I finished wiping the counters with hands that wouldn't stop trembling. Great. Just great. I wasn't even doing anything wrong, but somehow Mr Knight made me feel like I was committing twelve crimes at once.
Daniel waited outside like he said he would, leaning casually against the railing, scrolling through his phone. His posture softened the second he saw me.
"Hey," he said, pushing off the rail. "Done?"
"Yeah," I breathed out. "Sorry you had to wait."
"Please," he laughed. "Watching Mr Knight spiral in real time? Worth every minute."
I choked out a laugh, and it felt good. It felt easy. It felt like my lungs finally worked again after being held in Mr Knight's ice-cold stare for way too long.
We started walking down the street, the city lights flickering softly above us. Daniel kept a comfortable distance—not too close, not too far—just enough to not make this feel weird.
"So…" he said, glancing at me, "how's the whirlwind job?"
