A few more days passed, and with them, the noise began to soften. The visits slowed, the laughter no longer constant, and for the first time since she arrived, Athena found herself with space to think—really think. It did not come all at once, not as something clean or immediate, but in fragments that surfaced in quiet moments, in the stillness that followed conversation, in the absence of distraction. And in those spaces, truth settled—quiet, persistent, and impossible to ignore.
She found herself staring at her phone longer than she should have, turning it over in her hand before setting it down, only to reach for it again moments later. The hesitation stretched until finally she let it break.
When she called, Christian answered on the second ring.
“Hey.”
“Hi… are you free tonight?”
