Chapter Sixty-Two — Something About Her Voice (Aio's POV)
Chapter sixty-one was quiet.
Too quiet.
And whenever things get quiet, I start paying attention.
—
Tonight, we're at the pier again.
I know.
At this point, I should just start charging this place rent.
Ren's sitting on the edge of the boards, one leg bent, phone in his hand.
Not texting.
Just waiting.
But not the bad kind.
Different.
Calmer.
Still weird, though.
—
"What now?" I ask.
"She said she might call."
That gets my attention.
"A call?"
He nods once.
Mio glances up too. "That's new."
Exactly.
Texting is one thing.
Calling?
That's different.
More dangerous.
More real.
—
"Are you nervous?" I ask.
"No."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You literally fixed your hair ten seconds ago."
He glares at me.
Mio hides a smile.
—
Then his phone lights up.
And for one second—
Ren freezes.
Actually freezes.
—
"Answer it," I say.
"I know."
"Then why are you just staring at it?"
He doesn't answer.
Just taps the screen and stands up, walking a little farther down the pier.
Not far enough that I can't see him.
I'm not rude.
I'm observant.
—
He says hello.
And that's it.
Just one word.
But something changes.
His shoulders loosen.
The tension in his face disappears.
Like hearing her voice does something texting can't.
—
I can't hear what Yuna's saying.
But I can hear him.
Small answers.
Quiet laughs.
Real ones.
Not the polite kind.
The kind he doesn't even notice he's doing.
—
Mio steps beside me.
"He looks better," she says softly.
"Yeah."
I hate admitting it.
But yeah.
—
He says something else.
Then laughs again.
A little louder this time.
I raise an eyebrow.
"Well, that's suspicious."
Mio glances at me. "What?"
"I forgot he could sound like that."
—
The call lasts longer than I expected.
Long enough for the sky to darken.
Long enough for the streetlights behind us to flicker on.
Long enough that I start pretending I'm not paying attention.
—
When he finally comes back, he doesn't say anything.
Just sits down again.
Phone still in his hand.
Quiet.
But lighter.
—
"Well?" I ask.
He looks at me.
"What?"
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Liar."
—
Mio smiles faintly. "How was she?"
Ren looks out at the water.
"…Good."
That's all he says.
But it's enough.
—
"What did you even talk about?" I ask.
He shrugs.
"School. Her project. Hana. Random stuff."
"That's it?"
"Yeah."
I stare at him.
"That made you smile like an idiot for thirty minutes?"
He almost smiles again.
"Maybe."
—
There's something weird about that.
Not bad weird.
Just… strange.
How someone can be far away and still feel close enough to change the whole night.
—
Summertimes are coming.
And I think I get it now.
It's not always the big confessions.
Not always the dramatic moments.
Sometimes—
It's just hearing someone say your name.
And suddenly the distance doesn't feel so far.
—
Yeah.
Something about her voice did that.