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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmntTMm7xU1
Maybe she’d forgotten.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2qK9k0Rns
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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgLkAaeRDY
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…8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqx2LomGGnC
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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWErKBoDTz
Because I wasn’t sure what scared me more—8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiw67DXykYE
that she wouldn’t reply…8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqfyuQBTDO
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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXq2ZsfnhMx
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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5byGZ5LUP
But not knowing doesn’t make it smaller.
If you’re hurting, I don’t need details.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9yWvKzU3N
Just tell me you're still here.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7BeS794RYh
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.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMEG29xrYd
No envelope.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsFrmV9rYn
No signature.

Just one song attached to it on a flash drive:8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHBBPkuTtO
The one we shared in the rain.

ns216.73.216.77da2

Reading Theme:

Font Size:

Line Spacing:

Paragraph Spacing:

Load the next issue automatically