Friday felt quieter.
Even the classroom noise seemed distant.
During lunch, Lily poked her again.
"You're definitely not fine."
Ariana forced a small smile. "Just tired."
But inside, she felt restless.
She didn't like tension.
She didn't like unfinished conversations.
Yet she was the one creating it.
That evening, her phone buzzed.
She didn't open it immediately.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Finally, she did.
UnknownUser: I'm sorry.
Her breath slowed.
She read it again.
Simple.
No excuses.
No long explanation.
Just two words.
She didn't type.
Another message came.
UnknownUser: I shouldn't have left it like that.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Part of her wanted to respond normally.
Another part refused.
Because she was still confused.
Still scared.
Still remembering rejection.
She typed finally—
SilentStar15: It's fine.
Short.
Flat.
He replied almost instantly.
UnknownUser: It's not.
Silence.
Then—
UnknownUser: I didn't want to scare you.
Her chest tightened slightly.
She typed slowly—
SilentStar15: You did.
There was a long pause.
Longer than usual.
Then—
UnknownUser: I'm sorry.
Again.
This time softer.
She didn't reply.
Not because she wanted to hurt him.
But because she didn't know what to say.
She wasn't ready to talk about love.
She wasn't ready to feel anything that strong again.
After almost three minutes—
UnknownUser: I won't say anything like that again.
Her heart reacted unexpectedly to that line.
Why did that feel worse?
But she stayed silent.
The typing dots appeared once more.
Then disappeared.
Then—
UnknownUser: Goodnight.
She stared at the word.
Normally she would reply.
Tonight—
She didn't.
She locked her phone and placed it face down.
The room felt too quiet.
And for the first time—
Silence between them didn't feel comfortable.
It felt heavy.