Chapter 3:

Days of Silence

The week dragged on like torture. Every morning I woke up hoping for a message from Lily, and every night I went to bed disappointed. Our once constant chat had slowed to almost nothing. A few short “Good morning” texts here and there, sometimes a random emoji, but nothing more. No invitations. No flirty “babe.” Just silence that made my stomach twist.

By Wednesday, I was a mess. I sat in the library pretending to study, but my eyes kept drifting to my phone. I opened our chat for the hundredth time.

Me: Hey, how’s your week going? Still swamped with assignments?

No reply for...