Marry me

Really?

Chapter Ten: The Distance Between Us

The first few weeks apart weren't so bad.

Emma and Noah called each other every day.

Sometimes twice.

Sometimes three times.

They texted constantly.

Sent photos.

Shared jokes.

Watched movies together over video calls.

It wasn't perfect.

But it worked.

At least in the beginning.

Then life became busier.

Noah worked longer hours.

Emma became overwhelmed with her own responsibilities.

Their calls grew shorter.

The texts became less frequent.

Days turned into weeks.

Weeks turned into months.

And slowly, something began to change.

Not their love.

Never their love.

Just the ease they once had.

One night, Emma sat on her bed staring at her phone.

Noah hadn't called.

Again.

She told herself he was busy.

Told herself not to overthink.

But loneliness has a way of making even small things feel enormous.

Across the ocean, Noah stared at his phone too.

He wanted to call.

He wanted to hear her voice.

But exhaustion dragged at him.

And for the first time since they met, he wondered if he was failing the person he loved most.

Chapter Eleven: The Misunderstanding

Three months later, Emma received a photo.

A photo she wished she had never seen.

Noah stood beside a beautiful woman.

Smiling.

Laughing.

Looking comfortable.

The woman had her hand on his arm.

The image spread across social media quickly.

The comments were worse.

"They're such a cute couple!"

"You two look perfect together!"

Emma felt sick.

She tried calling Noah.

No answer.

Again.

No answer.

Again.

Nothing.

Hours passed.

Then a full day.

Then two.

Emma's heart broke a little more each time.

What she didn't know was that Noah was trapped in back-to-back meetings in an area with terrible reception.

He hadn't seen her calls.

Hadn't seen her messages.

Hadn't seen the damage being done.

By the time he finally reached his phone, Emma had already convinced herself of the worst.

And heartbreak had begun.

Chapter Twelve: The End... Or So It Seemed

The argument that followed was devastating.

Months of frustration exploded at once.

"You didn't even think about how I'd feel!"

"Emma, she's a coworker!"

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think it mattered!"

"It mattered to me!"

Neither of them meant the hurtful things they said.

But pain makes people reckless.

And fear makes people cruel.

The call ended badly.

Very badly.

For the first time in years, they went to sleep angry.

The next morning, Emma expected Noah to call.

He didn't.

Noah expected Emma to call.

She didn't.

Days passed.

Then weeks.

Then months.

The silence became unbearable.

Yet neither knew how to fix what had been broken.

And for the first time since the coffee shop accident that brought them together...

They were apart.

Completely apart.

Both heartbroken.

Both miserable.

And both still deeply in love.

Though neither was willing to admit it.

Yet.