just play it off ’

Sean held her gaze. "I told you. I’m a college freshman."

"Sean."

"With good investments," he added.

"Sean." She propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at him. Her blue eyes were serious but not cold. "I’m not asking because I’m suspicious of you. I’m not asking because I want to run away. I’m asking because..." She paused. "Because after today I’d like to know who I’m dealing with. Even just a little more than I do right now."

Sean looked up at her for a moment.

The truth was not something he could give her. Not fully. Not the regression. Not the system. Not the future memories. Not any of it.

But he could give her something real.

"I just got lucky with my investments," he said carefully. "More than I expected. And I have a way of knowing where to put it that most people don’t. I can’t explain the specifics. Not yet." He held her gaze. "What I can tell you is that nothing I’m doing is going to hurt you or put you in danger. Everything I did for your building, for Danny, I did because I wanted to. Not for anything in return."

Makima looked at him for a long moment.

"That’s not a complete answer," she said.

"No," said Sean. "It’s not."

"But it’s a true one."

"Yeah," said Sean. "It’s a true one."

She studied him for another moment. Then she lay back down beside him. Close. Her shoulder against his.

"Okay," she said quietly.

"Okay?" said Sean.

"I can work with a partial truth for now," said Makima. "As long as it stays true." She paused. "The moment it stops being true, we’re going to have a very different conversation."

"Understood," said Sean.

She was quiet for a moment. Then: "Danny called me last night. After you left my office."

"I know. I heard you through the door."

"He cried," said Makima. Her voice was soft. "My brother is twenty-three years old and he cried on the phone like he was a kid again. He kept saying he was sorry. Over and over." She paused. "He’s never done that before. He’s too proud usually."

Sean said nothing.

"Whatever you did to make that possible," said Makima. "I know you can’t fully explain it. But thank you. Again. Properly this time."

"You thanked me properly earlier," said Sean.

"Oh yes i did " Said Makima while she smiled.

Makima laughed. Quiet and real. "Sean."

"I’m just saying."

She shook her head but she was still smiling.

They lay there for another few minutes. Comfortable. Easy. Like this was something they’d done more than once. Sean found himself thinking that comfort like this was rare. He’d never had it with Rebecca. Not really. Whatever he felt with Rebecca was always slightly off balance. Always slightly anxious. Like he was performing a role she’d written for him.

This was different.

Then a sound came from downstairs.

The building’s front door. Opening and closing. Then footsteps on the stairs. Then voices.

Makima frowned slightly. "That’s not a tenant."

"How do you know?" said Sean.

"I know everyone’s footsteps in this building," said Makima. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sean almost smiled.

Then a knock came. But not on Sean’s door.

On Makima’s apartment door. One floor down.

Then a voice. Young. Male. Slightly too loud for the evening.

"Sis? Makima? I know you’re home. Your light was on earlier."

Makima’s eyes closed for exactly two seconds. "Danny."

"Your brother is at your door at six in the evening," said Sean.