It finally came to my attention
after a few days passed
without a single sign of Onnie.
His silence was loud.
His absence felt wrong.
I asked Joshua,
“What’s happening… where is he?”
Joshua shrugged,
but the way he looked down before answering
already told me he knew something.
“I don’t know,” he said quietly.
“I always hear his door opening early in the morning…
and when you’re at Rebecca’s place, he’s here.
But when you come home…
he disappears.”
Something in my chest tightened.
Not anger.
Not disappointment.
Just… worry.
Joshua’s voice lowered.
“He acts different lately,” he added.
“Like he’s avoiding something.”
Or someone.
Me.
As Joshua spoke,
I glanced toward the kitchen window.
The curtain moved — just a little.
Not enough for someone spying,
but enough f
