The rain hadn't stopped all day.
The city felt muted, like even the sky was too tired to pretend everything was fine.
Ellie curled up on the couch, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, the TV playing some old sitcom she wasn't really watching. Her cat had claimed her stomach like a throne, purring like a broken engine.
Another shift at the café ended with her smiling on the outside and quietly screaming on the inside.
Jason showed up again. With her.
The girl from the phone screen.
She was cute. Polished. Confident.
Ellie had handed them their drinks like it didn't feel like getting punched with a foam-topped fist.
But that was hours ago.
Now, her cheeks were pink from the heater. Her socks didn't match. She had a mug of hot chocolate that tasted more like sugar than comfort.
And her phone buzzed.
Max:
Tell me something soft. I feel like a brick today.
She smiled before she could stop herself.
Ellie:
Soft? Like emotionally? Or like… "this cloud feels like my childhood dreams" soft?
Max:
Both. But less cloudy, more childhood-dreamy.
She stared at the ceiling for a second. Then typed:
Ellie:
Okay.
When I was little, I thought if you made a wish with your eyes closed, it would ride the wind until it found a star strong enough to hold it.
So I used to whisper wishes into fans.
Max:
That is criminally cute.
Ellie:
Thank you. I peaked at age 6.
Max:
I used to draw maps of imaginary cities. With rivers and bookstores and places where it always snowed but never felt cold.
My mom framed one. Said I made homes on paper before I even knew how to make them in real life.
Her fingers hovered.
Then:
Ellie:
That's the softest thing anyone's ever said to me.
Max:
Careful. I have more where that came from.
I'm basically an emotional vending machine at this point.
Ellie:
Do vending machines take tears?
Max:
Only the salty kind.
She laughed. A real one. The kind that shook her shoulders a little and made her cat complain.
She curled deeper into the couch and typed one more thing.
Ellie:
I'm glad you messaged me.
The typing bubble appeared. Disappeared. Reappeared.
Then:
Max:
Me too.
For a moment, the rain softened against the windows.
And everything just for that moment felt lighter.