New York Central Park was full of people taking evening strolls on the weekend. The crisp breeze of the late-autumn sunset carried a pleasant chill, and the lingering light shone through the branches onto the bluish stone pavement like a fire laid across ice. Young couples in love took stepping in sync as proof of their understanding, their shoes making only faint sounds against the ground.
"Peter, you seem like you've been under a lot of pressure lately. Is your research project not going well?" Gwen tucked her hair behind her ear and turned to Peter.
Peter merely held Gwen's hand in silence. After a while, as though he had only just come back to himself, he said, "The project's going pretty smoothly. I've just been working overtime to rush it lately, so I'm a little tired."
"You can't fool me." Gwen shook her head. "Whenever something's on your mind, you space out. People can call your name and you won't hear them. You spaced out several times during dinner just now."
Peter pressed his lips together and still said nothing. Gwen glanced up at him but did not press the matter further. Though Peter's expression was tense, the relaxed muscles at the corners of his eyes showed that he had let out a breath of relief.
But that relief was immediately followed by guilt. Gwen was so understanding and never forced him to answer anything, which made hiding things from her seem especially selfish. So Peter began to explain.
"I do have something on my mind, but Doctor Schiller left, so this week's session was canceled. I don't know who else I can talk to."
"Have you seen Harry recently?"
Peter tilted his head at Gwen in confusion, unable to understand why she was asking. Gwen smiled. "Do you