The conversation ended with a simple exchange.
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"I'll let you get some rest now, Rei," Elias had written. "You've earned it after surviving four seasons in one day. Sleep well. I'll be around tomorrow if you find something else worth tearing apart."
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A few moments later, her reply appeared.
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"Okay. Good night."
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Elias smiled to himself.
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He didn't answer.
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He didn't need to.
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Sometimes silence was the perfect ending.
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He slipped beneath the blankets, the city humming faintly beyond his window. Yet even as sleep slowly claimed him, his thoughts lingered on her words—her insight, the way she could strip a character down to their very core with nothing more than a few sentences.
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If I found someone who stayed even after seeing my flaws...
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He closed his eyes.
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For the first time in a long while, he wasn't thinking about fictional characters.
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He was thinking about Rei.
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Not as someone to understand.
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But as someone worth listening to.
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---
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The next morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains.
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Elias reached for his phone almost automatically.
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Nothing.
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No messages.
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He smiled to himself.
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She's probably still asleep after staying up so late.
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By noon, he checked again.
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Still nothing.
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He wasn't worried.
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He knew how Rei was. Whenever she threw herself into something, she disappeared into it completely, forgetting the rest of the world.
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What he didn't know...
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...was that early that morning, Rei had decided to take a solo drive.
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She left her phone tucked away, wanting nothing except the open road, music, and the quiet freedom of being alone with her thoughts.
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Hours passed without her noticing the screen lighting up.
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---
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By three in the afternoon, Elias stood alone in his kitchen, staring at the phone resting on the counter.
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He hesitated before typing.
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"You're unusually quiet today. Did you finally pass out after all that binge-watching... or are you just ignoring me?"
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He pressed Send.
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Delivered.
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No reply.
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He ran a hand through his hair and laughed softly at himself.
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She's probably just busy.
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Still...
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The silence felt heavier than usual.
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---
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By five o'clock, he found himself sitting at his desk, the empty chat window glowing in front of him.
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He typed a message.
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Deleted it.
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Typed another.
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Deleted that one too.
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Finally, he settled on something simple.
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"Hey... you still there?"
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He set the phone down and walked to the window.
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Outside, the city buzzed with life.
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Inside, the apartment felt strangely quiet.
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Too quiet.
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He promised himself he wouldn't chase her.
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He wouldn't pressure her.
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If she wanted space, he'd give it to her.
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---
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Evening arrived.
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No read receipt.
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No typing indicator.
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Just silence.
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He glanced at her social media once—not out of jealousy, but because curiosity had quietly taken root.
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Nothing.
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He stared at the empty text box one last time.
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There were a hundred things he wanted to say.
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None of them felt right.
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So he sent only one final message.
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"I hope you're okay."
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Then he locked his phone and placed it on the table.
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Whatever had kept her away, he would wait.
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Not because waiting was easy...
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But because some people were worth giving time to.
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And somewhere far beyond the city, Rei continued driving beneath an endless sky, completely unaware that someone, miles away, was quietly hoping she would come back.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0v1WVFE93
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