Elena left the apartment in the late afternoon after receiving a phone call whose voice could be faintly heard from the corridor. Once the door closed, I walked back to my room, closed it softly, then sat at the edge of the bed with a breath that for some reason felt heavy.
I sat in silence for a long time. Elena’s warning split my head into short, sharp sentences that felt carved into stone, pack your things. There was a part of me that wanted to be angry, but angry at whom? At the world that always finds a way to discipline those who fall in love? At myself for growing too comfortable under a roof that is not mine? At Gabriel for always making everything feel possible when it is not.
A soft knock sounded. Without waiting for an answer, the door opened and Gabriel walked in, closing it
