Chapter 196

Jake's POV

The studio was quiet this early morning. Just the soft hum of the city outside coming to wake. I liked it like that. It gave me some time to think, reflect before all the hustle-bustle began. I settled at my workbench, pulling out my sketchbook and flipping through the pages. I was working on my newest piece, a flow-inspired and resilience-of-water piece. I had this gut feeling that something wasn't right, but exactly what, I couldn't tell.

I stared at the sketches while the door opened with a creak, and Max walked in with a cup of coffee in each hand. "Morning, Jake," he said and handed me one of the cups. "Up early again, I see."

"Morning, Max," I replied, taking the offered coffee gratefully. "Yeah, wanted to get a head start. I'm a bit stuck with this piece."

Max nodded and sat beside me. "I get that way too, sometimes. Change of scenery, new eyes, helps sometimes. Want to talk about it?"

I hesitated a moment, then nodded