Mia sat on the edge of her bed, the phone in her hands, fingers hovering over the screen. She’d done this countless times before held the phone, stared at the number, but never dialed it. Tonight, though, she wasn’t sure she could stop herself.
It had been three years. Three years since the accident, since his voice had been ripped from her life without warning. The day he left was the day the world became a little less bright. She tried to move on, to heal, but every time she thought she had, something anything—reminded her of him. The laughter, the way his eyes lit up when he talked about his dreams, the stupid little inside jokes they shared.
She wasn’t sure if calling him was an act of courage or madness. It had been too long. But there was a part of her that needed to hear his voice again, needed to know that, for just a moment, everything could feel like it used to.
Her thumb hovered over the screen, trembling. She had never called since that day since the day she had told herself she needed to move on. It had been easier, she thought, to pretend he was gone, that he was just a memory. But it was never that simple.
Taking a deep breath, she pressed the dial button.
One ring. Then two. And then
"Hello?" His voice.
Mia froze. Her heart stopped for a second, and then pounded violently in her chest. She knew it wasn’t possible. He was gone. He had to be. But that voice, the one she had missed more than she could ever explain, was here. Clear as day.
"Hey," he continued, casual, just like he had always been. "What’s up?"
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her chest tightened, and her eyes welled with tears. She hadn’t heard his voice in so long. She hadn’t realized how much she missed it how much it hurt to hear it now, knowing it was the only thing she could never have again.
"Why didn’t you ever call me, Mia?" His words cut through the silence, a soft ache in his tone. "I waited. Every single day, I waited for you to call. But you never did."
The weight of it hit her like a punch to the gut. She had waited. She’d convinced herself that it was better this way, that moving on was the only way to heal. But in doing so, she had never given herself a chance to reach out, to tell him everything she still felt, to tell him how much she needed him.
"I..." She started, but the words died before they could leave her lips.
"I waited, Mia. I really did." His voice softened, almost as if he were speaking from the other side of the world. "And now... now, I’m just gone."
A sob broke free from her chest. She hadn’t been ready to hear it. To hear him say the words she’d known deep down knew for so long but had been too afraid to admit to herself.
She had let him slip away. Not because she didn’t love him, but because she didn’t know how to fight for him. She had told herself she was moving on, but the truth was that she had just been running. Running from the pain, from the fear of losing him, even when he was already gone.
"I’m sorry," Mia whispered, choking on the words.
The line went silent.
It felt like time stopped. She waited for him to speak again, to say somethinganything. But nothing came. Only silence. The kind of silence that made her feel more alone than she’d ever felt before.
And then, the call ended.
Mia stared at the blank screen, the tears streaming down her face. The weight of her regret crashed over her. She hadn’t made that call when she should have. She had waited too long. And now, she would never get another chance.
She put the phone down, trembling, the hollow ache in her chest expanding. He was gone, and it was her fault.
Sometimes, the thing you need most in life is the one thing you’re too afraid to ask for until it’s too late.
