By the time dinner came around, Alex had already made too many decisions. What to answer, what to ignore, whether to stay late, whether to go to the gym, whether today counted as productive or not. The kitchen light flicked on, then off again. The fridge opened, closed, opened. Alex leaned against the counter, phone in hand, scrolling without reading, feeling that familiar mix of hunger and exhaustion that made even choosing food feel heavier than it should.