SPACE BETWEEN US
712 Words
Love, Cecilia was beginning to learn, was not just about the moments you shared but also the spaces in between.
Days turned into routines. Routines turned into comfort. And comfort… slowly revealed truths she hadn’t noticed before.
Wilton was still her safe place. His voice still softened her storms. His touch still felt like home. But life was beginning to ask more of them.
More time.
More patience.
More understanding.
And sometimes… more distance.
***
“Cecy, you’ve been quiet all evening,” Wilton said, leaning closer as they sat outside her favorite café.
“I’m just tired,” she replied softly.
“You’ve been ‘just tired’ a lot lately.”
She sighed. “It’s school, home… everything. I’m trying to balance it all.”
Wilton reached for her hand. “You don’t have to do everything alone.”
Cecilia smiled faintly. “I know… I just don’t want to feel like I’m losing myself.”
“You won’t,” he said firmly. “Not with me.”
But even as he said it… something about the moment felt incomplete.
***
It was later that week when her friend Amina noticed it first.
They were sitting on a bench, watching people pass by, the city alive around them.
“You love him,” Amina said suddenly.
Cecilia laughed lightly. “That obvious?”
“Yes. But you’re also thinking too much.”
Cecilia looked away. “What do you mean?”
“You’re happy… but not fully. There’s something you’re not saying.”
Cecilia hesitated. “Have you ever felt like something is missing, even when everything seems right?”
Amina raised an eyebrow. “That’s dangerous territory, Cecy.”
“I’m serious.”
“Then be careful,” Amina said gently. “Sometimes we go looking for what’s missing… and lose what we already have.”
Those words stayed with her.
***
Later that night, Wilton called.
“Hey, my love.”
“Hi…” Cecy replied, her voice softer than usual.
“You okay?”
“I was just thinking.”
“About?”
“Us.”
A pause.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” he asked carefully.
“I don’t know yet.”
Wilton exhaled slowly. “Cecy… talk to me.”
“I love you,” she said quickly, almost as if she needed to prove it.
“I know… I love you too. But that’s not what’s bothering you.”
She stayed silent.
“Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Cecilia closed her eyes. “No… I just need time to clear my head.”
“I’ll give you space,” Wilton said quietly. “But don’t shut me out.”
“I won’t.”
But even she wasn’t sure if that was true.
***
Days passed, and life kept moving.
Cecilia found herself laughing with friends, smiling at texts, living normally… yet something inside her felt unsettled.
And then one afternoon, as she walked through a crowded street, lost in her thoughts
She bumped into someone.
“I’m so sorry ” she started, looking up.
And for a second… time stopped.
There was something about him. Something unfamiliar… yet strangely pulling.
“I think I should be the one apologizing,” he said, smiling.
Cecilia blinked, caught off guard.
“It’s okay,” she replied, her voice quieter than usual.
He held her gaze for a moment longer than necessary. “You seem like you have a lot on your mind.”
She let out a small, nervous laugh. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only to someone who notices.”
There it was again that feeling.
The same quiet whisper in her heart.
Uncertain. Uninvited.
Dangerous.
“Maybe I do,” she admitted.
“Well… I hope whatever it is, you figure it out,” he said warmly.
“Thank you…”
He nodded and walked away.
But Cecilia didn’t move.
Because for the first time… her heart didn’t feel entirely where it was supposed to be.
***
That evening, Wilton texted:
“I miss you today.”
Cecilia stared at the message longer than usual.
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
And for the first time since loving him… she didn’t know what to say.
- Writer
