Page 70 of Override

“What.”

“You know,” Matt says calmly, “most people answer phones with hello.”

“Most people also willingly go to brunch.”

“That’s not the defense you think it is.”

I snort while switching lanes.

Rain clouds gather low over the city skyline ahead while the laptop pings another successful overwrite.

“You at the office?” Matt asks.

“Um…” I've never lied to Matt and don't intend on starting now. Because Matt never asks questions he doesn’t already know the answer to.

There’s a beat of silence.

“I’m currently standing in the office,” he says mildly, “and unless you suddenly evolved invisibility, you’re not here.”

“Huge if true.”

“Keaton.”

I sigh dramatically. “Why are you looking for me?”

“Because I walked into the office and found your chair empty for the first time in six business days.”

“That feels exaggerated.” I roll my eyes even though he can't see me.

“There’s a plant growing beside your monitor now.”

“That plant is dead.” I glance at the computer monitor while sitting at a red light.

“That somehow makes this conversation worse.”

Outside the windshield, pedestrians rush across a downtown crosswalk while my fingers continue moving across the keyboard automatically.

Matt goes quiet for a second.

“You still working the Gallagher thing?”

“Unfortunately.”

“You sound weird about it.”

“I’m weird about most things.”

“Fair.”

The city hums around me while another storefront camera wipes clean from the system.

Matt waits. Not interrogating. Just listening in that quiet steady way he always does.

“You okay?” he asks finally.

The question catches slightly harder than expected. Because the truthful answer is… absolutely not.

Instead I shrug even though he can’t see it.