No, expecting company

"Tonight's off—expecting company. Soon, though. Very soon."

She lingers a beat, green eyes searching mine with that playful spark, then nods once, decisive. "Soon it is, then. Don't keep me waiting too long." Her hand brushes my arm lightly as she slings her bag over her shoulder, ponytail swinging with the motion. We fall into step together through the thinning floor, elevators dinging empty ahead. The air between us hums charged, her shoulder grazing mine in the crowded car down to the lobby.

Outside, the evening sun slants low over midtown, casting long shadows across the sidewalks choked with rushing commuters. Horns blare distant, the city exhaling after the workday grind. We walk a block west, her strides matching mine effortlessly, conversation light as steam from a street vendor's cart. She teases about Mark's retreat earlier, voice low and warm. "You handled him like a pro. Whatever you're on lately, bottle it."

I chuckle soft, the charisma pulsing natural under my skin. "Just focus. And good coffee." Our elbows bump again, deliberate. At the corner where her subway waits, she turns fully, rising on toes to press a quick kiss to my cheek, lips lingering hot a second too long. "Text me. Soon." Then she's gone, swallowed by the crowd, her shape cutting sharp against the fading light.

I veer north alone toward the apartment complex, streets narrowing into quieter residential veins, the day's weave still thrumming satisfied in my veins. Sarah's compulsion echoes faint, her craving a distant pull; Tessa's oath tighter, ensuring her return haunts the night ahead. My phone stays silent at first, tucked in my pocket, until a sharp vibration jolts midway down a shadowed alley shortcut—double buzz, insistent, like an alarm buried deep.

I fish it out, screen igniting unbidden. The Mindweave app dominates, no swipe needed, its interface pulsing red at the edges for the first time. A stark notification sprawls across:

ALERT: ANOMALY DETECTED

Proximity weave signature - NON-STANDARD. Rival operator 1.2km ESE. Influence radius overlapping yours (35% interference risk).

Recommendation: Evade or Counter-Weave. Log activated. Tier lockdown until resolved.

My steps falter a half-second, pulse quickening cool as ice water. Rival? The app's lore never hinted at others—solo dominion, its tutorials implied. A map overlay flickers live: a pulsing crimson dot eastward, toward the denser high-rises, edging my own green perimeter. Foot traffic thins here, neon signs from corner bars flickering to life early. No faces match the dot yet, but the stakes twist sudden—another user, poaching ground, threads tangling mine.