CHAPTER 19: SOMEWHERE IN THE DAY
There was a difference between thinking about someone...
and noticing them in your thoughts.
Liora didn't know when the second one had started happening.
Only that it had.
Monday mornings were cruel.
Everyone agreed on that.
Even the teachers seemed less enthusiastic about existing.
The sky outside was gray, the hallways were crowded, and half the students looked like they hadn't slept.
Including Kai.
Especially Kai.
"I have decided," Kai announced dramatically as he collapsed into his seat.
"No more Mondays."
Mira didn't even look up.
"I support this movement."
Jaden placed his books down.
"You say that every week."
"And every week nobody listens."
"Because it's impossible."
Kai pointed at him.
"Not with that attitude."
Liora laughed.
The familiar chaos instantly filling the classroom.
The same jokes.
The same arguments.
The same people.
The same comfort.
A notification appeared on her phone.
One short vibration.
Nothing loud.
Nothing obvious.
Yet her eyes immediately dropped toward her pocket.
Then she stopped herself.
Because Kai was watching.
"...Why did you just look down?"
Liora froze.
"What?"
"You looked down."
"So?"
"Suspicious."
"Oh my god."
Mira immediately joined in.
"He's right."
"You two need help."
Evren entered the classroom before the interrogation could continue.
Instantly saving her.
Though unintentionally.
As always.
The morning passed in a blur of classes and assignments.
Teachers seemed determined to remind everyone that graduation was approaching.
Only four months.
The number appeared everywhere now.
Class discussions.
Announcements.
Future planning.
University applications.
It felt impossible to ignore.
At lunch, the five of them escaped to the courtyard.
Their tree had become a permanent landmark at this point.
Students probably associated it with them.
Mostly because Kai was impossible to miss.
"I'm serious," Kai said.
"We need to do something memorable."
"We say this every day," Mira replied.
"Exactly."
"And never decide anything."
"Details."
Jaden sighed.
"What do you suggest?"
Kai immediately brightened.
"Road trip."
"No."
"Concert."
"No."
"Skydiving."
"Absolutely not."
Liora laughed.
The conversation continuing around her.
Familiar.
Warm.
Easy.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time she glanced.
Quickly.
Just once.
Rowan:
survived monday?
A smile tugged at her lips.
Tiny.
Automatic.
She typed back.
Liora:
barely
Then returned her attention to the group.
At least, she tried to.
Because five minutes later, she caught herself wondering if Rowan had replied.
Not checking.
Just wondering.
The realization felt strange.
That afternoon, rain clouds gathered once again.
The weather had become unpredictable lately.
One minute sunshine.
The next minute storms.
During study period, Mira slid into the seat beside Liora.
"Question."
"Dangerous."
"Correct."
Mira rested her chin on the desk.
"Do you think we'll still talk every day after graduation?"
Liora blinked.
The question caught her off guard.
"I don't know."
"That's terrifying."
"It is."
For a moment, both girls fell silent.
Watching classmates move around the room.
Listening to conversations overlap.
The ordinary sounds of school life.
The kind that never seem important until they're gone.
"We should take more pictures," Mira said suddenly.
Liora looked up.
"Hm?"
"You always take pictures."
"Yeah."
"You haven't recently."
The words landed softly.
Not criticism.
Just observation.
Liora thought about it.
Then realized Mira was right.
Her camera still came everywhere.
Still hung from her shoulder.
Still felt familiar.
Yet somehow...
she'd been using it less.
"I guess I've been busy."
Mira nodded.
Accepting the answer.
But the thought lingered.
After school, the group stopped near the bridge that connected the school district to the residential area.
It wasn't unusual.
Students gathered there all the time.
Talking.
Laughing.
Delaying the journey home.
The evening sky glowed orange.
Clouds stretched across the horizon.
Everything looked beautiful.
The exact kind of scene Liora normally photographed immediately.
Instead, she reached for her phone.
Almost unconsciously.
Then paused.
Because she noticed what she'd just done.
The realization felt odd.
Not bad.
Just strange.
Her phone buzzed.
Rowan:
sunset looks nice today
Liora stared.
Then slowly looked up at the sky.
The same sunset.
The same evening.
Different cities.
Yet somehow they were both looking at it.
A small smile appeared.
"What?" Kai asked immediately.
Liora nearly jumped.
"Nothing."
"That's the third suspicious smile this week."
"There is a suspicious smile count?"
"There is now."
Mira nodded seriously.
"We're documenting it."
Jaden looked exhausted.
"As your friend, I apologize."
The conversation shifted again.
The moment passed.
Yet something about it remained.
That night, Liora sat on her bedroom floor surrounded by old Polaroids.
She had started organizing them.
Or at least attempting to.
The process was less organized than she'd hoped.
Photos scattered around her.
Festival pictures.
Classroom memories.
Rainy streets.
The friend group.
Evren.
So many versions of moments she'd wanted to keep forever.
A message appeared.
Rowan:
what are you doing?
Liora:
organizing photos
Rowan:
photographer activities
Liora:
exactly
A few seconds passed.
Then:
Rowan:
send one
Liora hesitated.
Not because it was strange.
Because choosing felt impossible.
Eventually she snapped a quick picture of the scattered Polaroids covering her floor.
Nothing personal.
Nothing revealing.
Just a moment.
She sent it.
A minute later:
Rowan:
that's actually pretty cool
Rowan:
looks like a collection of memories
The message made her glance back at the photographs.
A collection of memories.
Maybe that was exactly what they were.
Her eyes landed on one particular Polaroid.
A blurry photo from the festival.
Kai laughing.
Mira pointing at something.
Jaden looking annoyed.
Evren standing slightly behind everyone.
Watching.
Smiling.
For some reason, she found herself staring at it longer than the others.
Then her phone buzzed again.
And her attention shifted.
Not dramatically.
Not intentionally.
Just naturally.
The conversation continued.
One message.
Then another.
Then another.
Easy.
Comfortable.
Familiar.
And somewhere along the way, without noticing it happen...
Liora had started carrying Rowan with her through parts of the day.
Not because she wanted to.
Not because she meant to.
Simply because he had become a small presence in her routine.
Like a song she found herself humming.
Like a road she walked every day.
Like a habit she hadn't realized she'd formed.
Outside, the city lights flickered beneath the night sky.
Inside, her phone screen glowed softly in the darkness.
And far away, in another city, Rowan's reply appeared almost immediately.
As if he'd been waiting.