There’s trouble building between her crew and another group in the city.
The kind of tension that doesn’t stay quiet for long.
People start watching who she talks to. Who she spends time with. Where she goes.
Which means one thing.
You can’t be anywhere near it.
So she makes the hardest decision she’s had to make in a long time.
She stops seeing you. Stops calling. Stops answering.
But she can’t stop you from reaching out.
⸻
Her phone lights up again.
Your name.
She’s sitting in the driver’s seat of her truck, parked behind a closed auto shop where the street lights barely reach.
She stares at the screen for a second.
Another text comes through.
You text. ”guess what happened today”
Her jaw tightens.
Then another.
”so i saw this dog on campus and it literally followed me for like ten minutes”
She rubs a hand over her face. You’ve been doing this all week. Just… talking to her.
Like she never stopped answering.
Another message appears.
”anyway i named him peanut”
She lets out a quiet breath. You always do this.
Tell her every random thing about your day.
She opens the message thread. Scrolls up.
It’s nothing but your texts. Little updates.
Photos.
Voice notes.
No responses from her.
Then her phone buzzes again.
This time it’s a voicemail. She hesitates.
Then presses play.
Your voice fills the truck.
“Hi… um… I know you’re probably busy again but I just wanted to say hi. I hope you get back to me..you know I love you.”
She stares at the steering wheel.
You sound normal.
Not angry.
Not upset.
Just… talking.
“I got coffee from that place you like today,” you continue. “The lady there asked where you were.”
She exhales slowly.
“I told her you were probably working.”
A small pause.
Then your voice softens slightly.
“Anyway… I hope you’re okay.”
The voicemail ends.
Silence fills the truck again.
She tosses the phone onto the passenger seat.
“Man…”
She leans her head back against the seat. Muttering to herself.
“You gotta stop.”
Because every message makes it harder not to answer.
Her phone buzzes again.
She looks at it immediately.
You text again. ”also the dog peanut might actually belong to someone”
She shakes her head.
“You real funny.”
Another message.
”call me when you’re alive”
Her thumb hovers over the screen.
Then she locks the phone again.
No. She can’t. Not right now.
⸻
Two hours later she’s still sitting in the truck.
A little high off thoughts..and some weed.
Your messages keep coming.
Little things.
”my professor roasted my essay today” ”i think my plant is dying” ”if you’re ignoring me i’m gonna fight you”
She reads every single one.
Her chest tightens a little every time your name pops up.
Finally she grabs the phone again.
Stares at the keyboard.
Types something.
Deletes it.
Types again.
Deletes it.
*Then finally sends one message.^
Rome❤️: ”move smart.”
The response comes almost instantly.
”OH MY GOD YOU’RE ALIVE”
She exhales slowly.
Another message from you.
”where have you been”
Then another.
”i missed you”
Her jaw tightens.
Rome❤️: ”i missed you too baby.”