The couple kept talking until well past midnight, yet neither of them said goodbye as if neither had a life waiting for them the next day.
The soft glow of their phone screens lit their faces in the quiet darkness of their separate rooms, the silence around them broken only by their gentle breathing and the faint rustle of sheets.
"Love, you have to sleep," Roman said softly, his deep voice calm and warm, like a quiet lullaby.
Julie pouted, her lower lip pushing forward as she hugged the pillow closer to her chest.
"But you won't be here," she complained, her voice tinged with that small, fragile sadness she couldn't quite hide.
Roman smiled the kind of smile that softened his eyes. "I will."
"How?" she asked quietly, tilting her head slightly, strands of her hair falling across her cheek.
"You think I will hang up?" he replied.
She nodded slowly, sadness creeping back into her eyes like a passing cloud over sunlight.
