The rest of the evening passed in a blur of demonstrations and explanations. Noah felt lighter than he had in months, the burden of secrecy finally lifted from at least one relationship in his life.
"So, Albright might be onto you?" Kelvin asked, sitting cross-legged on his bed, his fingers tapping a restless rhythm against his knee.
Noah's expression turned guarded. "Maybe. There've been too many 'random' evaluations, too many questions about my performance metrics."
"What's your plan?" Kelvin leaned forward, his usual hyperactivity momentarily replaced by genuine concern.
Noah smiled, a small, confident curve of his lips. "For that, the Mrs and I already have something in the works."
"The Mrs?" Kelvin grinned.
"Sophie," Noah clarified with a roll of his eyes. "Don't worry about it. We've got it handled."
"If you say so," Kelvin shrugged, but his eyes remained thoughtful.
Noah stretched, suddenly looking tired but relieved. "It feels good sharing this with you. Really good."
