Mae notices. "That boy left without a word."
"He's probably tired."
"Probably." She doesn't look at me, just keeps pulling weeds. "You two fighting?"
"No."
"Feels like it."
I don't respond. Don't trust my voice.
"Reminds me of when you two were younger," Mae says after a minute. "How you'd tiptoe around each other after some petty argument. Both too stubborn to just say what you meant."
My chest tightens. "It's not like that."
"Isn't it?"
I meet her eyes. She's not accusing. Just observing. Waiting.
"I don't know," I admit quietly.
She nods, satisfied. "Well. You'll figure it out or you won't. But don't wait too long. That kind of careful turns into distance real quick."
She goes back to the garden, leaving me sitting there with dirt on my hands and doubt in my chest.
By evening, I'm alone in my room, staring at my phone.
Email notification from Lauren.Subject: Time Sensitive - Need Response
I open it.
Hazel, just checking in. Thursday deadline still stands. This is a great opportunity but I need to move forward either way. Let me know.
Thursday.
Three days from now.
I close the email and set the phone on the nightstand.
Then pick it up again.
Open my texts with Eli.
The last message is from yesterday morning. Him asking if I wanted coffee before we left. Me saying yes.
Normal. Easy.
Before everything shifted.
I type:Can we talk?
Stare at it. Delete it.
Type:I'm sorry.
Delete that too.
I set the phone down and stare at the ceiling.
