DISTANCE AND DEVOTION

The First Late-Night Conversation

After the gathering, as Lila sat on her bed replaying the day's events, a notification lit up her phone.

Ryan: Hi.

She hesitated for a moment before typing back.

Lila: Hi.

Ryan: I'm Ryan.

Lila: Yes, I know.

He chuckled behind his screen.

Ryan: That's nice… I wanted to say something but… never mind.

Lila: Okay…

A brief silence lingered between them before Ryan spoke again.

Ryan: How are you, Lila?

Lila: I'm fine, thank you. How's everyone at home? Hope the journey wasn't stressful.

Ryan: No, it wasn't. Everyone's fine.

Lila: That's good to hear.

Ryan hesitated, then asked the question lingering in his mind.

Ryan: Lila, how old are you?

Lila: I'm 16.

Ryan: That's nice. Are you planning to go to university soon?

Lila: I'm already in the university. I got in at 15.

Ryan: Wow, that's impressive. What are you studying?

Lila: Chemical Engineering.

Ryan: OMG, lovely!

Lila: What about you?

Ryan: I'm a Computer Scientist.

Lila: Nice. It shows clearly on your face.

Ryan: Wait, what do you mean?

Lila: I mean you seem calm, quiet, and intelligent.

Ryan smirked.

Ryan: We just met, though.

Lila: First impressions matter a lot. Even before speaking to you, I could tell.

Ryan chuckled to himself. What an intelligent girl, he thought.

Ryan: Can I call you?

Lila: No problem.

The moment Ryan placed the call, time seemed to slow down. They talked through the night, their words flowing effortlessly, as if they had known each other for years.

For Lila, it was something new, something unexpected.

Lila: Thanks, Ryan. I've never talked with anyone like this before. Thanks for keeping me company. But… it's late now, and it's not proper for us to still be talking.

Ryan sighed, reluctant to end the call.

Ryan: Okay. Goodnight, Lila.

Lila: Goodnight, Ryan.

As Ryan placed his phone down, he smiled to himself.

"Wow… I've never talked to a girl like this before."

Then he shook his head, laughing lightly.

"Hmm… never mind. I should sleep before I start thinking otherwise."

And with that, he closed his eyes, unknowingly stepping into a world where Lila had already begun to occupy his thoughts.

A Sudden Change

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. What started as innocent text messages between Lila and Ryan soon became a habit, a quiet longing neither of them dared to acknowledge out loud.

Their conversations were never dramatic, never filled with exaggerated confessions. Instead, they were built on late-night chats, shared secrets, and the comfort of knowing that somewhere, miles away, there was someone who understood them.

But fate had its own plans.

One evening, as Lila sat in her room scrolling through her phone, a soft knock echoed on her door.

"Come in," she called out.

Her father stepped in, a solemn expression on his face. "Lila, we need to talk."

She sat up immediately, sensing the seriousness in his tone. "What is it, Dad?"

He hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "I've been transferred. We're moving out of the country."

Lila's heart stopped. "What?"

"It's a great opportunity for all of us," her father continued. "A new beginning, a better future."

A lump formed in Lila's throat. She had never been one to protest against her parents' decisions, but this—this was different. This meant leaving behind him.

A Silent Goodbye

The day of departure came too soon.

At the airport, Lila's fingers hovered over her phone screen, hesitating to send a message to Ryan. She had wanted to tell him in person, but she knew she wouldn't have been able to hold back the tears.

Instead, she typed a simple message:

"I'm leaving today."

Minutes passed. Then an incoming message flashed across her screen.

Ryan: Where to?

Lila: Far away.

A pause. Then another message.

Ryan: Will you come back?

She swallowed hard. Will I?

Lila: I don't know.

She waited, staring at the phone, hoping for something more—anything that would make leaving easier. But there was nothing. Just silence.

With a deep breath, she turned off her phone and boarded the plane, leaving behind a part of herself she never knew she had given away.

The Distance Between Them

Months passed.

Lila adjusted to her new life in a new country, but something always felt missing. Every time she picked up her phone, her fingers hovered over Ryan's chat, but she never had the courage to text first.

She told herself he had probably moved on. That he had probably forgotten about her.

What she didn't know was that Ryan hadn't.

Late at night, he found himself reading through their old conversations, replaying the few moments they had spent together. He never admitted it to anyone, but the truth was simple—he missed her.

And though neither of them said it, though neither of them could put it into words…

The unspoken desires between them never faded.