The quiet came first.
Not all at once.
Just slowly—settling into everything.
Velithra noticed it when she got home.
The house sounded the same.
Doors opening.
Voices in the background.
Something playing faintly from another room.
But underneath all of it—
There was a space.
She went to her room without thinking.
Closed the door.
Sat on the edge of her bed.
And for a moment—
She didn't move.
It didn't feel real yet.
Not fully.
Like he had just gone somewhere nearby.
Like she could still text him and say, where are you?
And he'd answer—
coming.
Her phone was still in her hand.
She looked at it.
No new messages.
She unlocked it anyway.
Scrolled through their conversation.
Nothing new.
Just everything that had already been said.
Velithra locked the screen again.
Set the phone beside her.
Then picked it up again a second later.
It wasn't panic.
It was habit.
She stood up.
Walked to the window.
Looked outside.
The street looked exactly the same.
Same houses.
Same quiet.
Same everything.
That felt wrong.
Because something had changed.
Something big.
And the world didn't look any different at all.
Velithra rested her forehead lightly against the glass.
The cool surface grounding her.
"I already miss you," she said quietly.
Not expecting an answer.
Her voice didn't break.
But it felt like it could.
She stepped back after a moment.
Sat down again.
Time moved strangely.
Too slow.
Too fast.
Not steady.
She didn't cry.
Not yet.
Instead, she found herself doing small things.
Adjusting something on her desk.
Opening a book and not reading it.
Walking to the door and back.
Trying to fill the space without knowing how.
Eventually, she picked up her phone again.
This time, she didn't hesitate.
Velithra:Did you get there okay?
She stared at the message after sending it.
Watched the screen like it might answer faster if she did.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
A minute.
Then her phone buzzed.
Kai:Yeah. Just got in.
Her chest eased slightly.
Just enough.
Kai:It already feels weird.
She let out a small breath she didn't realize she was holding.
Velithra:Yeah.
Another pause.
Kai:Are you okay?
She looked at the question for a long time.
There were a lot of possible answers.
But she typed—
Velithra:I will be.
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Then came back.
Kai:Me too.
She smiled faintly.
Not because things were okay.
But because they were trying.
She set her phone down again.
This time, she didn't pick it back up immediately.
Instead, she lay back on her bed.
Staring at the ceiling.
Everything felt quieter now.
Not empty.
Just… missing something.
And she knew what it was.
Her mind drifted through memories without trying.
The field.
The rain.
The way he said her name.
Not in a painful way.
Not yet.
Just present.
Velithra closed her eyes.
Letting the quiet sit with her instead of fighting it.
Because this was what came after.
Not dramatic.
Not overwhelming.
Just—
The absence of someone who used to be there.
And learning how to exist inside it.
Slowly.
One moment at a time.