Liam's alarm went off at the wrong time, which was the same time it always went off, which meant Liam had simply stayed up too late again and was now dealing with the consequences of that decision in real time.
He lay there for exactly three seconds looking at the ceiling.
Then he was up.
He moved through the apartment with the specific energy of someone who had done the mental calculation and didn't like the result.
His phone said what it said and what it said meant he had less time than he needed and more distance to cover than was comfortable.
He grabbed his toothbrush and had it in his mouth before he reached the bathroom mirror, brushing with the focused efficiency of a man who had reduced the morning routine to its absolute minimum and was now executing it at speed.
He rinsed.
Grabbed a shirt from the back of the chair, the one he had put there last night with the specific intention of wearing it this morning.
Pulled it over his head.
