The rain started sometime around midnight.
Evan hadn't noticed it at first—not until the soft rhythm of drops tapping against his window pulled him out of whatever half-sleep he'd fallen into.
He sat up, groggy, his room dimly lit by the soft glow of the streetlights outside.
His phone buzzed once. Then again.
Heart pounding, he grabbed it.
---
[2 New Messages]
His breath caught.
From Lia?
No.
From his group chat with old university friends.
And one from a food delivery app.
He exhaled slowly, staring at the screen.
Still no messages from her.
Four days of silence had turned into five.
---
Evan got out of bed and made tea. It was a habit now—midnight tea. Not because he needed caffeine, but because boiling water gave him something to do. Something to focus on.
He sipped slowly, standing by the window.
Jakarta looked hazy in the rain. The street below was empty. He wondered if Lia was asleep, or if she was also staring out a window somewhere far away, thinking of him.
Or maybe… she wasn't thinking of him at all.
---
At 1:17 AM, his phone lit up.
New Notification: @lia.reynolds just posted a story.
He froze.
He hadn't muted her stories.
He tapped it without thinking.
It was a video of her with friends, sitting in what looked like a cozy cafe. Laughing. Smiling. Holding a mug of hot chocolate.
The caption:
> "Finally felt like breathing again ☕💬"
No mention of him.
No clue that she'd been silent for days.
Just joy.
Without him.
---
Evan didn't know what hurt more—seeing her happy, or realizing that her happiness no longer included him.
He clicked back to their last chat. His message from four days ago still sat unread.
He placed the phone screen-down.
Walked back to his bed.
Laid down.
Stared at the ceiling again.
---
Morning came with gray skies and cold light.
Evan woke early, dressed in silence, and left the house without breakfast.
He took the train to the city center—not because he had a destination, but because movement felt better than stillness.
At the station, people came and went. Everyone looked like they had a purpose. A direction.
He felt like a ghost between them.
---
By noon, he sat alone in a small café, nursing a cup of black coffee.
The world outside moved on, uncaring.
He opened his notes app.
Typed:
> "Love doesn't end with silence. It ends with peace."
Then closed it.
He didn't believe it yet.
But maybe one day, he would.
---
As he stood to leave, his phone buzzed.
His chest tightened.
New Message: Lia
His hands trembled slightly as he unlocked the screen.
It was short.
> "Can we talk soon?"
No emojis.
No explanation.
Just five words.
But in Evan's world, those five words were louder than a thousand apologies.
He stared at the message for a long time.
Did she want closure?
Did she miss him?
Was this the beginning… or the end?
He didn't know yet.
But he knew one thing:
> He wasn't ready to open that message.