Days had been peaceful. Too peaceful.
Elena woke up every morning to sunlight sneaking through her curtain, her tripod standing by the window, her little YouTube setup waiting for her. She'd gotten used to talking to the camera — raw, honest, unfiltered. It felt like therapy, like a space where she could still breathe even if everything else around her felt uncertain.
She was still on holiday, no job yet. She tried not to let that get to her. She kept herself busy filming, editing, writing. On good days, she'd smile at her reflection. On bad days, she'd stare at it too long, wondering if strength sometimes looked like exhaustion wearing makeup.
But lately… something had started cracking inside her.
It wasn't sadness this time. It was desire. The kind she'd been burying for months — the kind she thought she'd forgotten how to feel. She missed the warmth of a voice that once calmed her. She missed hands that once held her still. She missed Nathan.
She tried to shake it off, convincing herself she didn't need any man right now. But her body… her body didn't listen. The memories replayed in silence. Nights became longer. Even her dreams had started whispering his name.
Then one afternoon, it happened.
Three missed calls. Unknown number.
She didn't even notice at first — her phone was always on DND. It wasn't until four hours later that she saw them. Something in her chest thudded. Her thumb hovered over the screen before she finally called back.
"Hello?"
A familiar voice. Calm. Deep.
"Hey… it's me. Nathan."
For a second, her whole body froze. The air between her and the phone became heavy.
"Oh— yeah, Nathan. Any problem?"
"Uh, not really. I just wanted to ask if my extra key's still with you," he said. "I just got back to my place in school and can't find mine. Then I remembered you had one."
Her throat went dry. The key. She'd completely forgotten.
"Oh yeah, I probably forgot to drop that," she replied, trying to sound steady.
He hesitated, then asked, "So… what do we do about it?"
She took a short breath. "Alright. I'll call you back."
And she ended the call.
Five minutes later, her phone buzzed again — a text message.
"Are you that busy in school?"
Her brows furrowed. How did he even know I'm still in school?
She texted back: "And how did you know that?"
"Oh, about that," he replied. "I've been seeing your YouTube videos. So I knew you didn't go home for the holidays."
Elena's heart skipped. He'd been watching.
She typed: "Yeah, I didn't. About your key, what are you gonna do about it?"
He replied: "I was thinking you could help me bring it."
She stared at the message, lips pressed tight.
Her fingers hovered before she typed: "I don't have much airtime, text me on WhatsApp."
Seconds later, his reply came.
"I did… but I think I'm blocked."
She blinked. Then smiled faintly.
"Oh yeah. I blocked you."
A pause. Then one last text from him.
"I sent you a friend request on Snap. Accept it — let's talk about the key."
She didn't know if it was curiosity or weakness that made her open Snapchat. But she did.
And just like that… the peace she'd built around herself began to tremble again.