The Leaf

Calm

Raymond

Raymond turned to Claire without taking his hands off the wheel, the car still signaling and stopping as if he was still watching the road. Tony Wesley was useful when reduced to a file. The only problem was how his hand needed to feel Claire's leg, keeping Raymond's attention occupied to stop himself. He felt like he would let Wesley touch her somehow, through time and space.

"What's the plan once we get to Nico's?" Claire recognized the neighborhood, they were getting close. "Is there anything I should know?"

"I'll tell you when you need to do something," he assured her. "It's not that I don't want to, but I fear influencing you further. The less you know, the better you imitate the Logs. In time, we'll be able to formulate complex plans, once you get the hang of it."

"I'm afraid I'll make a mistake and ruin everything," Claire finally said when the car stopped, azure walls and orientation the only differences to the Wesley home.

"There's nothing we can't fix. Worst case, I disappear because they take me back to lecture me. Put a stamp on my file. Block me in a few virtual places. There's no prison in my time," he explained.

The way Claire looked at him, heavy eyelashes unblinking, her face and updo underlined by a horizontal silver cinema film roll of empty frames -- the only decoration on her dress -- made him consider whether he would take going back to his pod so calmly. Back to dusting CPUs for two hours every few days. Not knowing or caring what a day was. If he could do anything outside, an AI would make sure he learned and prepared in time. There was no urgency, all was taken care of for him.

Claire's life would also be fixed. Maybe the attention finally moves her up the Leaf List. It was what kept Raymond going in his mad plan: whatever happened, he would live every day as if they were coming to get him. Hoping they would not send Wesley back.

A thin door opened to reveal a statuesque woman in a long dress, golden jewelry stacked in a sleeve down one arm. A smaller woman had her arms around her from behind, looking as if on her way to star in a punk video. Nico and Lia Mudi, their files said, the couple who befriended Claire in college. At the time she was already involved with Wesley, but both tried their best to disapprove of the relationship while also remaining friendly.

"Claire, so good to see you. Tony," spiky black hair poked at him judgementally. "We're so happy you made it, we've heard of your many long nights at the office."

Tony Wesley's affairs were no secret, and only both Mudis conviction that Claire wouldn't leave him anyway made them less vocal about what they knew.

Raymond maintained his usual calm, "I've realized I've been leaving Claire alone for too long, so I'm trying to hold on to her. Be better," he laid out the foundation.

A taxi left a group of more people, all unnecessarily wearing suits and fashionable dresses for a night out with friends. Raymond also enjoyed that back home, but never in his own body.

"He's like a new man," Claire made him warn her with a side-eye, but she smiled and dragged him to make room for the next guests to be received. Both her friends barely kept their faces straight. He could feel waves of resentment emanating from them. He stared back at them as Tony had, fighting the need to lower his gaze.

Nothing changed if the women liked him, or at least be neutral to him. They never said a word to Claire about Tony, good or bad -- ever since she married him over their protests -- so it would only make conversations lighter. Because of course both Wesleys kept their problems at home. Claire's friends learned about her life with Tony like everyone else did: through gossip.

"So, what do we do now?" Claire looked around, once out of everyone else's earshot.

"For now, just enjoy the party," Raymond said. "I'll guide you. We'll be by each other's side the entire night -- I can't use the autopilot, but I'll be silent and follow you around. Let you handle the pleasantries."

Claire

To have nothing else to do but enjoy the company of her friends wasn't Claire's idea of a night out. Not to worry about Tony tensing next to her, wanting to leave, expecting her to carry conversations while also tending to his needs. Because he hated everyone, she never dared to have any fun. He would just take it away.

The night grew lazy, identical practical glasses in all the guests' hands, colored by their drinks in shades of brown and red. The occasional transparent one like Claire used to enjoy. To be at a party and notice only two hours in that alcohol was being served around her was unprecedented.

A hand circled her waist, directing her to the middle of the room, Claire followed it knowing it was Raymond. The song invited couples to dance, and it was a gesture Tony did often.

"I must warn you," Raymond said in her hair, "I'm not a very good dancer."

"You mean the super-human who knows everything can't dance?" she wrapped her arms around him, happy to have found something he didn't do better than her.

"I didn't install the dance module," he said, and Claire had to separate their bodies to look up to him, to verify he was serious. He was, "It didn't seem something you appreciated about your husband so I didn't bother."

He winked, "Luckily these kind of songs are easy to navigate. If we stay like this," he made her aware of his arms on her back by pulling her waist into him, "It still looks like we know what we're doing."

Claire liked that plan so she just let her cheek rest on Tony's suit, not inhaling stale cologne for once.

"I have it, I can install it if you want," he said.

"No need. I'm also... not very good," she was relieved to say it out loud. "I could never keep up with Tony. Didn't really try, to be honest. I guess I just saw it as something he did to impress others."

Like how he never kissed her when they were alone -- not even during sex -- except for rare public occasions,  usually at the end of a song...

Raymond had long stopped moving, and only then Claire realized he was going to kiss her.

"Listen," he started, "There is something I need to tell you."

Claire stopped too, but she didn't look up, delaying it to prepare herself. He still caught her off-guard.

"There's a game you and Tony like to play in other people's houses."

Claire closed her eyes, eyelids welded shut by the heat spreading from her cheeks. Of course he knew.