Between Dreams And Distance

Chapter 4: Letters Across Time

The morning sun displayed yellow across Anthony's window and the glooming light pulled him out of a lazy daze and he dragged himself from the bed with effort. He opened the drawer beside him and he saw a wrinkled sheet of paper,no lines or drawings but it was worth more to him than all the textbooks stacked on his shelf.

He stared at the paper for a long moment and he covered his pen uselessly. Then slowly,he began to write.

“Dear Sophia,

I don't even know where to begin. It's only been a few weeks since I left but to me it feels like months. I miss you more than words can express. Also,the tutors here are strict and the school is massive but I still feel a little empty. I don't stay in the hotel,the school gave me my own room and my dad arranged for that. It's comfortable but too quiet, sometimes I wish I had roommates, someone to fill the silence and keep me busy.

Well the food over here are good,they are better than I expected but not half as good as yours, nothing will ever be.

You know,when things get too overwhelming for me,I think of you. I picture you studying or scrolling t****k or maybe even dancing to music only you can hear because just imagining you makes everything easier for me.”

When he finished, Anthony folded the letter with unusual care and slid it into an old envelope,he had no idea if would ever send it but still,the act of writing always made him feel closer to her as if she were right there in the room listening as he writes.He saw the envelope his father gave him also but he ignored it ,he didn't want to see anything yet.

Sophia had been doing the same from miles away too. In the corner of her table sat a small wooden box,it was stuffed with folded papers and each paper carried her thoughts for the boy who wasn't there and she added another one that evening.

“Dear Anthony,

Today was exhausting and boring. My physics tutor yelled at me just because I forgot my note at home,I almost cried but then I remembered something you once said to me:

Don't let anyone kill your shine.

So I took the punishment and i hope you are proud of me.”

Her handwriting flickered but her words glowed with uttermost determination. Some days the letters she wrote are lengthy up to three pages while other days were just a few lines she wrote containing only one page but all of them carried pieces of her heart.

The letters became their secret bridge,it became a way to pour love into paper,a way to stay connected without phones, Wi-Fi/Data or instant replies.

None of them knew they were writing letters,they just did it as feeling of relief. It always helps Anthony's mind cool off while it pleases Sophia,she was drawn to him but she was scared saying the word might end their friendship.

A few days after, Anthony left his room for a little walk,he didn't know where to go but he just continued, letting his thoughts guide his steps before he bumped into someone at the corner of the campus.

“Oh, please I'm sorry,” he muttered.

“No big deal,” the girl replied lightly, though her mocking tone stung. “People can be clumsy sometimes.”

He frowned a little but didn't say anything. Her name was Jennifer, and though she meant what she said as a joke but Anthony walked away before she could explain.

After a long lonely walk,he stopped at a restaurant and just as the waiter approached,his phone chimed and it was Sophia.

He opened the text,

‘Hey silly,how is school?😉.

He grinned instantly and replied

‘Long time missy🤗. I'm hanging in there. What about you?

So they continued exchanging quick texts until Anthony grew impatient and he switched to a video call because he was so eager to see her beautiful face, but her camera was off when she answered.

“C'mon,” he teased. “Sophia, don't hide from me.”

“I'm shy,” she whispered.

But before he could persuade her ,the call abruptly cut off, there was no goodbye,no reason for the hang up,just silence.

Anthony frowned, that wasn't like her. He was about to tell her about the attack on him before the abrupt act. He tried calling back but it wouldn't connect and he thought;maybe her battery had died but he was still feeling uneased.

A week passed and Sophia didn't return online.

Worry weighed on Anthony until he finally decided that if she wouldn't answer his calls,then his letter he had written would find her. So he asked for directions to the nearest post office and mailed the envelope he had written days ago.

But what Anthony didn't know was that Sophia's phone had broken during their last call. She missed her step and fell which made her phone screen broken. She had been feeling guilty for disappearing on him so she rushed to the post office with one of her letters.

And then ,days dragged into weeks and both of them began to lose hope until one evening,at nearly the same hour , their letters arrived.

Anthony quickly tore the envelope with his trembling hands and he read it. The words inside carried Sophia's familiar warmth,her teasing jokes and her gentle voice between the lines, but the last sentence froze him. She wrote;

“I still look at the moon every night. Do you?

And Anthony's chest tightened,he turned towards his window slowly and there it was ,the moon,it was perfectly round and shining like an old friend.

His throat tightened as he whispered into the night.

“I never stopped looking.”

But as soon as he said those words ,a knock sounded at this door and it was unexpected or it could be urgent.

Anthony froze,who could it be at this hour?