Nora woke up with a start, heart pounding for no reason she could immediately name.
Her room was dim, the afternoon sun filtering lazily through the thin curtains. Peace's side of the room was empty for once, blissfully silent. Her body still felt heavy from the night class, bones aching, head foggy like sleep hadn't fully done its job.
She reached for her phone.
And froze.
12 missed calls.
6 WhatsApp messages.
All from the same name.
Emma.
Her thumb hovered over the screen as a familiar mix of irritation, confusion, and something dangerously close to longing settled in her chest.
"Of course," she muttered.
She unlocked the phone.
Nora please
I know you're angry
Can we talk?
Just once
I need to see you
She exhaled slowly, sitting up on the bed.
Emma.
The one constant mistake she never quite learned to avoid.
They had been something since 100 level. Not dating. Not strangers. Something messy in between—too familiar to walk away from, too undefined to feel secure. He had a way of appearing when she was least prepared, apologizing just enough to keep her listening, disappearing just long enough to hurt.
Her friends knew about him. They always had.
What they didn't know was how exhausting it had become.
Her phone buzzed again.
Incoming call — Emma
She stared at it.
Then answered.
"Hello?" Her voice came out flat, guarded.
"Thank God," Emma breathed on the other end. "Nora, I've been calling you since morning."
"I had night class," she replied simply.
"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just—please, can we meet?"
She leaned back against the wall, eyes closing briefly. "Emma… what do you want to say that you couldn't text?"
A pause.
"I can't say it over the phone," he said quietly. "Please. Just see me."
Silence stretched.
"Where?" she finally asked.
"My lodge," he replied quickly, almost too quickly. "This evening. Around six."
Nora hesitated.
She knew that lodge. Knew the memories tied to it. Knew how easily conversations there blurred into emotions she had sworn she was done entertaining.
"I don't have long," she said. "And I'm not coming to argue."
"I swear," he said immediately. "No arguments. Just… let me explain."
She sighed. "Fine. Six."
"Thank you," he said, relief obvious in his voice. "Thank you, Nora. I'll see you."
The call ended.
Nora dropped the phone onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Why did she always agree?
She swung her legs down slowly, exhaustion creeping back in. Evening meeting meant she needed to get herself together—shower, eat something, maybe call Debbie to distract herself.
Her gaze drifted to the window.
The campus outside buzzed softly with life. Students walking, laughing, arguing. A normal day. A normal girl with normal problems.
Yet something felt… off.
A faint restlessness curled in her chest, subtle and unfamiliar, like an echo of something she couldn't place.
She shook her head.
"Focus," she murmured.
Emma was just Emma.
This was just another conversation.
Nothing more.
Still, as she reached for her towel, the feeling lingered.
Unseen.
Unexplained.
Waiting.