Morning did not arrive all at once.
It slipped in quietly, through half drawn curtains and the narrow space beneath the balcony doors, softening the edges of the room before May was fully awake. She lay still for a while, wrapped in the unfamiliar weight of the bed, listening to the city stretch itself into motion.
Somewhere below, a bus exhaled at a stop. A car horn sounded once, impatient, then faded. Voices rose and fell, overlapping without meaning.
London was already moving.
She turned onto her side and reached for the phone on the bedside table before she could think better of it.
The screen lit instantly.
For a moment, she only stared at it. The brightness still felt strange in her hands, like something borrowed. Something she was not entirely sure she was allowed to keep.
No missed calls.
One message.
William : [Morning. Did you sleep?]
A small smile found her before she realized it had.
She typed back slowly, careful with her words.
May : [I did. Thank you.]
There was a pause. Long enough that she wondered if he had already put the phone down.
Then another message appeared.
William : [Good. I'll stop by later if that's okay. No pressure.]
She hesitated, then replied.
May : [That's okay.]
She set the phone aside and sat up, pressing her palms briefly against her eyes. The room felt different in daylight. Less like a temporary shelter, more like a place she had actually slept in.
That thought unsettled her more than it should have.
She showered, dressed, and moved through the motions of the morning without rushing. There was nowhere she needed to be. No one waiting downstairs with expectations she did not understand.
When she stepped onto the balcony, the air was cooler than she expected. Clouds hung low and pale, blurring the edges of the buildings. The city felt close today, like it was leaning in.
She stayed there until the chill reached her skin, then went back inside.
Breakfast was quiet.
The hotel staff were polite. Neutral. If there was tension, it was better hidden now. Or maybe she was simply learning not to look for it so hard.
She returned upstairs with a cup of tea she did not finish, set it on the desk, and opened the book she had bought the day before.
The words blurred together.
Her mind kept drifting, tugged in directions she could not quite follow.
By early afternoon, her phone buzzed again.
Another message.
Not William.
An unfamiliar number.
Unknown : [Miss May.]
No greeting. No introduction.
Just her name.
She did not respond right away.
She read it again, then a third time, as if the meaning might change.
Her phone buzzed once more.
Unknown : [I hope I am not disturbing you.]
Her fingers tightened around the device.
She typed, deleted, then typed again.
May : [Who is this?]
The reply came almost immediately.
Unknown : [Kai.]
Her breath caught before she could stop it.
She stood abruptly, crossing the room as if movement might help her think. Her reflection in the mirror looked the same as it had that morning, but something in her expression had shifted.
May : [How did you get my number?]
A pause.
Then.
Unknown : [I asked.]
That answer did not tell her anything. And somehow told her everything.
She stared at the screen, then locked it, setting the phone down as though it might burn her. Her heart was beating too fast now, thoughts tangling.
When the phone buzzed again, she did not jump this time.
She picked it up slowly.
Unknown : [You don't need to reply if you don't want to. I only wanted to check in.]
Check in.
The phrase sat strangely with her.
She thought of the breakfast table. The way he had watched her. The certainty in his gaze, as if he were always one step ahead of the moment.
May : [About what?]
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Unknown : [About whether you are settling, and whether the hotel situation has been… resolved.]
Her jaw tightened.
She did not like the implication that he knew the answer already.
May : [William handled it. I'm fine.]
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Then appeared again.
Unknown : [I see.]
Silence followed.
She waited, unsure why disappointment flickered at the edges of her chest.
Then her phone buzzed again.
William : [I'm downstairs.]
Her chest tightened in a different way this time.
She replied quickly.
May : [I'll be right there.]
As she grabbed her jacket, her gaze flicked once more to the phone on the bed. To the unfamiliar number now sitting quietly among the few contacts she had.
Nothing about her life felt simple anymore.
And she was beginning to understand that simplicity had never really been an option.
She locked the door behind her and stepped into the corridor, leaving the quiet of the room behind.
For now.
******************
{If you're enjoying the story, please support May Who? – WSA Edition with Power Stones. It really helps during evaluation. Thank you.}