Still Choosing You
Book 1 Chapter 6 — Scene 5: IT FOLLOWED HIM HOME
The first report arrived home on a Tuesday night.
Not physically.
Digitally.
Daniel finished dinner, carried his bowl to the sink, and returned to the dining table with his laptop.
Emma noticed immediately.
Not because laptops were unusual.
Because this one opened before the dishes were fully dry.
Daniel sat down.
The familiar startup screen reflected briefly in his glasses.
A moment later, spreadsheets filled the display.
Emma glanced over from the sofa.
"More work?"
Daniel looked up.
"Just finishing something."
The answer sounded casual.
Normal.
Temporary.
The same way most work had sounded during the past few months.
Emma nodded.
"Okay."
She returned her attention to her phone.
The conversation ended there.
The apartment remained quiet.
The television played softly in the background.
Traffic moved below the building.
A neighbor closed a door somewhere along the corridor.
Ordinary evening sounds.
At first, Daniel typed steadily.
Emails.
Reports.
Updates.
The usual things.
Half an hour passed.
Then another.
Emma looked up again.
Daniel remained in the same position.
Eyes on the screen.
Hands on the keyboard.
Occasionally reaching for the mouse.
Nothing dramatic.
Just working.
By nine o'clock, Emma stood and stretched.
"You want tea?"
Daniel blinked.
Almost as if returning from somewhere else.
"Huh?"
"Tea."
"Oh."
He glanced briefly at the screen.
"Sure."
Emma disappeared into the kitchen.
Water boiled.
Cups appeared.
The familiar sounds drifted back into the living room.
When she returned, Daniel had not moved.
The spreadsheet still occupied his screen.
Rows.
Columns.
Numbers.
Far more numbers than she could understand from where she stood.
She placed the cup beside him.
"Thanks."
Without looking away from the monitor.
Emma watched him for a second.
Then sat back down.
The television continued playing.
The tea cooled slowly.
Daniel barely touched it.
At nine thirty, a notification appeared on his screen.
Emma noticed because his eyes immediately followed it.
An email.
Another one.
He opened it.
Read it.
Opened another document.
Typed a reply.
The work expanded.
One task becoming two.
Two becoming three.
The evening shrinking around them.
By ten o'clock, Emma had already changed into sleepwear.
Daniel remained at the table.
Still working.
Still typing.
Still reading.
The laptop cast a pale glow across the dining area.
The rest of the apartment seemed darker around it.
Emma walked over.
"You coming to bed soon?"
Daniel looked at the clock.
His expression briefly changed.
Surprised.
As if he hadn't realized the time.
"Maybe another thirty minutes."
Emma nodded.
"Okay."
She didn't argue.
Didn't complain.
Didn't ask further.
Just returned to the bedroom.
The door remained partially open.
Daniel could see the warm light from inside.
Could hear drawers opening and closing.
Could hear Emma moving around.
Getting ready for bed.
A normal routine.
One they used to share more often.
Tonight, he remained where he was.
The report wasn't finished.
The numbers weren't complete.
The deadlines hadn't moved.
He looked back at the screen.
Across the spreadsheet, several sections remained highlighted in yellow.
Incomplete.
Waiting.
The same word appeared repeatedly in his mind.
Waiting.
Targets waiting.
Reports waiting.
Managers waiting.
Expectations waiting.
The pressure followed him home because it no longer stayed at the office.
The office closed.
The pressure didn't.
At ten twenty-three, Emma appeared again.
This time standing quietly beside the dining table.
Daniel sensed her before looking up.
"You should sleep."
She smiled faintly.
"You too."
He returned the smile.
A small one.
Tired.
"I will."
Emma glanced at the laptop.
Then at him.
Then back at the laptop.
For a moment, she looked as if she wanted to say something.
Instead she simply nodded.
"Good night."
"Good night."
She disappeared into the bedroom.
A few seconds later, the light switched off.
The apartment grew quieter.
Daniel sat alone at the dining table.
Laptop open.
Documents open.
Email inbox open.
The same dining table where they used to spend evenings talking.
The same table where dinner had ended less than two hours ago.
Now it belonged to work again.
Daniel rubbed his eyes.
Then reopened another report.
Because the work was still there.
Because the targets were still there.
Because the uncertainty was still there.
And because lately, no matter how late he worked, it never felt like enough.
The clock moved toward eleven.
The apartment slept.
The laptop remained awake.
So did Daniel.
Scene-by-scene release. Continue only when the next scene is ready.