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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvpMZVXpKF
Maybe she’d forgotten.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStGiMTUxgb
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnjkXNyksuF
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…67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmwMH1YvHy
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hubQ1XN8m
Because I wasn’t sure what scared me more—67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVim5JpTZ9L
that she wouldn’t reply…67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBCho07QjW
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bdnXOrx3U
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjjCZ4YVh5
But not knowing doesn’t make it smaller.
If you’re hurting, I don’t need details.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Kyef7UW9n
Just tell me you're still here.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIEI20pDpP
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkkXJZstVs
No envelope.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCpUW5uKn0
No signature.

Just one song attached to it on a flash drive:67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3h7IFMWFH
The one we shared in the rain.

ns216.73.216.82da2

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