Chapter 1
The Things No One Sees
.
on the night she finally decided to let him go…time found its way back to him .
but that night hadn’t come yet , not yet.
Ellie looked perfectly fine…that was the problem.
every morning followed the same routine
her alarm rang , she ignored it …it rang again.
she sighed , reached blindly toward the nightstand , and silenced it before pulling the blanket over her face one last time .
for a few peaceful seconds…
there was nothing .
then she heard the rain , soft at first , tiny drops tapping against her window .
a familiar sound … a dangerous one.
rain had never been just rain to Ellie , not anymore…it carried memories , voices , a laugh she hadn’t heard in years.
she opened her eyes , the ceiling above her was plain white , interrupted only the shadow of tree branches dancing against the light outside .
she stared at it for a long moment before finally reaching for her phone.
8:12 AM
two unread messages
from (Mary) :
don’t forget the meeting at nine . The manager came in early , and he’s already in a terrible mood .
Ellie smiled to herself
The second message made her smile even more.
(Evan) :
Good morning , birthday girl .
please don’t tell me you’re still asleep.
she quickly typed back :
future birthday girl.
i refuse to acknowledge that I’m turning twenty-five.
The typing bubble appeared almost instantly:
twenty-five looks good on you already.
she rolled her eyes:
you haven’t seen me today.
(Evan):
I don’t have to.
her smile lingered a little longer than she expected .
she locked her phone and sat up slowly .
the apartment felt colder than usual , quit…too quit
her gaze drifted toward the corner of the room where an unopened box had been sitting for almost a year.
she looked away before her mind had the chance to remember why she’d never unpacked it .
some things were easier to survive when they stayed inside boxes.
The cafe downstairs was crowded with people trying to escape the rain before work.
Ellie stood near the entrance , struggling to fold her umbrella…it refused , she frowned .
a voice behind her laughed softly .
” Need some help ? “
She turned around .
Evan …
his dark hair was slightly damp from the rain , he was already holding a paper cup in one hand .
“ i got your matcha “
she blinked.
“ how did you know I didn’t make one at home? “
He shrugged “ you only skip breakfast when you’re running late “
” you’ve been keeping track ? “
” i prefer the word observing “
he gently took the umbrella from her hands.
with one quick movement…
Click.
it folded perfectly.
” There “
he handed it back with a small smile
“ I’ve officially saved your morning “
she laughed , a real laugh…one that reached her eyes.
That was Evan .
He never needed grand gestures
He remembered little things.
How she hated ice melting into her drinks.
How she always ordered extra mushrooms on her pizza
How she claimed matcha solved every problem in life.
He remembered all of it.
They stepped into the elevator together.
” Free for lunch today ? “ he asked
“ i have reports until two “
” so…”
” so maybe.”
” I’ll take maybe “
the elevator doors began to close .
Then…
Ellie’s eyes caught someone across the cafe.
A man standing near the counter.
black jacket , hands tucked into his pockets , and that sharp eyebrow’s
the way he leaned slightly against the wall…
Her heart stopped.
No…
it couldn’t be.
Without realizing it , she reached toward the elevator door before it fully closed .
’ Ellie ?’
she barely heard Evan .
the man turned around .
it wasn’t him
just a stranger…older , holding a little girl`s hand.
the elevator doors slid shut.
silence.
”…are you okay?” Evan asked quietly
she kept staring at her own reflection in the mirror wall.
”…yeah”
” you looked like you saw someone”
” i thought i knew him “
Evan waited
She didn’t explain
And he didn’t ask.
instead…
He simply handed her the matcha
“ you should drink it before it gets warm “
She nodded.
” Thanks…”
—————————-
By the noon , Ellie had read the same email six times.
not because it was difficult…because she wasn’t reading it at all.
her mind was somewhere else.
somewhere between a stranger in a cafe…
and someone she hadn’t seen in years.
Mary leaned over the divider between their desks.
” You’ve been staring at that screen for ten minutes “
” i know “
” you haven’t typed a single word”
” i know “
Mary narrowed her eyes “ you okay?”
” I’m fine “
” you don’t look fine at all “
Ellie forced a smile
“ I’m just tired “
Mary didn’t seem convinced.
she placed a paper bag on Ellie’s desk
“ i bought too many pastries “
” you always say that “
” because it always works “
Ellie laughed softly
“ thank you…”
Mary smiled at her.
” Oh— and don’t even think about canceling your birthday dinner.”
Ellie groaned.
”Mary…”
” nope “
” Evan already recruited me “
” traitor”
” proudly “
she walked away before Ellie could protest
Ellie looked down at the pastry in front of her .
” I’m not hungry…I rarely was these days”
her phone buzzed
A music notification
A forgotten playlist…
before she could stope it
A familiar song escaped through the speaker
just one song
that was all it took
the one that john sent it to me
He said this is my song .
The memory disappeared as quickly as it came.
Ellie closed the music app immediately
her hands rested quietly on the desk
Funny…
she couldn’t remember the last thing john had ever said to her .
but she remembered the way he’d sent her songs every time he thinks of her
Memory was cruel like that.
it never asked what deserved to stay
it simply chose.
