Chapter 25 Life Without Him
559 Words
University started sooner than Lily expected. One moment she was graduating with Ethan and her friends, and the next she was standing on a completely different campus surrounded by strangers. Everything felt new. New classrooms, new lecturers, new faces. Most students seemed excited to begin this new chapter of their lives, but Lily felt like a part of her had been left behind.
The first few weeks were difficult. Sophie was attending a different university, so Lily had to adjust on her own. She tried making friends and joining study groups. People were friendly enough, but none of the conversations felt natural. Every time something funny happened, she wanted to tell Ethan. Every time she had a stressful day, she wanted to hear his voice. Somehow, even from another city, he was still the person she thought about first.
One afternoon she was sitting outside the library when her phone buzzed. The moment she saw Ethan’s name, she smiled.
“Surviving university?” his message read.
“Barely,” she replied.
“Knew it.”
“You’re supposed to encourage me.”
“I am encouraging you.”
“You’re terrible at it.”
“Yet you’re still texting me.”
Lily laughed quietly. It was a simple conversation, nothing special, but it immediately made her day better. That was the problem. No matter how much time passed, Ethan still had that effect on her.
As the weeks turned into months, talking to Ethan became part of her routine. Sometimes they texted late into the night. Sometimes they called. Sometimes they argued over silly things just to pass the time. Even though he was miles away, he still felt close.
But little changes were beginning to happen.
At first Lily didn’t notice them. Ethan took longer to reply to messages. Sometimes he missed their usual calls because he was busy with classes or new friends. Whenever he apologised, Lily told him it was fine.
And it was.
At least that’s what she kept telling herself.
One evening Sophie called her.
“So, how’s university?”
“It’s okay.”
“And Ethan?”
Lily sighed.
“You always ask about him.”
“Because you’re always thinking about him.”
Lily couldn’t argue with that.
Sophie laughed. “It’s been months and you’re still hopeless.”
“I’m not hopeless.”
“You absolutely are.”
After the call ended, Lily sat by her bedroom window watching the city lights outside. Her phone buzzed again. Another message from Ethan.
It was just a random joke.
Nothing important.
Yet she found herself smiling anyway.
That scared her more than she wanted to admit.
Because while everything around her was changing, her feelings weren’t. New university. New people. New experiences. None of it had changed the way she felt about Ethan. If anything, being apart had only made her realise how much he meant to her.
She stared at their chat for a long moment before putting her phone down.
Somewhere in Manchester, Ethan was building a new life. Meeting new people. Making new memories.
And for the first time, Lily found herself wondering if there would come a day when she was no longer part of that life.
The thought stayed with her long after she went to sleep.
And deep down, she knew she wasn’t ready for the answer.
- Writer
