WHAT WE LOST

Chapter Thirteen —A Day Apart

The morning came earlier than Amara wanted.

She opened her eyes to the sound of her alarm and immediately remembered what day it was.

Exam day.

For a few seconds, she stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling while everything she had studied the previous night rushed through her mind. She had spent hours going over her notes, but somehow, she still felt like she had forgotten something.

That was the strange thing about examinations. No matter how much you prepared, there was always a small voice in your head telling you that you weren’t ready enough.

Amara finally got out of bed and started getting ready for school.

As she dressed, her thoughts naturally drifted to Ethan.

She knew he had an examination that day too, and his schedule was different from hers. He would be staying at school longer than she would, which meant they probably wouldn’t get much time together.

She didn’t like that.

After everything they had been through, Amara had become used to seeing Ethan at school. Even when they weren’t talking, simply knowing he was somewhere nearby made her feel comfortable.

She packed her things and left for school.

The atmosphere was completely different when she arrived.

Students were everywhere, but nobody seemed as lively as usual. Most people were carrying books, revising notes, or quietly discussing questions they expected to see in their papers.

Amara walked through the compound, looking around without even realizing what she was searching for.

Then she saw him.

Ethan was standing with a few of his classmates, looking through his notes. He appeared focused, occasionally flipping through the pages as if trying to make sure he remembered every important point.

Amara smiled.

As if he could somehow feel her looking at him, Ethan lifted his head.

Their eyes met.

For a moment, the noise around them seemed to disappear.

Neither of them needed to say anything. Ethan gave her a small smile, and Amara returned it.

It was such a simple moment, but it made her morning better.

Before they could spend any more time together, students began moving toward their examination rooms.

Ethan had to leave.

Amara watched him walk away, holding her books against her chest.

She knew she would see him later.

She just didn’t know how much later.

The morning passed slowly.

Amara went through her own school activities while Ethan remained busy with his examination. She occasionally wondered how he was doing.

She imagined him sitting in the examination hall, concentrating over his paper and probably refusing to let anything distract him.

She smiled at the thought.

That was Ethan.

When he cared about something, he took it seriously.

Eventually, Amara’s own activities were finished.

She packed her things and checked the time.

It was time for her to leave.

She looked around one last time, hoping that somehow Ethan would appear before she left.

But he was still in his examination.

She stood there for a moment, almost debating whether she should wait.

Then she realized she couldn’t.

She had to go home.

With a small sigh, Amara walked toward the school gate.

As she left, she looked back at the school building.

She wished she could have seen him one more time.

She wished they could have at least talked for a few minutes.

But sometimes, even when you wanted a moment with someone, life simply didn’t give you one.

And that was exactly how their day went.

Apart.

Ethan remained in the examination hall, completely unaware that Amara had already left.

He focused on the paper in front of him, carefully working through each question. Some were easy enough, while others made him stop and think for a while.

He didn’t give up.

He kept writing until the final minutes.

When the examination finally ended, Ethan walked out of the room feeling exhausted.

He stretched slightly and looked around.

His eyes immediately searched for Amara.

He expected to see her somewhere nearby.

But she wasn’t there.

At first, he thought she might be with her friends.

He checked the hallway.

Nothing.

He walked toward the places where he usually saw her.

Still nothing.

Then he finally realized she must have gone home.

A small feeling of disappointment settled in his chest.

It wasn’t because anything was wrong.

He simply wanted to see her.

After spending so much time together lately, having an entire day where they barely crossed paths felt strange.

Ethan pulled out his phone.

He wanted to message her immediately, but he was still at school and had a few things to finish before going home.

So he waited.

Amara, meanwhile, had already settled at home.

She ate and rested for a while before bringing out her books again.

There were still more examinations ahead, and she knew she couldn’t afford to get too comfortable.

She tried to concentrate.

She really did.

But every now and then, her thoughts returned to Ethan.

She wondered if he had finished his exam.

She wondered whether it had gone well.

And, more than anything, she wondered if he had looked for her after she left.

She didn’t know that he had.

She didn’t know that the first thing he had done after leaving the examination hall was look around for her.

And she didn’t know that he had felt the same disappointment she had felt earlier.

The hours passed.

By evening, Amara was tired of studying.

She closed her books and lay back on her bed, reaching for her phone.

There was still no message from Ethan.

She checked the time.

Maybe he was still busy.

She tried not to overthink it.

She knew exams were stressful, and she didn’t want to add pressure to him.

Then, just as she placed her phone down, the screen lit up.

Ethan.

A smile immediately appeared on her face.

He had finally gotten the chance to talk to her.

Their conversation that night was simple.

They talked about their day and the examination. Ethan told her how his paper had gone, while Amara told him about her own day.

They didn’t need anything dramatic.

They simply enjoyed having each other again.

For the first time that day, Amara felt like they were back in their little world.

Even through a screen, Ethan’s presence made her feel better.

They talked about how they hadn’t really seen each other that day and how strange it had felt.

Amara realized something as she read his messages.

She had missed him.

Not because they had been apart for weeks.

Not because something had gone wrong.

She had simply missed him because one ordinary day without seeing him had been enough to make his absence noticeable.

Ethan felt the same way.

Their lives were becoming busier with examinations, responsibilities, and everything else happening around them.

But somehow, they still found their way back to each other at the end of the day.

That mattered.

They didn’t need to talk every second to know they cared.

They didn’t need to be together every minute to feel close.

Sometimes, all it took was one message at the end of a long day.

One name appearing on a screen.

One reminder that somewhere out there was someone thinking about you.

Eventually, the conversation began to slow down.

Both of them were tired.

They still had examinations ahead, and they knew they needed to rest.

Amara placed her phone beside her and smiled to herself.

She wished she could have spent more time with Ethan that day.

But maybe tomorrow would be different.

Maybe they would finally have time to see each other properly.

Maybe they would get to laugh together again, walk through the school halls together, and forget about examinations for a little while.

She closed her eyes.

Across town, Ethan was doing the same.

Neither of them knew exactly what the next day would bring.

But they both went to sleep with the same quiet thought in their minds.

Tomorrow, they would see each other again.

And after a day of being apart, they were both looking forward to it more than they realized.