Klay Kingston didn't sleep.
He tried. He really did.
He lay on his bed staring at the cracked ceiling of his apartment while the city outside slowly shifted from midnight chaos to early morning quiet. Cars passed less often. The shouting down the street faded. Somewhere nearby, a dog barked once and then stopped.
But sleep refused to come.
Because every time he closed his eyes, he heard her voice again.
Amara Brooks.
It was strange. He had spoken to her for only a few hours, through a laptop screen and a cheap pair of earbuds, yet she lingered in his mind like someone he had known for years.
Klay rolled onto his side and grabbed his phone from the nightstand.
4:18 a.m.
He opened the university group chat almost automatically.
Dozens of messages had piled up overnight—memes, jokes, random conversations—but none of them mattered to him. His eyes searched for one name.
Amara.
There it was.
Amara:
That call last night was wild.
His heart kicked in his chest.
He hesitated for a second before replying. He didn't want to look desperate.
But he also didn't want the moment to pass.
Klay:
Yeah. Didn't expect to stay up that long.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Amara:
Same. I thought I'd leave after ten minutes.
He smiled slightly.
Klay:
Guess the conversation got interesting.
A few seconds passed.
Then another message appeared.
Amara:
You mean my rant about my ex?
Klay laughed quietly to himself.
Klay:
That too.
Another pause.
Then:
Amara:
You still awake?
He stared at the screen for a moment.
Klay:
Yeah.
A second later his phone rang.
FaceTime.
His heart jumped.
He accepted the call.
Her face appeared on the screen, slightly blurry at first before sharpening into focus. She looked different in the early morning light—hair messy, oversized hoodie pulled around her shoulders, eyes still tired.
But somehow she looked even more real.
"Wow," she said, squinting at the camera. "You actually answered."
Klay shrugged. "You called."
"Fair."
She leaned back in her chair, stretching slightly.
Klay noticed the room behind her now. A dorm room, probably. Posters on the wall, a desk cluttered with notebooks and makeup. A small lamp cast a warm glow over everything.
"You didn't sleep either?" he asked.
"Nope," she said casually. "I tried. My brain wouldn't shut up."
He understood that feeling too well.
"So you called me?"
She smirked.
"Don't get cocky. I was just bored."
"Sure."
She rolled her eyes.
"God, you're annoying already."
"And you called me."
"Yeah, yeah."
For a moment they just looked at each other through the screen.
It wasn't awkward.
Just… quiet.
Amara broke the silence first.
"So," she said, tilting her head slightly. "Five times?"
Klay blinked.
"What?"
"You said you got cheated on five times."
"Oh."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Yeah."
Her expression softened.
"That's… kind of insane."
"Tell me about it."
"Were they all serious relationships?"
"Not really," he admitted. "Some were just… people I trusted."
She leaned forward slightly.
"What happened?"
Klay hesitated.
He usually didn't talk about this stuff. People either laughed, brushed it off, or told him he was just bad at picking partners.
But something about Amara made it easier.
"First one was in high school," he said slowly. "Thought she was perfect. Turns out she was dating three guys at the same time."
Amara winced.
"Ouch."
"Yeah."
He continued.
"Second one cheated with my best friend."
"Okay that's worse."
"Third one said she loved me and then ghosted me for some guy she met at a party."
"Wow."
"Fourth one was just… bored with me."
"And the fifth?"
He exhaled slowly.
"The fifth one told me I was 'too intense.'"
Amara raised an eyebrow.
"Too intense?"
"Apparently I care too much."
She studied him quietly.
"You don't seem intense."
"Give it time."
She laughed softly.
"I doubt it."
Klay shrugged.
"People say that at first."
The conversation drifted for a moment.
Amara picked up a pen from her desk and started spinning it between her fingers.
"So what about you?" Klay asked.
She sighed.
"My ex?"
"Yeah."
She rolled her eyes.
"Controlling. Jealous. Always checking my phone, asking where I was, who I was with."
"That sounds exhausting."
"It was."
She leaned back in her chair.
"I stayed way longer than I should have."
"Why?"
She shrugged.
"Habit, I guess. Fear of being alone."
Klay understood that too well.
"Do you still talk to him?"
"Unfortunately."
"Why?"
"He keeps texting me."
"Block him."
She smirked.
"Look at you giving advice."
"I'm serious."
"I know."
She looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Maybe I will."
The sun was beginning to rise outside her window now, faint light creeping into the room.
Klay noticed the way it reflected in her eyes.
"You have a lot of guy friends, don't you?" he asked suddenly.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Where did that come from?"
"You mentioned it last night."
"Oh."
She shrugged.
"Yeah. I do."
"That ever cause problems?"
"With boyfriends?"
"Yeah."
"Sometimes."
Klay nodded slowly.
He could already feel the familiar knot of insecurity forming in his chest.
But he pushed it down.
They had just met.
No reason to go there yet.
Amara studied his expression.
"You're jealous already?"
"What?"
"I can see it on your face."
"I'm not jealous."
"You kind of are."
He sighed.
"Maybe a little."
She laughed.
"You're honest at least."
"I try."
The conversation continued like that for another hour.
Stories about classes.
Professors they hated.
Weird things that happened on campus.
Klay told her about growing up poor and watching his dad work nonstop to build his business.
Amara listened carefully.
"You said your dad's rich now?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"But you grew up poor?"
"Pretty much."
"How does that work?"
"He started making real money when I was a teenager."
"And now?"
"Now he's barely around."
She frowned slightly.
"That sucks."
"Yeah."
Another quiet moment settled between them.
Amara glanced at the time.
"Wow. It's almost seven."
"Yeah."
"I have class in an hour."
"Same."
Neither moved to end the call.
Finally Amara sighed.
"We should probably sleep."
"Probably."
"But we won't."
"Probably not."
She smiled slightly.
"Klay?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you answered last night."
He felt warmth spread through his chest.
"Me too."
She hesitated.
"Same time tonight?"
Klay nodded.
"Yeah."
She ended the call a moment later.
Klay sat there staring at the blank screen.
For the first time in a long time, the loneliness in his apartment didn't feel quite as heavy.
And somewhere deep down, something had started.
Something small.
Something fragile.
But something real.