When Laurent received the call from Dave, it was almost midnight. She had just been about to fall asleep.
Her daughter had long since fallen into a deep sleep beside her. Laurent had also gone to bed early, but she had struggled to fall asleep, tossing and turning. Just as she was finally on the verge of sleep, her phone rang.
Seeing that the caller was Dave, Laurent hesitated for a moment. She thought about the "thank you" message she had sent earlier, which hadn't been replied to, and ultimately decided to answer the call.
To avoid disturbing her daughter's sleep, she got out of bed quietly, walked to the window seat on the balcony, and answered the phone softly.
But there was silence on the other end. After a while, she couldn't help but ask,
"What is it? What do you want?"
"I miss you."
Suddenly, the low, husky words came through the phone. In the stillness of the night, his voice sounded like fine, rich coffee—smooth and intoxicating.
