Yeah.
There it is.
I knew something was coming.
—
It's too quiet today.
Not the peaceful kind.
The suspicious kind.
The kind that makes you look around like something's about to go wrong.
—
Ren hasn't said much.
We're at the pier—obviously—and he's leaning against the railing again, phone in hand.
But he's not typing.
Not smiling.
Not reacting.
Just… staring.
—
"That's a bad sign," I say.
Mio glances at him. "What is?"
"That."
She watches him for a second.
"…Yeah," she agrees.
—
I step closer.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," Ren says.
Immediate.
Too fast.
—
"Liar."
"I'm not lying."
"You are."
Mio tilts her head slightly. "Did she reply?"
Ren hesitates.
There it is.
—
"Show me," I say.
"No."
"That means it's bad."
"It's not bad."
"Then show me."
—
He sighs and turns the screen slightly.
—
Yuna: I might have to stay late a lot this week…
—
I blink.
"That's it?"
Ren looks at me. "That's not 'that's it.'"
—
Right.
Context.
I get it.
—
"You think this is the beginning," I say.
"I don't think anything."
"You do."
—
He looks away.
Back to the ocean.
Always the ocean.
—
Mio speaks gently. "She told you, didn't she?"
"Yeah."
"That means she wants you to know."
Ren nods slightly.
But it doesn't fix it.
—
"Say what you're actually thinking," I tell him.
He exhales slowly.
"That she's going to be busy," he says.
"And?" I push.
"And… we're going to talk less."
There it is.
Finally.
—
I lean against the railing beside him.
"Yeah," I say. "Probably."
He looks at me sharply. "You're not helping."
"I'm being real."
—
Mio shakes her head. "Talking less doesn't mean caring less."
Ren doesn't respond.
Because that's not the part he's worried about.
—
His phone buzzes again.
We all look.
Yes.
Still a group activity.
—
Yuna: I didn't want you to feel ignored
—
Ren reads it.
His grip on the phone tightens slightly.
—
"She knows," Mio says softly.
"Of course she knows," I reply. "They both overthink."
—
Ren types.
Stops.
Deletes.
—
I point at him. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"That thing where you start overthinking and ruin a simple reply."
"I'm not—"
"You are."
—
He exhales and tries again.
—
Ren: It's okay. I get it.
—
He sends it.
—
I stare at him.
"You almost ruined it."
"I didn't."
"You almost did."
—
Mio smiles faintly. "It's enough."
—
Ren leans back against the railing.
Quiet again.
But this time—
Not calm.
Not stable.
Just… holding.
—
Summertimes are coming.
And I finally understand something.
—
It's not one big moment that changes things.
It's this.
Small shifts.
Busy schedules.
Less time.
Shorter conversations.
—
Nothing dramatic.
But enough to make everything feel different.
—
I look at him.
He's staring at his phone again.
Waiting.
Not as badly as before.
But still waiting.
—
Yeah.
I knew it.
—
This is where it starts getting hard again.