Tiana didn't check her phone.
Not because she was busy.
Just because she didn't feel like it.
It sat beside her.
Quiet.
For once.
By afternoon—
She picked it up.
Scrolled.
Nothing important.
"…Good."
She locked it again.
Her phone rang.
Jeffery.
She answered.
"…Hello?"
"You disappeared."
Tiana leaned back slightly.
"…I was around."
"Not really."
That made her pause.
"…You're monitoring my presence now?"
"I notice things."
"…Since when?"
A short silence.
"…Since you started doing things you don't usually do."
There it was again.
Tiana exhaled softly.
"…You've said that before."
"Because it's still true."
She didn't respond immediately.
Not because she didn't have something to say.
But because—
She didn't feel like explaining.
"…I'm fine," she said instead.
A pause.
"…Alright," Jeffery replied.
Short.
Too short.
"…That's it?" she asked.
"For now."
Tiana frowned slightly.
"…You're being vague."
"I'm being careful."
That word again.
Careful.
"…About what?" she asked.
A pause.
Then—
"…Nothing," he said.
Tiana didn't push.
"…Okay."
Another short silence.
"…I'll talk to you later," he added.
"Yeah."
The call ended.
Tiana stared at her phone for a moment.
"…Careful."
She repeated it quietly.
It didn't sound like nothing.
She placed the phone down.
Then picked it up again.
Opened her messages.
Scrolled.
Nothing new.
Nothing strange.
Just—
Normal.
She locked it again.
For some reason—
That felt different.
Not better.
Not worse.
Just—
Quieter.
She leaned back.
Let the silence sit.
No interruptions.
No noise.
No distractions.
And yet—
Something about it didn't feel empty.
Just…
Unsettled.
"…I should probably do something," she muttered.
But she didn't move.
Not yet.
Because for the first time in a while—
Nothing was happening.
And somehow—
That felt unfamiliar.