And Tyler knows your face. Maya understood. It was enough already. If Tyler or one of his friends saw him meeting Maya, he might disappear again. I'll stay close.
Maya said. The diner sat beneath the red neon sign that buzzed in the rain. Inside, coffee steamed behind the counter. Forks clinked against thick white plates. An old ceiling fan turned slowly above half empty booths.
Maya took a table near the front window. Monica slid into a booth at the back. Jason arrived six minutes later wearing a hooded sweatshirt darkened by rain. He looked over both shoulders before entering. Monica stood.
Jason didn't sit right away. You didn't tell her? She knows I'm here. Jason looked toward the windows. Where?
Not close enough to hear. That seemed to satisfy him. Barely. He sat. For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Monica asked, did Tyler tell you to delete it? Jason rubbed both hands over his face. Not Tyler. Who one of his dad's people? Monica went still.
Jason lowered his voice. After the reception, Tyler kept asking for my phone. I wouldn't give it to him. Later that night, I got a call from a number I didn't know. What did they say?
That anything recorded at a private donor event could create legal problems. Jason gave a bitter laugh. Then they said it would be better for everyone if I deleted it. Better for who? They didn't say.
They didn't need to. Jason looked down. The next morning, Tyler texted me. Said his dad had everything under control. Monica leaned forward.
Why didn't you give the video to Susan? Because Tyler's my teammate. That didn't answer me. Jason's jaw tightened because Richard Grant knows half the people who decide whether guys like me ever play another season. Monica stared at him.
So you deleted it. Jason nodded. I hated myself the second I did. At the front of the diner, Maya watched raindrops race down the glass. She couldn't hear the words, but she could read shame in Jason's posture.
She knew that shape by now. Monica had worn it. Ethan had worn it. Half the room at the reception had worn it. Fear didn't always make people cruel.
Sometimes it simply made them late. Monica asked, what about the backup? Jason pulled out his phone. I use automatic cloud storage because I lost everything in the air. His thumb moved across the screen.
I didn't think about it until tonight. The loading circle spun, then stopped. Jason's face changed. Oh God, Monica leaned closer. What?