Eli’s POV
I told myself it was fine.
Maybe she was tired.43Please respect copyright.PENANAz7bdwwhJum
Maybe she’d forgotten.43Please respect copyright.PENANAHY1LqSsRtQ
Maybe it was just one night.
But I knew better.
Mara didn’t miss things. Not like this.
It started small—the usual playlist never came. No message. No subtle emoji with a song link. Nothing.
I still showed up at the café. Still took Table Nine. Still ordered two coffees, like muscle memory was smarter than my pride.
She didn’t come.
The next night, same thing.43Please respect copyright.PENANA3AJaOH2lsU
And the night after that.
On the third night, I didn’t order coffee. I just sat there, staring at the chair across from me like it had betrayed me.
I tried telling myself we weren’t anything. Not really. We hadn’t kissed. We hadn’t confessed. We hadn’t even made promises.
But her absence…43Please respect copyright.PENANAMWQPXbjPfH
It hollowed out the room.
When I got home, I paced for over an hour. Thought about calling her. Thought about walking to her building. I even opened a blank message three times just to type:
Are you okay?
But I never hit send.43Please respect copyright.PENANA4D3Xn1r0R3
Because I wasn’t sure what scared me more—43Please respect copyright.PENANAAs1pxtb78Z
that she wouldn’t reply…43Please respect copyright.PENANAeBjSsJAIzz
or that she would, and something would be different.
That night, I wrote something instead. Not for a book. Just for me.
Dear Mara,
I think you became my routine before I had the courage to admit it.43Please respect copyright.PENANAIJF0Q5z8aS
I memorized the sound of your laugh in lowercase, the kind that only shows up in real conversation.I know we never said what this is.43Please respect copyright.PENANAXrWPVWJEj6
But not knowing doesn’t make it smaller.If you’re hurting, I don’t need details.43Please respect copyright.PENANAkYzMLEylGX
Just tell me you're still here.43Please respect copyright.PENANAe7qeEC9vly
That you still want me to listen.—E
I didn’t send that either.
But I left it in her mailbox the next morning.
Handwritten.43Please respect copyright.PENANAw6HBuz274j
No envelope.43Please respect copyright.PENANAQ8dtrHFziB
No signature.
Just one song attached to it on a flash drive:43Please respect copyright.PENANAe1dzJRODoR
The one we shared in the rain.