Alright.
I knew it.
It was going too smoothly.
—
Ren's been "calm" for a few days now.
Too calm.
Like the kind of calm that shows up right before something goes wrong.
I don't say it out loud.
But I'm thinking it.
A lot.
—
We're not at the pier today.
Finally.
We're sitting outside a small shop, drinks sweating in our hands, the heat pressing down like it has something to prove.
Mio's reading.
Ren's on his phone.
I'm observing.
Obviously.
—
"You've checked your phone five times in the last minute," I say.
"I have not."
"You have."
"I haven't."
Mio doesn't even look up. "He has."
Thank you.
—
Ren exhales. "She said she'd text."
"And?" I ask.
"And she hasn't yet."
I check the time.
"It's been… eight minutes."
"That's long enough."
"No, it's not."
—
He leans back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the table.
There it is.
The energy is back.
Not panic.
Not yet.
But close.
—
"What did she say before?" I ask.
He shows me.
Yuna: I have something to tell you later.
…
Yeah.
No.
I don't like that.
—
"Oh," I say.
"What?" Ren asks immediately.
"That message."
"What about it?"
"It's dangerous."
Mio finally looks up. "It's vague."
"Exactly," I say. "Vague is where overthinking lives."
Ren's already there.
—
"What do you think it means?" he asks.
And just like that—
He's spiraling.
—
"I think it means she has something to tell you later," Mio says calmly.
"Very helpful," I reply.
She ignores me.
—
Ren runs a hand through his hair.
"It didn't sound bad."
"It didn't sound good either," I say.
He glares at me. "Can you not make it worse?"
"I'm being realistic."
"You're being annoying."
"Both can be true."
—
The silence stretches.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
—
This is what I was talking about.
This.
Right here.
The calm breaks.
And suddenly everything feels uncertain again.
—
Ren checks his phone.
Nothing.
Again.
—
"She's probably just busy," Mio says.
"She said 'later,'" Ren replies.
"Exactly," I say. "Later hasn't happened yet."
He doesn't relax.
Of course he doesn't.
—
I lean forward.
"Okay, worst case scenario."
"No," Ren says immediately.
"Yes," I continue. "We prepare for impact."
Mio sighs. "You're not helping."
"I'm preparing him emotionally."
"You're stressing him out."
"Same thing."
—
Ren stands up suddenly.
"I'm going for a walk."
"There it is," I mutter.
He's gone before we can stop him.
—
Mio watches him leave.
"You pushed too much."
"I barely pushed."
"You did."
I lean back in my chair.
"…Okay, maybe a little."
—
The sky is still bright.
The heat still heavy.
Nothing around us has changed.
But somehow—
Everything feels different again.
—
I don't like vague messages.
I don't like waiting.
And I definitely don't like the look on Ren's face when he doesn't have answers.
—
Summertimes are coming.
And just when things started feeling stable—
Yeah.
Something feels off.