The Morning After

I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring, yesterday’s memory sitting on my chest like a weight. From the café’s soft lighting, to the mismatched chairs and his smile--there was something ever so off about his smile.

“Sierra?” I blinked. Siena was standing in front of me, arms crossed, the same look she'd worn since we were twelve and I’d tried to lie my way out of breaking my mother’s ugly vase. “You’ve been out of it since I got here,” she said, “Do I need to be worried?”

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “Okay, I’ll tell you everything.” Siena didn’t interrupt. She just waited-which felt weirdly comforting. I told her about the café, the soft lighting that just felt wrong instead of comforting.The way Nathan’s eyes kept drifting to the door. I told her about the phone call--how his smile felt off after he came back, how I’d seen a name I didn’t recognize before the screen went dark.

When I was done, Siena stayed quiet for a few seconds. “Did he explain the call?” she asked. I shook my head. “Did it happen more than once?” “Yeah.” She let out a deep breath. “Then you’re not imagining things.” Her gaze sharpened. “You’ve always had good instincts,” she said “Just… don’t talk yourself out of them again.” I nodded at Siena’s words, but the knot in my stomach refused to loosen. Then my phone buzzed—a call from someone I didn’t know. Something told me this was only the beginning.