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.300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHzDAmTxVI
Maybe she’d forgotten.300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8bAh3Oc9U
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.300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SkxooenXt
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…300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvsFmcnBZp0
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.300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuYf3bM2KJX
Because I wasn’t sure what scared me more—300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtClOZMOXJC
that she wouldn’t reply…300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6wWrYQThLo
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.300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkX8soiCosM
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.300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzaruVJBZwC
But not knowing doesn’t make it smaller.
If you’re hurting, I don’t need details.300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61mn80LRh0
Just tell me you're still here.300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKLkHcdmnE
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.300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFa48D5I9b
No envelope.300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSsF3VjCps
No signature.

Just one song attached to it on a flash drive:300Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpSRUbi77u
The one we shared in the rain.

ns216.73.216.254da2

Reading Theme:

Font Size:

Line Spacing:

Paragraph Spacing:

Load the next issue automatically