CHAPTER 27: WAITING
There was a difference between enjoying someone's company and looking forward to it.
The first happened naturally.
The second was harder to notice.
Because it never announced itself.
It slipped quietly into everyday life, hiding between routines and ordinary moments.
And by the time you realized it was there, it had already made itself comfortable.
Monday arrived carrying the usual misery of a school morning.
The hallways were louder than normal.
Teachers were less patient than normal.
Students were more tired than normal.
Nothing unusual.
Liora walked into the classroom with a yawn, dropping into her seat just as Mira arrived.
"You look dead."
"Good morning to you too."
"I'm serious."
"I slept late."
Mira narrowed her eyes.
"Doing what?"
Liora froze for half a second.
Only half.
But it was enough.
"Oh."
"What?"
"Oh."
"Mira."
"Oh."
Liora groaned.
"I hate you."
"That's fair."
The conversation ended there, but Mira's grin lasted much longer than necessary.
By lunch, the entire friend group had gathered beneath their usual tree.
Kai was currently attempting to convince everyone that he could survive in the wilderness with no training.
"No."
"Why not?"
"You got lost in a shopping mall."
"That happened once."
"It happened twice."
Kai pointed at Jaden.
"You're ruining my narrative."
Liora laughed, shaking her head.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves above them. Around them, dozens of students talked, laughed, and complained about assignments.
It was an ordinary day.
The kind she usually loved.
Yet every now and then, her attention drifted toward her phone.
Not constantly.
Just occasionally.
A quick glance.
Then another.
Then another.
Nothing.
No messages.
No notifications.
Nothing at all.
Which was strange.
Because Rowan usually sent something by now.
A random joke.
A complaint.
A photo.
Anything.
She quickly pushed the thought away.
It didn't matter.
People got busy.
That was normal.
Still, when lunch ended and there was still nothing, a small feeling settled somewhere in her chest.
Disappointment.
Tiny.
Barely noticeable.
But there.
The rest of the school day passed normally.
Classes came and went.
Teachers assigned work.
Students suffered.
Life continued.
Yet every time her phone buzzed, she found herself checking a little faster than before.
Only to discover it wasn't him.
A class group chat.
A reminder.
A random notification.
Nothing important.
Nothing she was waiting for.
By the time school ended, she felt slightly ridiculous.
Why was she even thinking about this?
It had only been one day.
One busy day.
That was all.
The friend group began their usual walk home.
Kai and Jaden were arguing about something involving a movie neither of them had actually watched.
Mira had given up trying to understand.
Evren walked beside Liora, hands tucked into his pockets.
For a while, nobody spoke.
The late afternoon sun painted the streets gold.
It was peaceful.
Comfortable.
Then Evren glanced toward her.
"You okay?"
The question caught her off guard.
"Huh?"
"You seem distracted."
Liora blinked.
Then laughed lightly.
"I'm fine."
Evren studied her for a moment.
Not suspiciously.
Just carefully.
The same way he always did.
Then he nodded.
"Okay."
And that was the end of it.
No pressure.
No further questions.
Still, as they continued walking, she found herself thinking about it.
You seem distracted.
Maybe she was.
A little.
That evening, she sat at her desk attempting to finish an assignment.
Attempting being the important word.
Because every few minutes, her eyes drifted toward her phone.
Still nothing.
The room was quiet except for the occasional sound of passing traffic outside.
She sighed.
Then immediately felt embarrassed.
This was ridiculous.
It wasn't like Rowan owed her messages.
People had lives.
Responsibilities.
Things to do.
She knew that.
So why did the silence feel strange?
Her pencil tapped against the desk.
The assignment remained unfinished.
Finally, around nine o'clock, her phone buzzed.
Once.
Liora grabbed it so quickly she nearly dropped it.
Then froze.
Because the speed of her reaction had told her everything she needed to know.
The notification sat on the screen.
Rowan
survived the day
A smile immediately appeared.
Unavoidable.
Automatic.
She hated that.
Liora
barely
The reply came seconds later.
Rowan
same
Liora
where were you all day
The message sent before she fully thought about it.
A second later she regretted everything.
Then another message arrived.
Rowan
wow
Rowan
someone missed me
Liora stared at the screen in horror.
Liora
absolutely not
Rowan
sure
Liora
i was just asking
Rowan
mhm
Liora
don't start
Rowan
too late
Despite herself, she laughed.
The irritation lasted exactly three seconds.
After that, the conversation resumed as if nothing had happened.
Apparently Rowan had spent most of the day helping a relative with something and hadn't checked his phone much.
A completely normal explanation.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing suspicious.
Yet for some reason, hearing it made her feel better.
And that realization was probably more concerning than the explanation itself.
Meanwhile, several cities away, Rowan sat in front of his laptop.
His room was dimly lit.
The familiar group chat remained open in another tab.
Unread messages waited there.
Ignored for now.
Instead, he looked at his conversation with Liora.
The latest message made him shake his head slightly.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Then he caught himself.
The smile disappeared.
For a moment, he simply stared at the screen.
Thinking.
A notification appeared from another chat.
Last Seen Circle
He didn't open it immediately.
Instead, his eyes returned to Liora's message.
The one asking where he'd been.
Such a simple question.
Such a harmless question.
Yet somehow it lingered longer than it should have.
Finally, Rowan closed the chat window.
Then opened the group conversation.
Dozens of messages filled the screen.
Jokes.
Updates.
Discussions.
The usual.
His gaze lingered there for a few seconds.
Then he leaned back in his chair.
The room suddenly felt quieter.
Across the city, Liora was still messaging him.
Across the city, Evren was probably finishing homework.
Across the city, five friends were slowly approaching the final months of high school.
And none of them knew how much was about to change.
Especially Liora.
Because tonight marked the first time she had waited for a message.
And the dangerous thing about waiting for someone was that eventually, they became part of your day.