Echoes in the Steam
912 Words
Elena held the edge of her office table tightly while staring at the report in front of her. The numbers on the paper slowly became blurry until she could barely see them properly anymore.
It had been two months since that night at the restaurant.
Two painful months.
But the pain inside her heart still refused to leave.
Some days it became quiet.
Other days it came back stronger, like somebody touching an old wound that never healed properly.
Marcus’s voice still lived inside her head.
Especially at night.
At your age, you should be thinking about keeping a man.
Those words followed her everywhere like shadows in the dark.
In the bathroom.
At work.
Inside traffic.
Even in her dreams.
Sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night breathing hard, hearing his voice inside her head all over again.
Every single time, it felt like her heart was breaking again.
So Elena did the only thing she knew how to do.
She worked.
Work became her hiding place.
Sales reports did not cheat.
Coffee contracts did not lie.
Targets did not wake up one morning and make you feel unwanted.
Work was easier than people.
The office smelled of coffee every morning. Fresh roasted coffee beans filled the air downstairs while machines made soft steaming sounds all day long.
Coffee had always made Elena feel calm.
Now it felt like the only safe thing left in her life.
“Elena?”
She looked up quickly.
Lara stood beside her desk holding a file.
“You’re honestly amazing,” Lara said with a small smile. “I don’t know how you still come to work looking this calm after everything that happened with Marcus.”
Elena forced herself to smile.
It was the same smile she always used.
Polite.
Small.
Careful.
A smile that hid pain very well.
“Practice,” she said softly.
Lara placed the file on the desk.
“If it was me,” Lara continued, “I would still be crying every day.”
Elena looked down quickly before her eyes could betray her.
Because the truth was…
She still cried.
Just not where people could see.
At work she looked strong.
At home she fell apart quietly.
Marcus’s words still cut deeply inside her chest.
Women your age become desperate.
Sometimes she started believing him.
Sometimes she looked at herself in the mirror and wondered if maybe she really was too old. Too difficult. Too broken.
The thought hurt more than she wanted to admit.
The day moved slowly.
Meetings.
Phone calls.
Emails.
Sales discussions.
Elena moved through everything like someone running on empty.
By evening, her body felt tired and heavy.
When she finally left the office building, the sky looked dark and full of rain that had not fallen yet. Cool wind brushed against her skin softly.
People hurried past her on the street while cars filled the road with noise.
Elena held her handbag tightly and walked toward her car.
Her heels hit the ground slowly.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The lonely sound followed her through the evening air.
Suddenly her phone vibrated inside her bag.
Elena stopped walking immediately.
Her heart jumped hard inside her chest.
For one second, she thought it might be Marcus.
Slowly, she brought out the phone.
Unknown number.
She almost ignored it.
But something made her open the message.
Hey, it’s Julian. Sofia gave me your new number. I’m back in the city. Coffee sometime? No pressure.
Elena stared at the screen quietly.
Julian.
The name felt strange and familiar at the same time.
Her mind slowly traveled back years ago.
Family dinners.
Laughter.
Julian stealing food from her plate when nobody was looking.
Julian laughing loudly after getting caught.
Back then he was just Sofia’s annoying younger brother.
Always following people around.
Always smiling.
Always talking too much.
Elena blinked slowly.
How was that little boy now asking her out for coffee?
Life really moved fast.
She remembered Sofia once mentioning that Julian traveled abroad for school and stayed there for work for some years.
Elena had seen one or two pictures online before.
But she never paid attention.
Her own life had already been too heavy.
Work.
Pressure.
Marcus.
Heartbreak.
Pain.
Everything had swallowed her whole.
Elena stared at the message again.
Coffee sometime?
The idea felt strange.
Very strange.
After everything Marcus did, Elena had stopped trusting people easily.
Pain changes people.
It teaches them to protect themselves.
It teaches them to lock their hearts away where nobody can touch them again.
Elena looked up at the dark sky.
The clouds above her looked heavy, like they were carrying sadness too big to hold anymore.
For a moment, she thought about deleting the message.
That would be easier.
Safer.
No feelings.
No disappointment.
No heartbreak.
But then another thought entered her mind quietly.
What if not everybody was like Marcus?
The thought scared her more than she expected.
Slowly, Elena typed back.
Sure. Next week?
Her finger stayed above the send button for a few seconds.
Then finally—
She pressed send.
Elena stared at the screen quietly after the message delivered.
And somewhere deep inside her chest, something small moved softly.
Not love.
Not happiness.
Just something warm.
Something alive.
Like the first little ray of sunlight entering a dark room after a very long time.
And for the first time in months, Elena felt maybe her story was not completely over yet.
- Writer
