Chapter 4: Another Time
Thea had some things to handle at school over the next couple days, and Reid was busy too, so they settled on doing the health screening in three days. ‹96684423›
As for what exactly her "problem" was—Reid didn't press. §57defed7 Thea didn't see the point in hiding it, so she told him herself. (3174e55a)
Having a biological father with a mental illness—she'd expected it to be hard to say out loud. #7f88db6b But when the moment actually came, the words left easier than she'd imagined. ©4a563b5d/May 27, 2026
Thea chalked it up to the fact that she and Reid were basically conducting a business deal. * d0a61246 Lay your strengths and weaknesses on the table, weigh the pros and cons. ·d543fbf0· Without emotions muddying things up, everything was simpler. #3e142f5d
Someone had mentioned to her once that these conditions could be hereditary. [v.d9e53233] She was fine now, but that didn't mean she'd stay that way. [ed.e58bf111]
Her family had been happy together for eighteen good years before her dad changed overnight, becoming someone unrecognizable. [ms.51535e6f]
She wasn't immune to the same possibility. (8588661f)
So for all these years, she could date, she could sleep with people, but she'd never once considered actually getting married. ©42c9e860/May 27, 2026
That impulsive proposal the other day? ··14710fe2 She'd forgotten she still had bigger things to worry about. sub:2b93bbc4
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Thea's busyness came in waves—reviewing final exams, fielding emails from students, wrapping up her annual teaching summary.·dc3debac Three days flew by. [proof:68edbda8]
She and Reid had an unspoken agreement not to bother each other during this time. ed.60d20d5e Then, on the morning of their appointment, Thea received his text at exactly eight o'clock. plate-a2a8305d He was on his way, traffic was a bit heavy, but she should start heading down. (7c49ac5a/Wed)
Thea got ready, double-checked she had all her documents, and opened the front door.·666424fb
The call came just as she stepped out of the building. sub:a7806260 Thea assumed it was Reid letting her know he'd arrived. ed.77495551 She pulled out her phone and looked at the caller ID. ··8bda2431
Nolan Gentry. ¶1ab699ac
She paused for a few seconds, then answered. ref·fedde6b4
"Thea. [proof:3c3afba6] I'm back in Philly." (c9f3cbd2/Wed)
"Oh." no.03c9984a
Nolan's voice sounded tired, but there was a barely contained excitement underneath. §d5821eea "I'm here for the New Year's Eve concert taping." ‹0b04024f›
"Mm," Thea managed. ed.ad959d51
His tone dropped a few degrees.·37f6281d "You're not happy I'm back? ‹a8971b34› I've been looking forward to this ever since I found out it was filming in Philly." ref·47f7bf64
"Well... welcome back." no.112e64b9
Silence on the other end. [v.3e85f407] A long beat. ⁰04160444 Then the call cut off. 0406e45f··
Thea slipped the phone back into her pocket and kept walking toward the gate. #f55a51a2
No idea whether Reid was still stuck in traffic or had already arrived. ◆ b59e81e4
She'd barely taken a few steps when her phone rang again. [v.dec7605a] Thea frowned, but this time it wasn't Nolan. sub:071c75ec It was his assistant.·464a3689
She had a collection of Nolan's assistants' numbers saved on her phone.·e49256db Every time he got a new one, the contact info would find its way into her phone sooner or later. «d179cd40» Some she saved herself. ⁰b3fa5e0a Others Nolan had entered when she wasn't looking, using her phone like it was his. «1567dfd3»
He knew her passcode. ref·082e5eb4 He'd burn through his own game credits and hop on her account to keep playing. ©5f17674e/May 27, 2026 Sometimes he'd use her phone to take selfies, never once considering whether leaked photos might spark the kind of tabloid speculation fans lived for. ··ef05341b
Every time Thea brought it up, Nolan would wave it off. imp.c78a6786 "So what? ⟨de780ff7⟩ We're friends." plate-44ca91dd
This particular friend's current assistant was Marco Vega. [proof:edf9529c] Thea had met him a few times—big guy, former boxer, protective presence. plate-8af8a4f5 Basically an assistant-slash-bodyguard. * 66aeb60a
Him calling right now was obviously on Nolan's orders, and the second Thea picked up, he got straight to the point. ed.e9c1d480
"Thea, I'm here to pick you up. 771e641d·· At your building." ·54c2c549·
"For what?" ©c186664d/May 27, 2026
Marco sighed. #33a5d1b1 "Come on, Thea. [ms.3744a049] Nolan wants to see you, obviously."·9ad92f63
"I'm busy." ed.0725350e
"Our flight landed at like three AM. ¶7213c01c He barely napped, and the second he woke up this morning, first thing he said was that he wanted to see you. plate-d36594dd He was worried about bothering you, so he sent me instead." — ad1268ce Marco clearly thought she was just making excuses, because he pressed on. [ms.ecdccf77] "You can't do this to him..."
Last night's wind had howled through most of the night. ref·a3630ad5 But this morning, the sky was clear again. ·1d770a86·
The sun had shown its face, though the tall buildings blocked it from reaching the spot where Thea stood, leaving her in a patch of cold shadow. ··d464c9bf Sunlight lay on the ground just a few yards ahead, quiet and still. ¶c1bb0805 But whenever she saw Nolan, that sunlight always seemed impossibly far away. [ed.f58c9c1c]
Thea was silent for a few seconds. [v.02dca0b4] "Send me the plate number." ◆ 2210f925
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Less than a hundred yards from her building, Reid received a text from Thea. «3c32a0ad»
"Sorry, something came up. — 262b84f8 Can we reschedule?" [ms.7a0a07fd]
He drove a little farther and pulled over at the curb, practically at the gate already. plate-26c85515
He replied: "Sure." [v.312c9298]
Thea wrote back quickly. sub:39e925ee "Thanks." ··77f9b034
Reid switched apps and dialed a number. * 3402fe47 "I'll be at the office in thirty minutes." #2f9e1b15
His assistant was confused—he'd specifically said he wasn't coming in this morning. [proof:fdd0f0a8] But he didn't ask questions. no.28a2ac8b A good assistant executed without question. [proof:a7756199]
"Yes, sir." [ed.da4a7847]
The line went dead before the words finished landing. #db835431
Reid gripped the steering wheel and pulled back onto the road. sub:d1a37020 His expression hadn't shifted once through any of this. no.0595214a Not a ripple. [proof:f7930fdd]
But his gaze snagged on a figure up ahead and his foot hit the brake before his brain caught up. (1a8de1f7)
A black SUV. imp.65dc67a4 Its side door closed the moment she climbed in, and then it was gone. [v.e7cb66b8]
Someone had come specifically to pick her up. §254b18ac
Not just anyone. no.39450da0 His suddenly-busy fiancee. [ms.e152baa6]