Another voicemail greeting, and Theo hangs up in frustration. But he can’t take it. The silence seeps in through his skin, leaving an ache in his chest and a chill in his bones. He imagines that smile, those eyes, that laugh, those tears, those angry screams. And he knows that his heart won’t feel better until his arms are full again.

A beat passes, and he opens a text thread, his thumbs gliding across the screen.

“I know you said we’re not talking. But I miss you. I’m sorry.”