He didn't understand why he kept it.
That small object...the one she had given him.
It wasn't his and he was sure of that... Yet he didn't throw it away. Instead,he placed it on his table, staring at it longer than necessary, as if it held an answer he couldn't figure out.
That night felt different.
The room was the same, the silence...but something about it felt off. Not loud. Not visible. Justt... Present.
He layy down, closing his eyes, forcing himself to ignore it, but sleep didn't come easily.
It felt like something was there...waiting.
And for the first time in a long while, he wasn't completely in control.
When he woke up the next morning, the first thing he did was looking at the table..
Empty.
His eyes narrowed slightly. He sat up... Looked again but the object was not there.
For a second, he stayed still... Trying to process it logically.
Maybe it fell or maybe he moved it.
Mayybee...
He stood up quickly..checked the floor, he checked tables, bags , corners... But nothing was there.
The more he searched, the more something inside him tightened..this wasn't normal.
He knew ittt... And yet there was no explanation.
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply.
Dymmm...
Because this wasn't about the object anymore.. it was about something else.
Something he didn't like to admit.
A quiet,sharp kind of regret was there in his face...he leaned back against the wall, eyes closing for a second. I should've asked her....
The thought came without effort
" I should've stopped her..."
Anddd.. for the first time , silence didn't feel like strength.. it felt like a mistake because whatever that object was, it wasn't random.. .And whatever she wasz she wasn't either.
That evening, he didn't walk for peace.. he walked with purpose.
His steps were faster , his eyes searching every corner of the path... The same place , the same street. But this time... She wasn't there... He stopped looked around again..
Ammm nothingg....
People passed but she wasn't one of them and that's when it hit him harder than anything before.
He hadn't just lost an object.. he had lost the only connection to her.
His jaw tightened slightly,eyes scanning one last time as if she might appear out of nowhere. But she didn't and for the first time he felt something he wasn't used to...
There was now a need.. because now he didn't just want answers.. he now needed them.
And somewhere, deep down a thought was there settled in.. cold and clear..
"I didn't lose it..."
"...I lost my chance."