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.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWZHQlP7Qb
Maybe she’d forgotten.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2RpoNr6j8R
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.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxbtCDmnW1
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…26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVgexZRBcs
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.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2fNfJThHh
Because I wasn’t sure what scared me more—26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOyHuwx4oc
that she wouldn’t reply…26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XMJYOaNKR
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.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8515hvJzC
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.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGLbsAnQWY
But not knowing doesn’t make it smaller.
If you’re hurting, I don’t need details.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MAoxOSO39
Just tell me you're still here.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡinpS3SLBUi
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.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKHMN60noNj
No envelope.26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYv7rMOG8Wy
No signature.

Just one song attached to it on a flash drive:26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYc5nt389L
The one we shared in the rain.

ns216.73.216.171da2

Reading Theme:

Font Size:

Line Spacing:

Paragraph Spacing:

Load the next issue automatically