7PM COMFORT
1082 Words
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Chapter 16
[Phone ringing…]
The sound of her ringtone cut through the stillness of her room like a familiar breeze. Aria reached for her phone without even looking at the screen—she already knew. Her heart beat a little lighter as she slid her finger across the screen.
“Hey, El,” she said, her voice soft and warm, as though she’d been waiting for this moment all day.
From the other end, his voice came steady, calm. “Hi, Aria. You sound… peaceful.”
She smiled faintly, letting the weight of the day melt off her shoulders as she nestled deeper into her blanket. The soft hum of the ceiling fan stirred the warm evening air above her, and the distant sound of crickets chirping outside her open window filled the space between them.
“I’m lying on my bed, lights off, window open. Long day,” she murmured. “But this call feels like the best part of it.”
There was a pause. She could almost hear his smile. “I’m honored to be the best part.”
Aria chuckled, the sound light and teasing. “You better be. You’re all I look forward to at seven now.”
“Same here,” Elion said softly. His voice dropped slightly, his words heavy with meaning, though he tried to hide it behind calm composure.
There was a moment of quiet between them—not awkward, not uncomfortable. Just silence that stretched in warmth, like a blanket shared across a distance.
“You know, it’s strange,” Aria said after a while, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t even know where you live. What you look like. But I feel safe with you. Safer than I’ve felt with people I’ve known for years.”
On the other end, Elion’s breath caught, just for a second. She couldn’t hear it, but he could feel the weight of those words sink into his chest.
“I’ve seen you… from a distance,” he said carefully, not wanting to alarm her. “I know how you carry yourself, even when the world weighs you down. That strength… drew me in.”
She let out a soft laugh. “You’re always watching me, huh?”
Elion paused, unsure if he had crossed a line. “I hope that doesn’t scare you.”
“No,” she said immediately. “It doesn’t. Not with you.” She shifted in bed, her hand brushing against the pillow beside her. “It’s not like anyone else ever really notices me. But you… it’s like you’re seeing more than I even show.”
Elion’s voice lowered, sincere and quiet. “I see someone kind. Brave. Someone who gives so much and asks for so little.”
Aria blinked rapidly, and for a moment, everything in her room blurred. Her throat tightened, and she pressed the phone closer to her cheek like she could be nearer to him.
“You say things like that, and I don’t know whether to smile or cry,” she whispered.
“Do both,” he replied gently.
There was something about the way he spoke—measured and careful, yet filled with affection—that made her feel like every broken part of her was seen and somehow accepted. Maybe even… treasured.
A quiet moment lingered between them.
The kind of silence that spoke volumes.
Aria tilted her head toward the open window. The night breeze was soft against her skin, the scent of distant rain teasing the edges of summer air. “Can I ask you something?” she said finally.
“Anything.”
She hesitated. Her heart felt heavy and exposed, her fingers fiddling with the seam of her pillowcase. “Why me?” she asked. “Of all the people in the world… why me?”
Elion was silent at first, and she wondered if the question had caught him off guard.
But then his voice came through, distant and soft, like he was speaking from somewhere far away—perhaps not just physically, but emotionally too.
“Because… in a world full of noise, your soul was the only thing that sounded like silence. Like peace.”
Aria’s breath hitched. No one had ever described her that way before.
Not beautiful. Not cute. Not funny. Not anything superficial.
Peace.
Her hands curled around the edge of the blanket as her eyes welled up with tears again—though she didn’t fully understand why. Maybe it was relief. Or maybe it was because she’d never heard anyone speak to her like this and truly mean it.
“El…” she whispered, voice trembling.
“Yes?”
She paused, the next words catching in her throat like a secret she had never shared.
“Promise me you’ll keep calling.”
“I promise.”
Just two words. But the way he said them… it felt like a vow.
She could hear the sincerity in his voice—like it wasn’t just a promise to call, but a promise to keep showing up in her life, even if only by voice. Even if only for a few minutes a day.
And somehow, that meant more than any grand gesture ever could.
“Okay,” she breathed. “Goodnight, mystery man.”
He chuckled quietly, the sound rich and gentle. “Goodnight, Aria.”
She didn’t hang up immediately. Neither did he.
They both just listened—to the soft rustling of wind, to each other’s breathing, to the comfort of presence in absence. Finally, after a long pause, she ended the call with a reluctant swipe.
The screen went dark.
But her heart felt brighter.
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In a different realm, far beyond what Aria could fathom, Elion remained seated in front of the shimmering veil that glowed faintly with the remnants of the call. His fingers rested against the magical surface, though it no longer showed her—only reflected his own silhouette.
Her voice lingered in his ears, and for a moment, the ache of distance was drowned by the warmth she had given him.
He closed his eyes.
For thousands of years, he had known battle, silence, duty.
But tonight—tonight he had known something else.
Connection.
And for the first time in centuries, Elion allowed himself to believe…
That love could exist beyond borders, beyond fate, even beyond realms.
He would call again tomorrow.
He had promised.
And he never broke his promises.
- Writer
