Allison had learned Z's patterns without meaning to.
He replied late. Always late.Sometimes at midnight. Sometimes at 2 a.m.Once, embarrassingly, at 4:17 in the morning.
You're still awake, she'd typed that night.
Time zones are funny, he replied.
She never asked what he meant by that. She just liked that he was there.
They didn't talk every day, but when they did, it felt like slipping into a conversation that never really ended. Like picking up a sentence that had been paused instead of finished.
Z never asked for pictures.
That was the first thing that made her trust him.
Everyone else on the app always asked. Face pics. Body pics. Proof that they are the person they want, but Z was just... different, not in a bad way, but in an interesting way.
Z just asked questions. What's something you pretend doesn't bother you, but actually does?
That one had caught her off guard.
She stared at the screen for a long time before answering. "Being forgotten."
He didn't reply immediately, but after a short while, he did, and it was a short one.
"Yeah. Me too."
And somehow that was enough.
Emma and Allison talked more often now. Not like before, not every second of the day, but enough to remind Allison of what she'd lost and what she was slowly getting back.
They avoided the heavy stuff.
They talked about school. About shows. About stupid memories.
Emma still hadn't mentioned Zayn again.
Allison hadn't asked.
Maybe both of them were afraid to pull on the wrong thread.
Z told Allison little things.
Not his name.Not his face.
But pieces.
I hate crowded trains.
I like coffee too much.
I'm not good at saying goodbye.
She imagined him in fragments. A voice without a face. A presence without a shape.
Sometimes she wondered if she'd built him up too much in her head.
Sometimes she didn't care. She just loved the idea that someone took interest in her and somehow that was enough.
One night, she asked him something she'd been holding in for weeks.
Why don't you use your real name? She asked.
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
And then reappeared.
"Because if I use it", he replied,
"Things get complicated".
Allison frowned.
Complicated... how do things suddenly get complicated when you use your real identity? Is there perhaps a story behind it?
He paused then replied.
This time it was Longer than usual.
Family stuff.
That was it.
She didn't push.
Somehow, that made it feel more real. More human.
A week later, Emma called her.
Not texted.Called.
Allison answered immediately.
"Hey," she said, her voice a little breathless.
"Guess what," Emma said, excitement flowing through the phone.
"What?"
"We're coming to the States. Like soon."
Allison's heart jumped. "Wait, seriously?"
"Yeah. My mom wants us to stay for a while. There's a school program," Emma paused. "It's complicated."
Allison laughed softly. "Everything is."
Emma hesitated. "Zayn might come too."
There it was.
The name again.
Allison swallowed. "Your stepbrother?"
"Yeah. His dad finally agreed to let him study here. Exchange program or something."
Allison leaned against her bed.
"That's… big, I guess."
"I know," Emma said. "You'll finally meet him."
Allison smiled, even though Emma couldn't see it.
"I guess."
She didn't say how strange it felt. How the name still echoed a little too loudly in her head.
That night, Allison messaged Z.
Do you believe in coincidences?
He replied almost instantly.
Depends. Why did something happen?
My best friend's stepbrother lives in London.
Three dots.
Then,
That's funny.
Why? Allison asked.
Because I might be moving.
Her breath caught.
Moving where?
A pause.
The States.
Her fingers tightened around her phone.
"When?" She asked. "Soon," he replied
Soon. How soon? Do you have a time frame of when soon?
"No." That response hit hard, but not in a way that would hurt. It's still in the planning phase, but yeah, I might be moving to the States.
Those words sat between them, heavy and electric.
Neither of them said it out loud, but they both felt it.
Something was shifting.
Something was coming.
And Allison had no idea that the boy behind the letter Z was already on a collision course with her life.