I stared at the message for what felt like forever.
Michael.
His name alone made my chest tighten. For weeks, I had been trying to erase him from my mind, to silence the echo of his absence.
And now, when I was just starting to feel like I could breathe again, he came crawling back with four words.
Four words that twisted everything inside me.
I didn't reply immediately.
I couldn't.
My fingers hovered over my keyboard, but my heart was somewhere between panic and disbelief.
"Can we talk?"
No apology.
No explanation.
Just a request, like we were still something.
Like he hadn't ghosted me after taking the most vulnerable part of me.
Like I hadn't cried myself to sleep thinking I meant nothing.
Part of me wanted to block him.
Another part… wanted to know why.
I locked my phone and tossed it on the bed like it was hot coal.
"God, why now?" I muttered aloud, pacing my room like something was chasing me.
It was past midnight, but sleep had left the building. My thoughts were loud…too loud to ignore.
So I did what I always did when overwhelmed: I opened my journal and hesitated.
My thumb hovered.
Then… I hit "accept."
The phone rang once, twice…Then,
"Hey…"
His voice…so familiar…so jarring.
I didn't say anything.
"Please say something," he said softly.
"You're calling me like we didn't go through silence for weeks,Michael!," I said.
My voice was flat but trembling.
"I know.. I deserve your anger."
"No, you deserve more than that but I'm tired of being angry."
He was quiet for a second.
"I missed you," he said.
That made something break in me.
"You don't get to say that."
"I know,..I just… I keep thinking about you. About how I left things."
Silence stretched between us.
Then he added, "I never stopped caring."
I swallowed hard.
"You left me alone with fear, I thought I was pregnant, Michael. I thought I'd ruined my life. And you disappeared. You didn't check on me. You didn't even ask if I was okay."
He breathed out sharply, as if my words had stabbed him good!!.
"I was scared," he said. "But that's no excuse. I've been thinking about what I did, and I hate myself for it."
"Good!!. You should".
"Are you with someone now?" I asked suddenly.
I don't even know why.
He paused.
"No."
I didn't know whether to believe him.
Then, softer: "I think about how different things could've been if I had just… stayed. talked.. done the right thing."
"You didn't."
"I know." He replied.
We stayed on the line for a while. He kept talking, apologizing.
I let him.
I didn't forgive,but I listened.
Maybe part of me wanted to hear remorse…even if it was too late.
Then he said something I didn't expect.
"Can I see you?"
I blinked.
"What?"
"Not for anything crazy.
Just… to talk, face to face. I owe you that much."
My gut twisted. Part of me wanted to see him, to look him in the eye and ask "why?".
Another part screamed "don't you dare".
"I don't know, Michael."
"Please!! Just once."He insisted.
"I'll think about it," I said faintly.
We ended the call shortly after that.I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling again but this time, it was worse than silence. It was a storm.
The next day, I told no one.
Not my friends, not my roommate. I walked around with a secret buzzing under my skin like a live wire.
Michael wanted to see me.
Why?
Was it guilt? Was it real?
And if I went… What would I even say?
That night, I agreed to meet.
We met at a small café off campus, quiet, empty, tucked behind a bookstore.
I got there first and took a seat by the window. I wore jeans and a hoodie, I didn't want to look like I was trying.
When he walked in, my heart did a backflip I hated.
He looked the same, but also… different. More nervous,less sure.
He walked up slowly.
"Hi."
I nodded… "Hi."
We ordered tea…no one said anything for the first five minutes.
Then he sighed.
"I thought seeing you would be easier."
"It's not."
He nodded.
"I wanted to say it face to face," he said. "I'm sorry.
Truly!.
I was immature, I hurt you, and I hate that."
I just stared at him.
"I wish I could undo it," he added.
"You can't."
"I know."
I looked down at my cup. "What do you want from me now, Michael?"
He hesitated, "I don't know.
Closure maybe..or another chance."
That made me look up sharply.
"Another chance?"
"I know it's crazy but I've changed. I see now what I lost."
I laughed..not because it was funny. But because it was insulting.
"You didn't lose me. You threw me away, like I didn't matter."
He looked down, ashamed.
"I'm sorry," he whispered again.
"I'm not the same girl anymore."
"I can see that."
Silence became louder than noise.
Then I stood, "I think I got what I came for."
"You're leaving?"
"Yes."
As I grabbed my bag, he reached out. "Wait!!...can I just ask one thing?"
I paused.
"Do you still feel anything for me?"
I stared at him for a long time.
And then, just before walking out, I said, "I feel something for the girl who trusted you.
But she's gone.
As I walked out the door, my phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: "Hey, you don't know me, but I think we need to talk about Michael.