Behind Her Smile — Episode 14: Small Steps (
471 Words
Elena sat frozen in the break room.
"...Hi," she repeated awkwardly.
Smooth.
Very smooth.
On the other side of the phone Daniel laughed again.
"You sound nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"...Elena."
"...Okay maybe a little."
Daniel smiled through the phone.
She could hear it.
And strangely enough, hearing him laugh felt familiar.
Comfortable.
Like returning somewhere after being gone too long.
For a few seconds neither of them spoke.
Not because things were awkward.
But because both of them were probably thinking the same thing:
After all these years... we're talking again.
Elena slowly leaned back in her chair.
The break room was quiet. Nurses occasionally walked past outside, but suddenly it all felt distant.
"So..." Daniel spoke again. "How's life been?"
Elena stared at the ceiling.
How exactly was she supposed to answer that?
Should she say terrible?
Should she say complicated?
Should she say I don't even know anymore?
Instead she gave the safest answer.
"Busy."
Daniel immediately laughed.
"Wow."
"What?"
"You haven't changed."
Elena frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"You always do that."
"Do what?"
"When something is wrong, you give one-word answers."
Elena blinked.
Of course he remembered that.
Of course he noticed.
Years later and he still noticed.
She quickly changed the subject.
"What about you?"
Daniel sighed dramatically.
"Oh, life has been difficult."
Elena immediately sat up.
"Difficult?"
"Very difficult."
Her eyebrows furrowed.
"Daniel—"
"The hospital food nearly ended me."
Elena stared at her phone.
Then rolled her eyes.
"You scared me for no reason."
"I suffered greatly."
"You are so dramatic."
"I prefer emotionally expressive."
Elena laughed.
Actually laughed.
Not the polite little laugh she used with coworkers.
Not the fake smile she used whenever someone asked if she was okay.
A real laugh.
One that escaped naturally before she even realized it.
Daniel became quiet.
Too quiet.
Elena slowly frowned.
"Daniel?"
"Hm?"
"...Why are you quiet?"
His voice softened slightly.
"I forgot what that sounded like."
Elena blinked.
"What?"
"Your laugh."
Silence.
Her heart tightened a little.
Because somehow that one sentence carried years inside it.
Years of distance.
Years of silence.
Years of things left unsaid.
They talked for almost twenty minutes.
Nothing serious.
Nothing heavy.
Just random things.
Daniel complained about hospital food.
Elena complained about long shifts.
Daniel accused her of still overworking herself.
Elena accused him of being annoying.
Normal things.
Simple things.
Things she didn't realize she missed.
Before hanging up, Daniel became quiet for a second.
"Hey."
Elena paused.
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you called."
Silence.
A small smile slowly appeared on Elena's face.
"...Me too."
After the call ended, she stared at her phone for a few seconds.
Then
"WHO WERE YOU SMILING AT?!"
Elena nearly dropped her phone.
She jumped so hard she almost fell out of her chair.
"CHLOE?!"
- Writer
