It was midnight. Ellie sat alone in her room, the soft glow of her phone screen lighting up her face. She scrolled through old pictures photos of her and Astrid, captured in moments that once meant everything. Laughter frozen in time, smiles that once felt real, touches that now seemed like echoes.
But somehow, tonight, those images felt distant. Like watching someone else's life. Someone she no longer was.
For the first time, Ellie didn't feel the need to hold onto them.
Her thumb hovered over the screen for a second more. Then, slowly, she swiped out of the album and locked her phone. She set it down on the nightstand and leaned back against her pillow.
She wasn't completely over Astrid. She knew that. Grief didn't vanish overnight, and heartbreak didn't ask permission to linger. But in that quiet moment, she realized something had shifted. She was getting there.
And maybe, just maybe, she was ready to move forward.
She let her eyes close for a second, letting the silence of the room settle around her like a blanket. But her thoughts kept churning. Nicole.
She hadn't thought of her in a while, not really. Not in the messy, gut-wrenching way she used to. Yet there she was, like a soft knock at the back of her mind. Ellie sighed and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
Why was it always so hard to let go?
As she tried to still her racing thoughts, her phone buzzed loudly against the wooden table. She jumped a little and reached over.
It was Kyla.
Ellie stared at the screen, confused. Kyla? Calling at this hour?
She answered with a tired voice. "Hey... still awake?"
"Didn't I tell you to sleep?" Kyla's voice was half-scolding, half-genuine concern.
Ellie smiled in spite of herself. "Hey! Are you my mom now? Stop scolding me. I'm going to sleep now, bye."
She hung up before Kyla could reply and tossed the phone to the side with a small chuckle. Then, softly, almost whispering to herself, she murmured, "Why does she always call when I need a sign?"
Ellie sat up and rubbed her hands over her face. Her heart was a mess of confusion, longing, and something she couldn't name. She looked toward the ceiling like it might have an answer for her.
"Does Kyla really care about me like that?" she asked out loud, not expecting an answer. "Why does she always show up when I'm ready to fall apart?"
Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, it all came crashing down again. The memories of Astrid. The love that used to feel like a fairytale. The pain. The fear of forgetting someone who once meant everything.
"Ugh!" she groaned, pulling at her hair lightly. "I can't do this anymore. I have to do something."
Without thinking further, Ellie grabbed her phone again. Her fingers moved quickly, and this time, there was no hesitation. She went back into her gallery and started deleting.
Every picture with Astrid.
The selfies at the beach. The ones from rainy days at the café they used to sneak into after class. The blurry ones they took laughing so hard they couldn't hold the phone still. All of them.
Her thumb shook a little, but she kept going.
She knew this wasn't about erasing the past. It was about giving herself a future. Letting go of the anchors tied to memories that no longer brought peace.
Tears welled up, but she let them fall. She let herself feel the loss. She wasn't deleting Astrid from her heart. But she was choosing not to let those memories dictate who she was anymore.
When it was over, Ellie dropped her phone beside her pillow and curled up into a ball under the covers. Her face was damp, and her chest ached, but there was something else too.
A lightness.
And somewhere between sleep and silence, Kyla appeared in her dreams.
They were standing in a field bathed in golden light, laughter dancing in the air. Kyla was holding her hand, eyes sparkling like she always did when she talked about something she loved. And Ellie was smiling truly smiling in a way she hadn't in what felt like years.
When she woke up, sunlight was slipping in through her curtains. She blinked a few times, the memory of the dream still vivid in her mind. Her hand reached instinctively for her phone, not to scroll through old photos, but to check her messages.
There was one from Kyla.
**"You okay? I'm sorry for calling late. I just… had a weird feeling. Wanted to make sure you're alright."**
Ellie stared at the message for a long moment, her heart softening in a way that felt unfamiliar. Comforting.
She typed slowly.
**"I'm okay. Thanks for checking. And… for always being there, even when I don't make it easy."**
The reply came almost instantly.
**"Always. You don't have to say thank you for that. Just… don't shut me out, Ellie. You don't have to go through all this alone."**
Alone.
That word echoed. Because for the longest time, that's exactly how she felt. Even when surrounded by people, even when Astrid was still with her, there was always a part of Ellie that felt like she had to carry everything by herself.
But maybe she didn't have to anymore.
Maybe Kyla was the person she didn't expect. Maybe she was the right one all along.
Or maybe she was just what Ellie needed right now.
The truth was, she didn't have all the answers yet. Her heart was still healing, still unsure. But for the first time in what felt like forever, she didn't wake up with dread clinging to her skin. She didn't wake up wishing she could stay asleep.
She just… woke up. And that was enough.
Ellie got out of bed and stretched, her body still heavy but her spirit just a little lighter. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Tired eyes. Puffy cheeks. But a softness in her expression that hadn't been there the night before.
She was changing.
And for once, she wasn't afraid of it.
Ellie took her time that morning. No rushing. No noise. Just the quiet rhythm of her breathing and the sunlight warming the edge of her bed. She sat there for a few more minutes, her phone resting beside her, still open to Kyla's message.
She read it again.
"Don't shut me out, El. You don't have to go through all this alone."
It stayed with her. Not in a way that felt demanding or overwhelming. It was more like something gentle, like someone knocking softly on a door you didn't even realize you had closed.
Ellie ran a hand through her hair and got up. She walked to the bathroom, splashed water on her face, and stared into the mirror for a while. The girl looking back at her wasn't the same one who used to cry herself to sleep over Astrid. She still carried that sadness, yes, but she also carried something new now.
Hope.
After breakfast, Ellie opened her phone again and scrolled through her contacts. Her finger hovered over Kyla's name.
Then she tapped.
Kyla picked up almost instantly.
"Ellie? Hey… what's up?"
There was a pause. Not awkward, just… quiet. Like both of them were waiting to see who would speak first.
Ellie took a breath. "I was thinking… maybe we could hang out today?"
Kyla sounded surprised, but in a warm way. "Yeah? Of course. Where do you want to go?"
Ellie smiled, a little shy. "Anywhere. I just… don't want to be alone."
"You don't have to explain. I'll be there in thirty minutes."
Ellie felt a strange flutter in her chest as she hung up. She hadn't planned anything. She just knew she didn't want to be by herself today. And more than that, she wanted Kyla to be the one she shared this time with.
Exactly thirty minutes later, Kyla arrived. She was in her usual hoodie and jeans, hair in a loose bun, sunglasses on her head like she always forgot to wear them properly. When Ellie opened the door, Kyla just smiled and held out a drink.
"Thought you might need a little caffeine to face the world."
Ellie took it, her fingers brushing lightly against Kyla's. "Thanks."
They ended up at a quiet park nearby, the kind with worn-out benches and trees that looked like they'd been standing for a hundred years. There weren't many people around, just a couple walking their dog and some kids playing near the swings.
They sat down under a tree, the grass cool and soft beneath them. Ellie tucked her knees up to her chest and stared out at nothing in particular.
For a while, neither of them spoke. And it didn't feel like silence that needed filling. It was peaceful. Still.
But eventually, Ellie turned to Kyla. Her voice was soft. "I deleted the pictures last night."
Kyla didn't ask which ones. She just nodded slowly, waiting.
"It was hard," Ellie continued. "I didn't want to. But I knew I had to. I kept thinking that holding on would make it easier, like if I just remembered the good things, it would be okay."
"But it wasn't," Kyla said gently.
Ellie shook her head. "No. It wasn't."
Kyla leaned back on her elbows, watching the sky. "You don't have to forget, El. Letting go isn't the same thing. Sometimes, it's just making space for what's next."
Ellie looked at her, the breeze brushing strands of hair across her face. "And what if I don't know what's next?"
Kyla smiled. "Then you figure it out one step at a time. And maybe you let someone walk with you for a bit."
Ellie felt something tighten in her chest. That ache of being seen, really seen. She hadn't told anyone else about the pictures. Or about how lonely the nights had been lately. But somehow, Kyla knew what to say without asking for explanations.
They sat there for hours. Talking about everything and nothing. About movies they loved. About music that made them cry. About high school memories that made them laugh until their stomachs hurt. Ellie hadn't laughed like that in so long. It felt good. It felt real.
At one point, Kyla reached out and gently took Ellie's hand in hers. Not in a dramatic, movie-scene kind of way. It was quiet. Almost like asking a question without words.
Ellie didn't pull away.
Her fingers closed around Kyla's, and they just stayed like that.
The sun started to dip lower in the sky, painting the park in soft gold. The breeze was cooler now, and the laughter of the kids had faded. The couple with the dog had gone. It was just them.
Ellie leaned her head against Kyla's shoulder. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to.
Kyla spoke quietly. "You're allowed to be happy again. You know that, right?"
Ellie's voice was barely a whisper. "I don't know if I'm ready yet."
Kyla nodded. "That's okay. I'm not asking you to be ready. I'm just… here."
That was enough. More than enough.
Ellie closed her eyes and let herself rest there for a moment longer. She wasn't sure what tomorrow would look like. She wasn't sure how long it would take before Astrid became just a memory and not a wound. But for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel like she was drowning.
She felt like maybe, just maybe, she was learning how to breathe again.
They left the park as the sky turned purple. Ellie walked a little closer to Kyla this time. When Kyla reached for her hand again, Ellie didn't hesitate.
And as they walked side by side, something unspoken passed between them. Not a promise. Not yet. Just the quiet beginning of something that might one day be more.
It was a start.
And for now, that was enough.