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.295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBND8KeboZ
Maybe she’d forgotten.295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHYSFLVrlI
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.295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡijmMO7jtP6
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…295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0QnrNcVOR
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.295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9Hl1fr8L9
Because I wasn’t sure what scared me more—295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0SPT51Qjt
that she wouldn’t reply…295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ06I1KQlPY
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.295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUWbdCYfLU
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.295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxceqEyhRi
But not knowing doesn’t make it smaller.
If you’re hurting, I don’t need details.295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX61EPIYAcq
Just tell me you're still here.295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5SQ3zFHJr
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.295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2xy3HjFIb
No envelope.295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiD40YZsQD
No signature.

Just one song attached to it on a flash drive:295Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVtcbqrntJ
The one we shared in the rain.

ns216.73.217.22da2

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