Maria:
His name sits on my screen like a question I’m not ready to answer.
I don’t pick up immediately. I stare at it, thumb hovering, like I need a few more seconds to gather myself into something presentable. Something that doesn’t sound like I just cried hard enough to give myself a headache.
I swipe at my face, inhale slowly, then answer.
“Hello?”
There’s a small pause on the other end. Not awkward. Just… him listening.
“You didn’t answer earlier,” Daniel says.
Of course that’s what he notices first.
“I was busy.”
Even I don’t believe that.
Another pause. I can almost picture him, standing somewhere still, processing, deciding what matters enough to say out loud.
“Where are you?”
“At home.”
“Alone?”
I hesitate. It’s brief, but it’s there. “Yes.”
He lets that sit for a se
