The Song Between Us - Chapter 9: The Night She Didn’t Come

Eli’s POV

I told myself it was fine.

Maybe she was tired.299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5VPt5oLbI
Maybe she’d forgotten.299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWka26nvV4C
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.299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy8ADFl1xYR
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…299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡosUjw5IasU
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.299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡau3Smwa8ni
Because I wasn’t sure what scared me more—299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXWGD33U4e
that she wouldn’t reply…299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzV3GVvnk7
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.299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4A1onT2GQA
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.299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeK5fsxdwuj
But not knowing doesn’t make it smaller.
If you’re hurting, I don’t need details.299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1Vt2prYPK
Just tell me you're still here.299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfKQ9ueGCT
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.299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFqIgKXVjy
No envelope.299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMQoNBAkTW
No signature.

Just one song attached to it on a flash drive:299Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUxde9VSo0a
The one we shared in the rain.

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