My mother gave me my phone back in the morning.
She did not say anything. She just placed it on the kitchen counter while I was pouring cereal, like it had never left her possession.
"Don't stay up late," she said, already turning away.
I nodded.
I did not touch it.
Not until I was on the school bus, pressed against the window, the city sliding past in familiar fragments. Only then did I pull it from my bag and turn it on.
Three notifications waited.
Two from Theo.
One from someone else.
I stared at the screen longer than necessary before opening anything.
Lunara dropped into the seat beside me.
"Move. I've returned."
"You were gone for five minutes."
"Longest five minutes of your life."
I rolled my eyes. "You're dramatic."
"Correct."
She leaned her head against my shoulder like she had never left, like the holiday had not stretched between us.
"So," she said, lifting her head, "what did I miss? Who fought. Who cried. Who fell in love."
"You weren't even gone for a week."
"Details."
I laughed and gave her the short version while she filled in her own holiday stories in between, exaggerating airport drama and complaining about overpriced food.
When she paused to drink from her water bottle, I glanced down at my phone.
Three notifications.
Two from Theo.
One from someone else.
I unlocked it.
The other chat opened first.
So do you actually watch anime or is it just something you added?
I smiled.
I do.
The reply came quickly.
What kind?
I gave a vague answer. A couple of genres. A title or two. The conversation picked up without effort. Messages stacked easily. It did not ask much of me. Just attention.
My phone buzzed again.
Not Theo.
I must have been typing faster than I realized.
Lunara glanced down at my hands.
"Who are you texting like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you're in a secret mission."
I tried not to smile. "It's not that serious."
"Mhm." She leaned back. "That's what people say right before it's that serious."
"It's just a chat."
"With?"
I hesitated.
Her eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Oh."
"It's nothing."
"That's worse."
I nudged her foot under the desk. "You're dramatic."
"I'm observant," she corrected, then turned back to her notes. "Fine. Be mysterious."
Only then did I open Theo's messages.
They were from the night before.
Hey.
Not trying to be weird. Just wanted to say hi before I slept.
A few minutes later:
I figured you might have been asleep. No rush to reply.
I typed slowly.
Sorry. My mum took my phone.
I waited.
No reply came.
The bus slowed. Doors opened. I locked my screen and followed Lunara off without checking again.
School felt louder than usual.
Nia was already surrounded before first period.
"He's flying down next weekend," she said, barely containing herself. "He already booked the ticket."
Someone squealed.
I smiled when it was my turn.
"That's exciting."
By lunch, Theo still had not replied.
The other conversation kept moving. Questions came quickly. Replies expected just as fast. I answered between bites, between half conversations, between glances at my screen that never showed the name I was waiting for.
It was not bad.
It just filled space.
I told myself silence did not mean anything. People got busy.
Still, I checked.
That evening I stayed on my phone longer than usual.
The other chat carried me until my eyes started to ache. When I finally set the phone down, sleep came quickly.
I woke up hours later, disoriented.
The room was dark.
My phone lit up as I reached for it.
Theo.
You up?
The message was new. Sent minutes ago.
I sat up.
Yeah.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Then appeared again.
Sorry I went quiet earlier, he wrote.
I did not want to say the wrong thing.
Something in my chest softened.
You didn't, I typed. I just didn't know what to think.
A pause.
That makes sense, he replied.
Do you want to talk? Or just not be alone?
I read it twice.
Maybe just not be alone.
Okay. I'm here.
Nothing dramatic followed.
Just slow messages. A few shared thoughts. Space that did not demand anything from me.
At some point I realized I had not opened the other chat again.
I did not delete it.
I did not make a decision.
I just stayed where it felt quieter.
And let the night pass like that.