You shake your head, letting the decision settle before you speak. "I'll pass. Not really in the mood." She watches a second, not surprised, just measuring it. "You sure? It's nothing serious. You don't have to stay long." "I know," you reply. "I just don't feel like being around that many people tonight." She nods, accepting it without pushing. "Fair enough. Not every day has to end with a party." "That's what I keep telling people." A faint smile. "You're very consistent with that." A brief pause, the kind that comes when a plan quietly falls away without leaving anything awkward. She doesn't try again, and you don't justify it further. "If you change your mind, you can still come," she adds, more habit than expectation. "We'll be there." "I won't." No edge to it. "I figured." The conversation drifts back to something neutral, but the shift is there. The evening ahead feels quieter now, more predictable. Sitting there in the background noise, you realise it isn't about the party. It's about what you're avoiding by not going. You don't follow that thought any further. You don't need to. [[Cybercrime/The_Phisherman/Return to Work|Return to work]]