Jay's POV
Nobody expected that answer.
Not because it was shocking.
Because it sounded so normal.
He was my friend.
Four simple words.
Yet they somehow made everything feel heavier.
I looked at David, trying to understand what was going through his mind. His eyes remained fixed on the photograph, and for the first time all night, he didn't seem angry or defensive.
He just looked tired.
The kind of tiredness that came from carrying something for too long.
Felix sat back down without saying another word. Even he seemed unsure of what to ask next.
Because once someone stopped being a mystery and started being a person, everything changed.
Suddenly, this wasn't about reports.
Or photographs.
Or anonymous messages.
It was about someone who had once been part of our lives.
Someone who had laughed with us.
Studied with us.
Belonged with us.
And somehow disappeared from our memories.
I lowered my gaze.
The thought bothered me more than I wanted to admit.
Because if David had considered Stein a friend, then there was a chance the rest of us had too.
Maybe not as close.
Maybe not in the same way.
But enough to remember him.
Enough that forgetting felt wrong.
The stranger remained silent, allowing the weight of David's words to settle over the room.
And as I looked around at Section E, I realized something.
For the first time that night, nobody was trying to figure out who Stein was.
We were trying to figure out who he had been to us.