The call had ended a while ago.
I was still staring at the dark screen of my phone, as if it might light up again. As if her voice might still echo in the quiet.
"Come home soon… okay?" Dania's words had been light, casual, the kind of thing you say without thinking. But it stuck to the inside of my ribs like a splinter.
Home.
I wasn't sure where that even was anymore.
I set the phone down and padded to the window, watching the last of the rain slide down the glass in thin, lazy streaks. The city looked washed out and fresh, the streets shiny and empty in the early light.
For a second, I let myself just… be.
No CEO. No Professor Mahara. No big sister, no best friend.
Just Daphne.
And maybe it was the way Dania had said it. Or maybe it was the rain. But the words stirred up something I hadn't thought about in a while.
"Come home soon… okay?"
My fingers toyed with the pendant around my neck — the one nobody asked about. The one I never took off.
The date was coming up.
Rahul's day.
It never really left, you know. That sharp, clean cut where someone used to be. Over the years it dulled, like sea glass, but you still feel it in the places you don't talk about.
I remembered his laugh. The way he used to tease me about my sneakers. The promises we made at seventeen, too big for the world to hold.
We were going to leave this city. Start fresh. I was going to chase the stars. He was going to build me a house with a rooftop garden.
Funny how plans break like glass.
And yet… here I was.
Not shattered. Not quite whole. Just… different.
I sighed, closing my eyes for a second. Not to cry. Not anymore. The grief wasn't sharp now. It was a hum in the background, a familiar ache in my bones on cold mornings.
And somewhere between all that, a new feeling had started to bloom.
A boy with messy hair and sharp eyes. A crooked grin. A way of looking at me like I wasn't some untouchable force of nature.
Lucian.
I didn't even realize I was smiling until the corner of my lips twitched.
What would Rahul say if he saw me now? Probably call me an idiot for ignoring it this long.
I chuckled softly to myself, shaking my head. "You'd like him," I whispered.
In next morning...
I grabbed my phone and slipped out of my room. The apartment was still, the rain had stopped sometime before dawn, and a warm, hazy light spilled through the curtains. The kind of morning that made you want to start over.
I padded to the guest room and gently pushed the door open, just enough to peek inside. Still asleep.
Lucian was curled up under the blanket, his hair messy against the pillow, face soft and peaceful. That little crease between his brows was gone.
I pulled the door closed with a quiet sigh. He needed rest. And if I was being honest — I needed a break too.
Back in the living room, I grabbed my phone and opened the faculty chat.
> Taking the day off. Health emergency. Will resume classes after tomorrow.
I didn't wait for replies. Didn't need to.
Switching over to another app, I texted Asha.
*I'm taking a leave today*
Asha called me right away.
The moment I answered the call she answered immediately.
"Daphne! You never take leave. What's going on?" Her voice was sharp, a little worried, but more surprised than anything.
I smiled quietly, even though she couldn't see it. "There's a first time for everything, Asha."
A brief pause, then she said, "Alright, boss. What do you need me to do?"
"Cancel all my meetings today. Push anything urgent to Friday. If something can't wait, I'll hop on from home."
"Got it. Hope you're okay."
I nodded to myself and ended the call.
I stared at the phone for a moment longer than I planned. Then, tossing it onto the couch, I stretched my arms over my head and rolled my shoulders.
Today, I wasn't CEO.
I wasn't Professor Mahara.
I wasn't anything but me.
And it felt… okay.
Because life moves on.
And so was I.