Eli’s POV
I told myself it was fine.
Maybe she was tired.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UiUNWjZDK
Maybe she’d forgotten.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvNykjVEDc2
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.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLAy2EwrpZ
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…45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9ucmeNozd
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.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnQzjpxwXS
Because I wasn’t sure what scared me more—45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8Pu9NijdJ
that she wouldn’t reply…45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSu1fDDhACi
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.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRdfo2aeOCA
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.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIgPY0OMMA
But not knowing doesn’t make it smaller.If you’re hurting, I don’t need details.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdu4qkB3Ghi
Just tell me you're still here.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9FKwvVp7Z
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.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJQhFQGbxF
No envelope.45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tzQAgIBUO
No signature.
Just one song attached to it on a flash drive:45Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxu9CPvQUCL
The one we shared in the rain.
然後按「加至主畫面」