Chapter 7: Spiral

Linda closed the car door softly, hoping to slip inside unnoticed.

“Linda!” Maya called, eyes lighting up with manufactured warmth. “Come join us!”

Linda hesitated. She was still in her interview clothes not glamorous, not even confident but she walked a few steps closer out of politeness.

“These are my friends Shanice, from my old yoga studio, and Britt, she runs a consulting firm. Ladies, this is Linda, my across the-street neighbor.”

“Hi,” Linda said, barely smiling.

“Oh, I love your shoes,” one of the women said. Linda glanced down. They were scuffed.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” she replied vaguely. “Had a long day.”

Maya arched an eyebrow, her smile sharp. “Of course, you must be exhausted. Chasing big dreams or just chasing traffic?”

A chuckle rippled between the friends, thin and mean.

Linda’s lips twitched into a non-smile. “Something like that.”

As she turned back toward her door, Maya called after her, “Come have dinner with us tonight, okay? Around seven. We’re just grilling something simple.”

Linda nodded without turning around. “Sure.”

But as she entered her house and shut the door behind her, she leaned against it, eyes closed, her body folding with the weight of a day that had offered nothing but rejection.

Linda stood quietly, her wine untouched. Maya leaned toward her.

“Gary’s got a good mind. Cold, but sharp. Like a blade.”

Linda forced a smile. “He likes his ideas better than people.”

“I noticed.”

Then Maya lowered her voice. “You two doing okay?”

Linda blinked. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“No reason,” Maya said, tilting her head. “Just... you know. Energy. Body language.”

Before Linda could reply, Gary’s phone buzzed. He stepped back, checking the screen. “I’ve got to take this. It’s work.”

Calvin nodded. “We’ll pick it up later. I might know someone looking to invest in modular AI housing. We’ll talk again.”

Linda watched Gary disappear into the hallway with the phone at his ear, muttering into the receiver. Something in her clenched. She turned back toward the kitchen.

“Excuse me,” she said to Maya. “I’m going to check on the boys.”

But as she passed the den, raised voices stopped her.

Luca and Jesse stood a few feet apart, faces red, eyes narrowed.

“You threw it at me!” Jesse yelled.

“I didn’t! You were trying to push me!”

“I wasn’t—”

Linda stepped in just as Jesse balled his fists.

“Enough!” she snapped, grabbing Jesse by the shoulder. “We’re going.”

“He hit me!” Jesse shouted.

“He’s lying!” Luca countered from the other side of the room.

“I said enough!” Linda's voice cut like a blade.

From the hallway, Gary appeared, tucking his phone away. “What happened?”

“Doesn’t matter. We’re leaving,” Linda muttered, already guiding Jesse to the door.

“Sorry,” Gary said to Maya and Calvin as he followed, voice even. “Thank you for having us.”

Maya stood in the doorway, wine glass in hand, watching them go. Her expression is unreadable. Her friends leaned behind her, whispering.

Linda didn’t look back. Jesse walked ahead. Gary lingered just slightly.

“Don’t worry,” Maya said softly. “Kids fight. Adults just... get better at hiding it.”

Gary didn’t answer.

Then they crossed the street in silence, under the flickering glow of a streetlamp that buzzed faintly overhead like a warning.

Back at home, the door closed with a soft click that seemed to suck all sound from the room. Jesse went straight to his room, not saying a word. Linda lingered by the entryway, arms folded, heart still fluttering from the awkwardness of the dinner.

Gary pulled off his shoes with slow, deliberate movements.

“That was unnecessary,” he said flatly.

Linda narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”

“The way you grabbed Jesse. The way you stormed out. You embarrassed everyone.”

She turned toward him fully now, her jaw tight. “You were busy on your phone. Again. I’m the one who watches him. I’m the one who keeps things from falling apart.”

Gary’s eyes met hers, colder now. “So that justifies the scene you made?”

“At least I’m present,” she hissed. “You’re always ‘at work.’ Even when you’re here, your head’s in a blueprint or a message. Who was it tonight, Gary? Work?”

Silence.

He didn’t answer. Just turned away, walked toward the hallway.

“That’s what I thought,” Linda said quietly.

He paused at the bedroom door. “I’m going to sleep.”

The bedroom lights flicked off. The only glow came from across the street, Maya’s house, still buzzing. Linda lay stiffly in bed, half-turned away from Gary.

A moment later, she felt his hand reach toward her under the covers. Mechanical. Expected. He moved to touch her thigh, slide closer.

“No,” she said, voice barely audible.

Gary pulled back without a word. Rolled to the other side. Fell asleep quickly, like always.

Linda lay awake, eyes wide open, staring at the neighbor’s window where shadows moved, curtains swaying. She could almost hear Maya’s laugh. Then something deeper rhythmic, unmistakable.

Maya and Calvin were fucking. Passionately. Loudly. Without apology.

Linda blinked slowly. Her lips parted, not in pleasure, but in something like grief.

The day dragged on, filled with unremarkable meetings and mindless reports. As the afternoon sun slid through the slatted blinds, Gary remained at his desk, eyes on the code projections mapped on his monitor.

Veronika entered without knocking, holding a takeaway coffee in each hand.

“You missed lunch,” she said, placing one on his desk. “No thanks necessary. I figured you’re the type who gets hypoglycemic and rage-quits spreadsheets.”

Gary raised an eyebrow but accepted the drink. “Thanks.”

She didn’t leave.

Instead, her eyes wandered across his monitor architectural schematics layered over smart grid schematics. Lines of code. Hand-drawn renderings. Something detailed. Personal.

“You’re not showing that to O’Malley, are you?” she asked.

Gary leaned back. “Not yet. It’s mine. A private project.”

Veronika studied it for another beat. “You’ve been designing a house.”

He gave a small nod.

She walked around the desk slowly, fingers trailing along the edge of it like a panther circling prey.

“It’s brilliant,” she said. “Integrated micro-environmental management, embedded thermal grids... full AI automation. You’ve thought of everything.”

He shrugged, but there was pride under the surface. “It’s theoretical. Maybe too ambitious.”

“No such thing,” Veronika said, her voice lower now. “You know what I like?”

Gary glanced at her.

“Men with ambition,” she said. “Real ones. Visionaries.”

He turned slightly toward her, lips parting to speak — but found no words.

“No one ever told you that, did they?” she whispered.

He shook his head once.

She stepped closer.