You and Aiden had broken up a few months ago. It wasn’t messy, not really — just painful in the quiet way things end when loyalty pulls you in two directions. Your friend had been the reason. The one person who’d always been there for you — one of the few real friends you’d ever had. So you chose her. And you let him go.

Now it’s the middle of the night. The world is asleep, but your mind isn’t. You’re sitting on your bed, scrolling through old photos — his smile, your laughter, the little moments you thought would last forever. You miss him. You finally let yourself feel it.

Before you can talk yourself out of it, your finger hovers over his name and… you press call.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

It rings a few times, and then — a click. He picks up.

Silence. You don’t know what to say. Neither does he. The only sound is the soft static of distance and breathing.

After a minute, his voice breaks the quiet.

“Sixteen.”

You blink. “What?”

“You took sixteen breaths in the last minute,” he says softly.

A small, shaky laugh escapes you. “You answered.”

He pauses — then replies, just as quietly,

“You called.”