LOGINMorning did not arrive with peace, nor did it bring the comfort people often associated with a new day, because the moment my eyes opened, I was already aware of the weight sitting heavily in my chest, like something had followed me out of the night and settled into my bones without permission.For a while, I remained still beneath the covers, my gaze fixed on the ceiling as I tried to separate what I had heard from what I wished I hadn’t, replaying the faint sound over and over again in my head until it no longer felt like imagination but something far more real, something that refused to be dismissed no matter how badly I wanted it to be nothing.Slowly, I turned my head to the side.Ben was not beside me.The space he had occupied during the night was already cold, the sheets slightly creased as though he had been gone for a while, and for reasons I could not fully explain, that unsettled me more than waking up next to him ever could.I pushed myself up carefully, my movements deli
Another day another attempt, right?Wrong!“Mia?”The sound of my name did not just stop me, it settled over my skin like something deliberate, something that had been waiting patiently for this exact moment, and for a second, my fingers remained frozen inches away from the door handle while my body refused to cooperate with the sudden rush of fear tightening in my chest.Slowly, I turned.Ben stood a few feet behind me, his figure partially swallowed by the dim light spilling from the bedroom, his shirt loose against his frame and his hair slightly disheveled like someone who had just woken up, but there was nothing sleepy about his eyes, nothing distant or unfocused, because they were fixed on me with a level of awareness that made my stomach twist.“How long have you been standing there?” I asked, forcing my voice into something light, something that would not betray the way my pulse had begun to pound violently against my ribs.He tilted his head slightly, almost thoughtfully, as
“Nora! Nora!” I yelled into the speaker.Nora’s voice cracked the longer she spoke. “Can… you…hear… she… Mia… scared?*Mia was scared?Confusion spiraled inside me even more. “Nora! Can you hear me?!”“Nora!”“Ethan… can you…she said… missing…”Tension strung tightly in my shoulder, heat rose inside me despite the ice cold surrounding us. When Nora’s voice turned static, my anger grew so much I hung up.“I'm heading home.” I said.“I'll come with you.” Lucas offered. I shook my head. “There's no need for that. You stay here and search, whatever you come up with, tell me and whatever she says, I'll let you know. I have a feeling it's something bad.”“Be careful, Ethan. If you drive too fast on slippery ice, you could get into an accident.”His words filtered through my ear into the other one. My keys jiggled in my back pocket, without another second to spare, I rushed towards my truck.The engine roared to life seconds later, tires screeched against solid eyes that formed a grip at the
“Mia, what do you think you're doing?” The voice came again, this time deeper.I stayed frozen in place like I didn't just hear Ben speak to me.My eyelids pressed hard against each other, I bit on my lower lips as I muttered prayers, a part of me hoped that if I stayed that way, maybe…Just maybe he would think it was a shadow and go away.I was stupid to think so.“Mia, I can see you. Stop pretending you can't hear me. What the heck are you doing heading towards my room?”My cover was blown, my pulse thickening. I swallowed hard, and swiftly turned to face him. “Oh!” I gasped. “Ben, what on earth are you doing there?”His forehead wrinkled. “Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? That's the door to my door.”“Oh, it is?” I asked, one of my hands pinching my chin. “I had no idea. You know I'm still new here and sometimes mistake your door for mine.”He didn't argue but he also had doubts in his eyes. “Oh really?”“Yes.” I nodded. “Silly me. You don't have to worry about it any, it w
The words “I can't wait.’ sat butter on my tongue long after I said them, the lie settling deep in my chest like something alive, something breathing alongside, the fear that refused to loosen its grip on me no matter how hard I tried to stay calm.Ben's face lit up immediately, the shift so sudden it was almost unsettling, like he had been waiting– watching for that exact response.And the moment he got it, everything inside him relaxed.“I knew you'd love it.” He said, his nice softer now, warmer, as though we were having a completely normal conversation about a completely normal wedding.My fingers tightened around the invitation, the paper crinkling slightly beneath the pressure as I forced myself to nod, lowering my gaze just enough to avoid looking too closely at him.“It's beautiful.” I murmured, tracing the gold lining at the edge of the card, pretending that my hands weren't trembling. “You really want all out.”“I had to.” He replied without hesitation. “It's out wedding.”O
“You haven't made any guesses, Mia, and you've been very quiet, is everything alright?”Ben was inside now, leaned with his back to the wall, eyes fixed on me while he stared. “Is something going through your mind?” He asked again like I wasn't aware he was talking to me the first time.I exhaled, pretending wasn't a gift I could pride myself with. I dragged another deep breath to maintain my tone and then I spoke.“I was just wondering…” I started. “Have you ever done something you wished you could undo?”“Undo?” His expression grew stern. “What are you talking about? Did you do something bad?”“No.”Silence settled between us for a little while and then I cleared my throat, “I didn't do anything bad, I was just trying to ask you a question, please answer.”His hesistation sent me signals, signals I didn't want to understand, maybe if I tried hard to act oblivious, they wouldn't be that true.“In life…” he took another breath, his voice steadier now. “at once in our lives, we do thin
The first thing that unsettled me about this icy town was how normal it was.No dramatic contrast to the people who lived here and no cinematic shift if anyone around here was to study us, but they were still cluster of buildings nestled into snow softened streets, smoke rising from chimneys, tire
Apparently, the male friend I met wasn't his best friend as I thought.Another replaced that position. Another gender, one I soon regretted knowing.Her name was Nora and she arrived just after noon, while the house still smelled faintly of cocoa and pine.I knew someone was coming before I heard t
The weather broke three days later. It didn't announce itself dramatically. No miracle sunrise or birdsong. Just quiet. Stillness. When I woke up the next morning, the wind no longer screamed against the walls, and the snow outside the window had softened into something more gentle.I stood at the
I told myself it didn't matter. A lie I held onto while I sanded the edge of the half-carved wooden horse in my hands. I was smoothing the save curve that was already smooth for the tenth time in a row I knew Ben. A chatty fellow with a handsome smile that charmed a lot of women in our commute. H







