The days crawled by slower than Mahiru would have liked.
She spent most of her time at home, counting down the hours until she could finally return. Even though she had lived here for years, her hometown didn't feel the same anymore—not when Sam wasn't around.
It was strange how much her world had changed because of him.
Before, she had been fine spending days alone, content in her own company. But now? Now, every moment without him felt like something was missing.
And it seemed like Sam felt the same way.
Sam: "How's my lonely princess doing?"
Mahiru: "Sulking."
Sam: "Cute. Wish I was there to see it."
Mahiru: "If you were here, I wouldn't be sulking in the first place."
Sam: "Touché. Just a few more days, okay? Then I'm stealing you back."
Mahiru: "Who gave you permission?"
Sam: "I don't need permission."
Mahiru smiled at her screen, feeling warmth spread in her chest.
Despite being apart, their hearts still felt connected.
--
To distract herself, Mahiru met up with Sana again. The moment her childhood friend saw her, she smirked.
"You look miserable," Sana teased, poking Mahiru's cheek.
"Shut up."
"Lemme guess. Missing your precious boyfriend?"
Mahiru turned away, pouting. "…Maybe."
Sana laughed. "Wow. Who would've thought my Maa-chan would turn into such a lovesick girl?"
"I am NOT lovesick!"
"Oh, really?" Sana leaned in, grinning. "Then why do you check your phone every five seconds?"
Mahiru immediately shoved her. "Mind your own business!"
Sana only laughed harder. "Relax, relax! I think it's cute. But seriously, if you miss him so much, why don't you go back earlier?"
Mahiru blinked. "Huh?"
"You don't have to wait for the official end of your break, right? Just leave a few days sooner."
Mahiru stared at her, the idea suddenly taking root in her mind.
Could she…?
Would Sam be surprised? Would he be happy?
Would she finally stop feeling so lonely?
That night, Mahiru lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
She had always planned to leave when the break ended, but… did she really need to wait?
The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to go.
She grabbed her phone and typed a message.
Mahiru: "Hey… what if I came back sooner?"
She didn't have to wait long for a response.
Sam: "…Are you serious?"
Mahiru: "Yeah. I mean, I miss you. And I don't really have much to do here anymore."
Sam: "Mahiru. If you say one more word, I'm buying your train ticket myself."
Mahiru: "Haha, is that your way of saying you want me to come?"
Sam: "I've wanted you to come back the second I left."
Mahiru: "Then I guess I should start packing."
Sam: "Mahiru, I swear—"
She laughed, hugging her phone to her chest.
The decision was made.
She was going back.
Back to where she belonged.
----