an to quit.

quiet. Strange how some of the biggest shifts in y

ee. I stared at the charts on my screen - sales projections, brand expansion,

I stood up mid-meeting, turned off my camera, closed the laptop, and placed it gently in i

t cry.

or six hours straight. Didn't eat. Didn't move. My body wasn't mine

y. My thumb hovered over the contact list before lan

s and cram for finals in the library. After graduation, we drifted. I followed her vaguely online.

"anyone want to sublet?" story I nev

saged

or that trip soon? I might nee

faster tha

actually need someon

Ve

ne keep the place warm than leave it empty. I'll sen

y flight t

to myself right away, but she said her flight got pushed back by a day. When I knocked, sh

been a bit all over the

eilings, everything minimalist but expensive-looking. There was barely a

nted the lease for you. Just need your signature. Noth

hick. I flipped a few pages and frowned at the tiny

ncing at the clock. "I just... really need to make it to Schiph

of her coat pocket

formalitie

maybe the exhaustion, maybe the need to just move on already - p

oked r

ick hug. "Keep the place tidy. Water the ferns once a week. There's

to the door, gave me o

like

like I had stepped in

d slowly. Walked through the apartment room by room. Everyt

nket that smelled faintly like cinnamon and something unfamiliar. I sat there on the third day and

in indie fiction. I reviewed manuscripts, wrote feedback, corrected clumsy dialogue. It was

t busy. There was a canal two blocks away with a path that wound through the tree

s a rout

Walk. Edit. Eat

while, i

mes. My brother. Younger, but

keeps asking if you've eaten

the street. A blurry croissant. He sent

I left. Or how I was doing, really.

en thre

. But I've started n

's a tall shelf in the hallway - full of untouched books, perfectly spaced. The first tim

llway shelf. It's heavy an

oddly

t it

something we

when a man turned as I passed. Nothing dramatic. Just

t recog

that linger. Strangers holding eye contact too long. A barista

I remind them of someone. M

s a tight feeli

f this move

nce, quiet, routine - al

eets I didn't buy, in a room that still smells like Jade's laundry deterg

elf glancing toward t

ething's

ned the lease too quickly. Tha

too fast when I h