Julia's POV
Days had passed since I moved into Gavin's apartment, and I might as well have been living with a ghost. He had completely vanished from my world, leaving behind only the faintest traces of his existence. A coffee mug in the sink that hadn't been there the night before. The subtle shift of air that suggested someone had walked through the living room while I slept. But never him. Never actually him.
After Mom left that first morning, satisfied that I was settled and enrolled, Gavin disappeared like smoke. Every sunrise brought the same crushing disappointment when I'd emerge from my room to find his bedroom door sealed shut, no sounds of life behind it. Every sunset carried the same hollow ache as I realized another day had slipped by without so much as a glimpse of him.
