The common area had been loud thirty seconds ago.
Noah was still riding the tail end of it, the cheering and the handshakes and Angel's kiss and Marcus talking about Lucas's debriefs, all of it still warm in his chest, when he looked at Sophie's face properly and the warmth went somewhere else.
She was holding his hand.
He had not registered when she had taken it. Just became aware of her fingers around his and the way she was holding on with slightly more pressure than the moment seemed to require.
He looked at her eyes.
"Sophie," he said quietly. "What is it."
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came.
Kelvin's hand landed on his shoulder from behind. Not a pat. A grip. The kind of grip that said I am here and I am not going anywhere and I need you to know that before whatever comes next comes next.
Behind him, Sam's voice, low and even, the coordinator's voice that knew how to move a room without making it feel like the room was being moved.
