Chapter 1 Just One Call
Final year was supposed to be different.No distractions. No unnecessary friendships. Just me, my books, and my future.At least… that was the plan.
It all started one random night when I was bored and scrolling through my phone. That was when I came across his message.
“Hi.”
It was simple. Nothing special. I almost ignored it.
But boredom made me reply.
And somehow… that one reply turned into conversations.
Conversations turned into late-night chats.
Late-night chats turned into calls.And before I knew it, I was smiling at my phone more than I was reading my books.
His name was Daniel.
Funny. Persistent. Annoyingly sweet.
The kind of person that knew exactly what to say at the right time.
“Why do you sound like you’re always serious?” he teased one night during a call.
I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see me. “Because I actually have a life to focus on.”
He laughed softly. “And I’m not part of it?”
I didn’t answer.
Because the truth was… he was slowly becoming a part of it.
The calls didn’t stop.
Every night, it was the same thing—
“Just one call.”
But one call always turned into hours.And slowly, I started noticing something.I wasn’t reading at night anymore.
My books stayed closed while I stayed on the phone with him.
That was when it hit me.
This was my final year.I couldn’t afford distractions.
So I made a decision.I was going to limit the calls.
Not stop completely… just reduce it.
The next day,I told him.
“I won’t be able to talk as much anymore. I need to focus on school.”
There was silence on the other end.
A kind of silence that didn’t feel normal.
When he finally spoke, his voice had changed.
“Oh… I see.”
Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten.
It’s not what you think,” I tried to explain quickly.
But he just laughed.
Not the soft, warm laugh I was used to…
This one was different.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I understand.”
But somehow…
I knew he didn’t.
And at that moment, I had no idea I had just created a misunderstanding I wouldn’t be able to fix.
