Morning
Sara Ikkari Rodriguez
The apartment was too quiet.
Not peaceful quiet.
Not comfortable quiet.
Distance quiet.
Matio didn’t avoid me exactly…but he didn’t reach for me either. Everything since that almost-moment had felt like walking through
fog—like someone changed the rules, and I wasn’t told.
I kept reminding myself:
He’s just stressed.
The gala is tomorrow.
Samir probably said something to him.
This is part of the plan.
But every time he walked past me without looking…
Every time he answered my questions with one-word sentences…
Every time his jaw tightened whenever our eyes met…
It felt less like “distance for safety.”
And more like rejection.
So today, I decided to try again.
Softly.
Gently.
Without pressure.
Just… reaching out.
* * * * * *
I opened
