Katriel returned to her apartment later than usual, the weight of the long day pressing against her shoulders. She shut the door behind her and leaned on it for a moment, letting out a deep breath. The silence of her small apartment wrapped around her, warm and familiar, instantly soothing the remnants of the chaos she'd left behind at work. She had handed everything over to Gracious for the night shift but the exhaustion still clung to her bones.
She tossed her bag onto the couch and headed straight to the bathroom. The hot shower washed over her like a blessing steam rising, water sliding down her tired skin, carrying the entire day with it. By the time she stepped out, wrapped in a towel and refreshed, the heaviness in her chest had lightened though something else tugged at the back of her mind: a name. A memory. A heartbeat -Trez.
Katriel dressed in her softest nightwear, the kind she kept for days when emotional tides ran too high. She made herself a cold milkshake, her guilty comfort, and took slow sips letting the sweetness calm her nerves. Finally, she walked to her desk, opened her laptop, and watched the screen wake up.
Her email inbox blinked with a new message.
From Trez.
Her heart stuttered.
For a moment she thought her eyes were deceiving her. She swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how fast her pulse ran. Why did one name, just five letters still have the power to shake her this deeply? Memories of their last conversation, their disagreements, their distance, all swirled through her mind. She wasn't sure if she wanted closure or connection… or if she was afraid of both.
She hovered the mouse over the email but hesitated. Should she open it? Was she ready? What if the message reopened wounds she had barely learned to ignore?
But curiosity, and something softer, something painfully tender, pushed her forward. She clicked.
As her eyes scanned the words, a flood of emotion rushed through her. It wasn't disappointment. It wasn't regret. It was joy-warm and immediate, so strong it pulled tears from her eyes before she even realized she was crying. Whatever Trez had written, whatever news he shared, it made her genuinely happy for him. Differences aside, distance aside-she cared. She always had.
She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and typed a quick reply:
"Congrats."
Simple, Safe, and Controlled.
But it carried everything she didn't know how to say.
Before she could second-guess herself, she closed the laptop gently, as though shutting the lid might quiet her racing heart. She curled up on her bed, pulling the blanket close around her. The apartment lights cast a soft glow across the room, and she let her eyes drift closed. Maybe sleep would come. Maybe it would help her sort her tangled feelings.
Yet even as she tried to breathe deeply, as she willed her body to rest, her mind replayed the moment she saw his name. What would Trez think when he saw her reply? Would he even respond?
Across the city, at that exact moment, Trez sat in front of his own laptop. When Katriel's message popped up, he blinked, leaned closer, and reread it three times. A grin slowly spread across his face, wide and uncontrollable. He jumped out of his seat, punching the air.
"Yes! Yes!"
His excitement wasn't subtle; he felt it all the way through his chest. Without hesitation, without overthinking like he usually did. He typed back quickly, driven by impulse and emotion:
"I missed you."
He didn't erase it. Didn't rewrite it. He just hit send, staring at the screen with a soft smile, imagining her expression when she read his message.
Back in her apartment, Katriel shifted under her blanket. Sleep refused to come. Something instinctive, a pull urged her to open her laptop again. Maybe Trez had responded. Maybe she should check. Her fingers twitched. Her heart urged her forward.
But before she could sit up, a sudden, unexpected sound jolted her.
A knock at her door.
She paused, confused. Who would come at this hour? She got up, padded to the door, and opened it.
Standing there was a smiling face.
Abby.
"Hey, Katriel," Abby said, brushing his hair behind his ear. "I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about today's events."
Katriel felt her cheeks warm. "Which one exactly?" she asked with a small blush, though she already had a feeling what Abby meant.
"May I come in… if you don't mind?" Abby asked softly.
"Yes, sure. Come in."
Abby stepped inside, her presence filling the room with easy warmth. She sat on the couch, sinking into the cushions with a sigh.
"So," Katriel said, settling across from her, "today was… something, right? A bit tiresome?"
"Yeah," Abby said, laughing lightly. "And thanks to you, it was easier."
Katriel smiled, but her mind kept drifting back to her laptop closed on the desk nearby(To Trez, to the message, she hoped, feared, and waited for him.
But Abby didn't seem to notice Katriel's distraction. She talked animatedly about the day: the patients, the chaos, the teamwork, the small victories. And Katriel listened, nodding, contributing when her mind allowed her, though a part of her remained chained to a single question:
What did Trez say back?
As Abby's story tapered off, she looked at Katriel more seriously-yet still with a smile tugging at her lips.
"Katriel," He began softly, "can I… ask something?"
Katriel straightened. "Sure."
"Well…" Abby hesitated, gathering a breath. "Can I take you out for dinner tomorrow? It would be my pleasure."
The room fell quiet for a heartbeat.
Katriel's chest tightened, caught between the unexpected invitation before her and the unresolved emotions waiting on her laptop.
And in that tender moment, with Abby watching her hopefully and Trez's words unseen on her screen, Katriel felt the world tilt-slow, uncertain, full of choices she wasn't ready to make.