Vessara sat with her legs crossed on the bed; the worn mattress dipped slightly under her weight. The phone felt heavy in her palm, as her thumb hovered over Vael's contact. The decision pulled at her like an invisible thread; call him and risk sounding desperate, or text something casual enough to mask the ache that had settled in her chest since yesterday.
The trip still lingered in her mind, not just the places they'd seen but the way he'd looked at her, his touch and the quiet spaces between their words. She exhaled sharply and opened Whatchat instead, typing his name.
"This is Vessara, you're good?"
She stared at the words, then deleted them with a quick swipe. Too stiff.
She tried again.
"Hey, just texting to check up on you."
The sentence stared back, ordinary and safe, yet it felt wrong. She read it three times, imagining his reaction, before erasing it once more.
Her fingers moved faster now.
