The silence.
A new thought slides in, unwelcome and sharp.
What if he isn’t pulling away because he’s busy?
What if he’s pulling away because he finally understands the beginning… and is deciding that’s all it is?
I don’t know if that’s true.
I don’t know what he knows.
But the possibility sits there now.
Breathing.
Waiting.
***
Later that night, I stare at my phone.
Type his name.
Delete it.
Type again.
Stop.
What do I even say?
There was a reason at first, but it changed.
I should’ve told you sooner.
Please don’t decide without me in the room.
None of it feels right.
So I don’t send anything.
The quiet presses in.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just thick.
I don’t know what changed.
I only know that something did.
And the worst part isn’t the distance growing between us.
It’s that I can trace exactly when it started.
I can guess why.
