The days after their seaside date felt… different.
Sam still went about his usual routine—attending classes, dealing with Anna's antics, and hanging out with friends—but there was an undeniable emptiness in his daily life.
Mahiru was still in the city, but her college schedule had suddenly gotten hectic, and their time together was cut short. No more spontaneous café meetups, no evening walks, no lazy afternoons where he could just sit beside her and do nothing.
And Sam felt it.
The morning sun filtered through the curtains, but it didn't feel the same.
Sam groggily turned off his alarm, rubbing his face as he sat up in bed. He instinctively reached for his phone, and as if on cue—
Mahiru: Morning! Did you sleep well?
His lips curled into a small smile. Even though they were apart, this was still a constant between them.
Sam: Morning. Yeah, but it would've been better if you were there to wake me up instead of my alarm.
Mahiru: Oh? You're getting greedy now, huh?
Sam: Maybe. Is that a problem?
Mahiru: …No, not at all. ☺️
Sam smirked, staring at the screen for a moment longer before sighing. Texting was nice, but it wasn't the same as seeing her, hearing her voice, feeling her presence.
At breakfast, Anna sat across from him, stirring her cereal lazily, but her gaze was fixed on Sam.
"You look pathetic," she announced, resting her chin on her palm with an amused expression.
Sam, who was mid-bite into his toast, paused and frowned. "Excuse me?"
Anna smirked, pointing at his phone. "You keep staring at it and sighing like some tragic main character. You've got that 'lovesick idiot' look written all over your face."
Sam scoffed. "I do not."
"Oh, you totally do," Anna leaned forward, watching him closely. "You miss her, don't you?"
Sam hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Yeah… I do."
Anna blinked, slightly surprised. She had expected him to deny it, to brush it off, but instead, he admitted it so easily.
She grinned. "Wow. My brother is actually whipped."
"Shut up," Sam muttered, but there was no real bite to his words.
Anna chuckled before leaning back in her chair. "You know, you should just call her instead of staring at your phone like a lost puppy."
Sam rolled his eyes. "She's busy. I don't want to bother her."
Anna shrugged. "Suit yourself. But if you turn into some brooding, heartbroken guy in a tragic romance, I'm going to start calling you 'Mr. Lonely.'"
"Get lost, Anna."
Anna just laughed, clearly enjoying his misery.
The day passed in a blur of classes and half-hearted conversations with friends. Sam found himself checking his phone more often than usual, waiting for Mahiru's texts. She replied whenever she could, but he could tell she was exhausted.
By the time evening rolled around, he was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, debating whether or not to call her.
Would she be too tired? Would she be annoyed? He didn't want to be a distraction if she needed to focus. But at the same time… he wanted to hear her voice.
Then—
Incoming Video Call: Mahiru
His heart skipped a beat as he immediately picked up. "Hey—"
Mahiru's face appeared on the screen, her cheeks slightly flushed from exhaustion, her hair slightly messy, but her smile was as radiant as ever.
"I wanted to see you," she murmured, her voice soft.
Sam exhaled, his body finally relaxing at the sight of her. "Same here."
She pouted. "You're not sleeping yet?"
"Not tired. You?"
Mahiru shook her head. "I just finished some assignments, and now I just… wanted to hear your voice."
Sam smirked. "You really can't go a day without me, huh?"
Mahiru rolled her eyes playfully. "Says the guy who's been texting me all day."
Sam chuckled. "Fair point."
A comfortable silence settled between them. Mahiru shifted on her bed, curling up against her pillow.
"Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"I really wish you were here."
Sam's smirk softened into a gentle smile. "Me too."
She sighed, hugging her pillow. "Today was so exhausting. I had so much work, and even when I had a break, I felt… I don't know. Like something was missing."
Sam's fingers tightened slightly around his phone. "It's because I wasn't there, huh?"
Mahiru scoffed lightly. "Wow, confident much?"
"Am I wrong?"
She pursed her lips before mumbling, "No… but you don't have to say it like that."
Sam laughed, and Mahiru's pout deepened. "You're annoying."
"You love it."
"...Maybe."
His heart warmed at that. Even through a screen, just talking to her made everything feel right again.
"Do you want me to tell you a story?" Sam suddenly offered.
Mahiru blinked. "A story?"
"Yeah, to help you relax. You always used to say you liked listening to my voice."
She hesitated for a moment before smiling. "Okay. Tell me a story."
Sam took a moment to think before starting, his voice low and smooth. "Once upon a time, there was a girl who was always busy. She worked hard, studied hard, and barely had any time for herself."
Mahiru hummed softly. "Sounds familiar."
"But one day," Sam continued, "she met a boy who was ridiculously handsome and incredibly charming."
Mahiru snorted. "Oh, wow. I wonder who that could be."
Sam grinned. "And even when the girl was tired, even when she had a long day, all it took was one call from him to make her feel better."
Mahiru's eyes softened. "That's a nice story."
"It's not over yet," Sam whispered. "Because even though they were apart for now, the boy knew that soon, he'd see her again. And when he did, he'd remind her how much he missed her properly."
Mahiru's cheeks flushed slightly, and she buried her face into her pillow. "I like that ending."
Sam watched as her eyelids grew heavier, her voice quieter. "Sleep, Mahiru."
She hummed, her words barely above a whisper. "Will you stay on the call?"
Sam smiled. "Yeah. I'll be here."
And just like that, with the soft sound of her breathing through the call, Sam finally felt at ease.
Tomorrow might be another long day without her, but for now—this was enough.
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