CHAPTER 17: SMALL CONVERSATIONS
Some habits begin so quietly that you don't notice them forming.
One day, they're nothing.
The next day, they're routine.
And before you realize it, they have become part of your life.
For Liora, it started with checking her phone in the morning.
Just once.
Just to see if Rowan had replied.
Nothing more.
At least, that's what she told herself.
The next morning, sunlight spilled across her desk as she sat eating breakfast.
Her Polaroid camera rested beside her school bag.
A half-finished homework sheet lay forgotten nearby.
Liora unlocked her phone.
One new message.
Rowan:
survived school yet?
A laugh escaped her before she could stop it.
Her aunt looked up from the kitchen.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're smiling at your phone."
Liora immediately lowered it.
"I'm not."
"You literally are."
"I'm eating."
"You're smiling."
Liora gave up.
By the time she arrived at school, she had already exchanged six messages with Rowan.
Nothing important.
Nothing deep.
Just conversation.
The kind that flowed surprisingly easily.
The hallway buzzed with the usual chaos.
Students rushed between classrooms.
Teachers attempted to maintain order.
Someone was running despite being told not to.
Everything felt normal.
Which was why Kai immediately noticed something.
"Liora."
She looked up.
"What?"
"You seem suspiciously happy."
Mira gasped.
"I thought the same thing."
Jaden closed his locker.
"You both think that every week."
Kai pointed.
"No."
He narrowed his eyes dramatically.
"Today feels different."
Liora sighed.
"Can I exist peacefully?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because we're your friends."
Mira nodded.
"Unfortunately."
A few minutes later, Evren appeared carrying two notebooks.
One of them belonged to Liora.
"You forgot this."
She blinked.
"Oh."
He handed it over.
"You'd lose your entire academic career without supervision."
"That's dramatic."
"It's accurate."
Liora smiled.
"Thank you, Ren."
Only she called him that.
No one else ever did.
Not Mira.
Not Kai.
Not Jaden.
Just her.
And somehow, after all these years, it still sounded natural.
Classes dragged on as usual.
The final-year teachers had entered what Kai called "panic mode."
Every lesson somehow became a lecture about the future.
University.
Applications.
Careers.
Responsibility.
Adulthood.
Things that sounded frightening when grouped together.
By lunch, half the class looked emotionally exhausted.
The five of them gathered beneath a tree near the courtyard.
Kai dropped onto the grass dramatically.
"I'm too young for adulthood."
"You are adulthood," Mira replied.
"Don't say that."
Liora laughed.
Across from her, Evren was helping Jaden organize project notes.
Something they had done countless times before.
The sight felt familiar.
Comfortable.
Normal.
And for a brief moment, she raised her camera.
Click.
The shutter sounded softly.
Evren looked up.
"You took a picture?"
"I did."
Kai clutched his chest.
"Nature is healing."
"Shut up."
But secretly, she smiled.
Because photography still felt like home.
That afternoon, Rowan sent another message.
Then another.
Then another.
Not constantly.
Not enough to become annoying.
Just enough to remain present.
A small notification here.
A random joke there.
A question.
A comment.
A conversation.
That evening, she sat at her desk doing homework.
Or attempting to.
Her phone buzzed.
Rowan:
what's your friend group's story?
Liora paused.
Then typed.
Liora:
what do you mean?
Rowan:
everybody has a story
Rowan:
how'd you all become friends?
The question surprised her.
Most people asked about hobbies.
Music.
Movies.
Not things like this.
She found herself smiling.
Liora:
me and evren grew up together
Liora:
literally since childhood
A reply arrived quickly.
Rowan:
childhood best friends?
Liora:
unfortunately
Rowan:
sounds serious
Liora:
sounds annoying
A moment later:
Rowan:
sounds important
For some reason, she stopped typing.
The words lingered longer than they should have.
Then she continued.
Telling him about Mira.
Kai.
Jaden.
The festival.
The choir.
The countless ridiculous moments they'd shared.
Hours seemed to pass unexpectedly fast.
The next few days followed a similar pattern.
School.
Friends.
Messages.
Laughter.
Homework.
Messages again.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing life-changing.
Just small conversations.
Yet somehow, Rowan's presence had started settling into the edges of her routine.
Not replacing anything.
Not yet.
Simply existing there.
Friday arrived with heavy clouds and the promise of rain.
Students spent most of the day staring out classroom windows.
The teachers eventually gave up pretending anyone was paying attention.
During study period, Mira leaned over.
"Question."
Liora looked up.
"Dangerous start."
"Thank you."
Mira continued.
"Do you think we'll actually stay friends after graduation?"
The question immediately quieted the table.
Even Kai stopped talking.
Which was alarming.
Liora glanced around.
The five of them.
One table.
One final year.
Only four months left.
Suddenly the number felt much smaller than before.
"I think so," Evren said eventually.
Everyone looked at him.
He shrugged.
"We're too annoying to get rid of."
Kai pointed.
"See? That's friendship."
Jaden sighed.
"I hate all of you."
"You'd miss us."
"I would."
Mira placed a hand over her heart.
"Beautiful."
After school, rain finally arrived.
Students crowded beneath covered walkways.
Waiting.
Complaining.
Negotiating transportation.
The friend group remained trapped beneath the entrance canopy.
Kai stared at the weather.
"I live here now."
"No, you don't," Jaden replied.
"Watch me."
Liora pulled out her phone.
One new message.
Rowan:
raining here too
She blinked.
Then looked outside.
Silver rain streaked across the school grounds.
For some reason, the coincidence made her smile.
Evren noticed.
Not the phone.
Not the message.
Just the smile.
A small one.
Brief.
Gone almost immediately.
Yet somehow different.
Not bad.
Just unfamiliar.
And for a second—
only a second—
he wondered what had caused it.
Then Kai slipped on a wet tile.
Mira screamed laughing.
Jaden nearly dropped his books.
And the moment disappeared.
That night, rain tapped softly against Liora's bedroom window.
The city beyond looked blurry and distant.
Her Polaroid camera sat untouched on her shelf.
Her homework remained unfinished.
And her phone glowed faintly in the darkness.
Rowan:
if you could go anywhere right now, where would you go?
Liora thought for a moment.
Then smiled.
And began typing.
Because somehow—
without realizing it—
she had started looking forward to these conversations.
And somewhere between the first friend request and now, a stranger had become someone she expected to hear from every day.