CHAPTER 28: THE FIRST THING
The first message of the day was never supposed to matter.
At least, that was what Liora told herself.
It was just a message.
Just words on a screen.
Just another part of her routine.
Nothing more.
Yet somehow, every morning, she found herself reaching for her phone before even getting out of bed.
And every morning, a familiar name seemed to be waiting there.
This morning was no different.
The soft glow of sunlight filtered through her curtains as Liora stretched beneath her blanket.
Still half asleep, she grabbed her phone from the nightstand.
A notification sat at the top of her screen.
A smile appeared before she could stop it.
Rowan
good morning photographer
Liora buried her face in her pillow.
The nickname again.
She still hadn't gotten used to it.
Liora
good morning
A few seconds later:
Rowan
alive?
Liora
unfortunately
Rowan
tragic
She laughed quietly to herself.
The day had barely started, and somehow he had already improved it.
That realization should have worried her.
It didn't.
Downstairs, her aunt called for breakfast.
Liora quickly got ready and headed out, slipping her phone into her pocket.
The conversation stayed in the back of her mind the entire morning.
Like a song she couldn't stop humming.
School was already buzzing when she arrived.
Students filled the hallways.
Teachers carried stacks of papers.
Someone was running late.
Probably Kai.
It was always Kai.
Sure enough, she found him sprinting toward the classroom moments later.
His tie was crooked.
His bag was half open.
And somehow he was carrying a sandwich.
"Move!"
"You woke up late again?"
"I woke up on time."
"You are literally running."
"I chose violence."
Mira looked disappointed.
"One day you'll become an adult."
"No."
"Fair."
The conversation dissolved into laughter.
For a while, everything felt normal.
The group spent lunch outside beneath their usual tree.
Kai argued about movies.
Mira argued with Kai.
Jaden considered abandoning all of them.
The usual.
Yet every now and then, Liora found herself glancing toward her phone.
Not because Rowan was messaging constantly.
Actually, he wasn't.
The conversation had slowed since morning.
Just occasional messages.
Normal messages.
Yet somehow she kept checking anyway.
At one point, Evren noticed.
Not the phone itself.
The habit.
The brief glances.
The tiny moments of anticipation.
He didn't say anything.
Just watched quietly before returning to his drink.
A strange feeling lingered in his chest.
One he couldn't quite name.
After school, the group gathered in the library to work on an assignment.
Or at least that had been the plan.
In reality, almost no work was getting done.
Kai had somehow convinced Mira that penguins secretly hated humanity.
Mira was currently trying to prove him wrong.
Jaden looked seconds away from leaving.
Evren was the only reason the project was progressing at all.
Meanwhile, Liora sat beside the window.
A notification appeared.
Without thinking, she smiled.
Then immediately noticed Evren looking at her.
Not staring.
Just looking.
The kind of glance friends exchanged naturally.
For some reason, she felt oddly guilty.
The feeling disappeared as quickly as it arrived.
"Why are you smiling?"
Kai pointed dramatically.
"Evidence."
"What evidence?"
"You smiled at your phone."
"Oh my god."
"We've caught her."
Mira gasped.
"It's true."
Liora closed her eyes.
"I need new friends."
"You love us."
"Unfortunately."
"See?"
The room filled with laughter again.
Even Evren smiled.
But only slightly.
The afternoon passed quickly.
By evening, everyone finally headed home.
The sky was painted orange and gold.
The city seemed softer beneath the fading sunlight.
As Liora walked through the familiar streets, her phone buzzed.
Rowan
survived school?
Liora
barely
Rowan
same
She continued walking while typing.
The conversation flowed naturally.
Easy.
Comfortable.
As if they'd known each other much longer than a few months.
Halfway home, she stopped at a crosswalk.
A new message appeared.
Rowan
send a picture
Liora blinked.
Liora
of what
Rowan
anything
She looked around.
Cars passed.
People walked by.
The sunset painted everything gold.
Without thinking, she lifted her camera.
Click.
A photo.
Not with her phone.
With her Polaroid.
The familiar sound felt strangely comforting.
For the first time in a while.
She stared at the picture as it slowly developed.
Then took a quick photo of it with her phone.
And sent it.
A few seconds later:
Rowan
that's actually really pretty
Liora smiled.
Not because of the compliment.
Because he liked the photo.
The photo.
Not her.
Not the sunset.
The thing she'd created.
The distinction mattered.
More than she realized.
Later that night, she pinned the newly developed Polaroid onto her memory wall.
Then stepped back.
The wall was crowded with moments.
School memories.
Friends.
Laughter.
Pieces of her life.
Her gaze landed on an older photo.
A picture from middle school.
Her and Evren.
Standing outside a bookstore.
Both grinning like idiots.
She laughed softly.
Then moved on.
The moment lasted only seconds.
Yet somewhere across the city, Evren was sitting at his desk, trying to focus on homework.
Trying being the important word.
Because despite everything, his thoughts kept drifting back to the same thing.
Lio seemed happy lately.
That should have been enough.
It should have made him happy too.
So why did it feel like she was getting farther away?
He didn't have an answer.
Not yet.
Meanwhile, Rowan stared at the sunset photo she had sent.
The Polaroid frame.
The warm colors.
The tiny imperfections.
Something about it felt personal.
Different from every other picture they'd exchanged.
His phone buzzed.
Another notification.
A different chat.
His eyes flickered toward it.
The familiar name sat there.
Last Seen Circle
For a moment, he simply stared.
Then locked his phone.
Ignoring it.
Just this once.
Outside, the city lights slowly awakened beneath the evening sky.
Inside three different rooms, three different people sat with thoughts they couldn't quite understand.
One was growing attached.
One was growing worried.
And one was beginning to hesitate.
None of them realized what that would eventually cost.