She wakes up to the
quiet hum of the
bedroom.
Her screen lights up with
notifications from group
chats.
She scrolls past names
she speaks with every
day.
None of them have reached
out first.
She rereads the messages
she drafted last night.
Every word had been
measured to sound cheerful
and warm.
In seven months, only
two people invited her to
talk.
One of them left the
call early.
The edge of her pillow
is already damp.
I just want someone to stay.
She watches the green
active dots blink on the
screen, then turns the
phone face down.