THE SILENCE STRETCHED ON

Tobias sat at his desk at work, staring at his phone. The message from Ann still lingered on the screen.

It had been days since she had last responded to him in the same way, and the casual, polite tone of her messages was becoming increasingly noticeable. He ran a hand through his hair, frowning. Something wasn't right.

When they did first started spending time together, everything felt easy.

Ann was open, eager to spend time with him, to talk about her day, to share thoughts and laughter over coffee or while walking through the city.

But now, the dynamic had shifted. The responses were shorter, the texts less frequent.

Even their once enjoyable lunch breaks had been gently subsiding to awkward silences and brief exchanges, with Ann always claiming she was busy.

At first, Tobias had scribbled it up to her being overwhelmed.

Life had a way of piling things on, and he understood that. He'd given her space when she needed it, but the more time passed, the more he felt like he was starting to fade into the background of her life.

"Maybe she's just dealing with stuff"he thought,

Trying to push aside the persistently sense of confusion.

It's not like she owes him an explanation.

But deep down, Tobias knew that something was off.

He knew her better than that.

He stared at his phone again, rereading the last message she sent.

It was polite but distant, almost like she was closing the door of their conversation before it could even begin.

"I'm sorry, I can't. Maybe another time."

"Another time ?."

"Another time ?."

She had been saying that a lot lately. Tobias tried to remind himself not to overthink it, but it was hard not to.

His gut told him something wasn't right.

His phone buzzed again-another message from Ann.

"I've been meaning to catch up, but l've got a lot on my plate right now. I think I just need some time to focus on my own things. Hope you understand."

Tobias stared at the screen for a long time. His chest tightened. He felt a mix of confusion, hurt, and something else was it fear? Fear of losing her, of this silent drift that was happening between them.

He had thought they were building something, something real.

But now, with every message it grew more distant, with every invitation she turned down, he felt like he was watching something slip away and he had no idea how to stop it.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard. He could ask her what was going on. He could tell her he missed her, that he noticed the shift.

But something held him back.

He didn't want to sound desperate that, he want to come off like he was accusing her of anything

So, he did nothing.

He simply replied.

"Of course, I get it. Just wanted to make sure you're okay. I'm here if you need anything"

But as soon as he hit send, he regretted it.

Why couldn't he just ask her what was happening? Why couldn't he just lay it out there?

Why did everything feel so... off?

Seconds passed, hours passed days passed. Tobias didn't hear from Ann. The space between them grew wider with every missed or every unanswered call.

He couldn't tell if she was purposely pulling away or if she was just going through something and didn't want to burden him with it.

But the lack of communication was weighed on him.

Tobias took a walk that evening, hoping the fresh air would clear his mind. But all he could think was Ann. Her sudden withdrawal felt like a riddle he couldn't solve. Had he done something wrong or maybe he said something that pushed her away? The thought gnawed at him.

He tried calling her the next eight days

No answer.

Maybe she's busy. Maybe she's just... not ready to talk.

But as the hours stretched on, Tobias's mind began to spin in circles. It wasn't like Ann to just shut out. It wasn't like her to disappear without any explanation. Was it something he had done? Had he pushed her too hard, too fast?

The next week, he texted her again, trying to strike a balance between concern and respect for her time and excuses that she have been making.

"Hey Ann, I've been thinking about you. I miss our talks. I just want to make sure everything's okay. If need space, I understand. Just let me know."

He sent the message, then waited. The minutes felt like hours, and still, no reply.

Tobias knew something wasn't right. He could feel it in his insula. This wasn't just her being busy. This wasn't just her needing some time. It was something more. But what? And why didn't she feel like stop, could he tell him?

The silence stretched on.

The next time he saw her at work, Tobias found himself hesitating. She was walking quickly, her eyes on ground, as if she was trying to avoid eye contact.

The familiar warmth voice that had once greeted him with every glance was now replaced with a cold, invisible wall.

He stood there for a moment, unsure of not to call her or whether to call out to her. He didn't want to force her to talk if she wasn't ready. But his heart ached with the need for some kind of answer.

*Ann?" he called softly.

She froze for just a second then slowly tumed to face him. Her eyes looked tired distant.

"Oh hey Tobias. I didn't see you there" she said.

Her voice light but there was something in it that didn't match the usual ease they shared.

A shift For a moment, Tobias just stared at her, the words stuck in his throat.

He wanted to ask her if something was wrong, wanted to tell her he noticed how much she was pulling away.

But all he could manage was a strained smile.

"Everything okay?" he asked, and his voice came out quieter than he intended.

Ann's eyes flickered for a brief moment, then she gave a small nod.

"Yeah, just busy. You know how it is." Tobias wasn't sure if he believed her.

He wasn't sure what to believe anymore. But he smiled anyway, albeit weakly and nodded.

"Alright. If you ever want to talk, I'm here," he said, then turned to walk away.

As he made his way back to his desk,

Tobias's mind raced.

What happened? He felt like he had just caught a glimpse of the woman he had once known, but now she seemed like a stranger.

The distance between them was growing, and he had no idea how to stop it.