MaYa
Favoured Frenzy
The Unexpected Shelter - 2
She still could not fully believe his words, but the heaviness in her chest was becoming unbearable. She wanted to let out her emotions somewhere, to someone, but when she tried to recall a single name she could call and cry to, her mind returned only emptiness.
No one. There was no one left.
Yet there he was, a stranger who barely knew her, waiting quietly for her to speak. Waiting to listen to her tremble and break without judgment. Maybe that was why she finally gave in. Maybe that was why she pressed the record button.
With a deep breath, she began to speak. One voice note turned into another. Her words came out in pieces at first, then like a river that had been waiting years to overflow.
As she spoke, her tears fell faster. Her voice cracked. Her pain became visible in every breath she struggled to take.
He listened without interrupting. He had been through something similar once, so every quiver in her voice felt like a memory digging into his own past. His worry grew with every message she sent.
She kept talking with a trembling voice, pouring out everything she had buried for so long. And slowly, her breath began to steady. The storm inside her softened.
Only then did he respond. His words were gentle, warm, and steady enough to touch the quietest part of her heart. She knew they were only comforting words, but even those words felt like a small ray of light on a night she thought would swallow her whole.
For the first time in days, she felt the tightness in her chest loosen. Their conversation stretched on quietly, and somewhere between her tears and his calm replies, she drifted into sleep.
He panicked at first, thinking something had happened, but when he heard nothing alarming, he relaxed a little and stayed awake for a long time, watching her last seen, waiting for her to return.
When she finally woke up, the first thing she saw on her phone were his messages. Many of them. Checking if she was okay. Asking if she was asleep or hurting.
She blinked at the screen in surprise. Nobody had ever shown her that kind of concern.
She replied softly, "I am alright. Nothing to worry. Thank you for listening to me. If you were not there, I would have been so lonely".
His reply came instantly, "Never think you are alone. I am always here. You can call me any time you feel like talking".
She read it but did not let the words settle inside her. Her inner voice whispered firmly, Promises do not last. Do not trust so quickly. Do not depend on anyone.
Still, when he asked if they could talk over a call, she agreed. And they spoke again. His voice was calm and steady, hers softer and less heavy than before. Somewhere during the call, she began drifting again, sleep pulling her eyelids down.
This time he got truly scared.
He remembered his own past too vividly, the night when he himself had tried to end everything while pretending to sleep. The memory shook him, and he feared she might be slipping into that same dangerous silence. He kept calling her name. Then he called her phone again and again. He waited for her to pick up.
But she did not. Her phone had slipped to silent mode without her knowing. She had no idea how many times he had tried to reach her.
And he had no idea if she was safe... or if history was repeating itself in the most terrifying way.
Her silence grew longer. His fear grew deeper.
And at that very moment, something happened on her end that neither of them expected. Something that would change the way he saw her. And change the way she saw him.
No one. There was no one left.
Yet there he was, a stranger who barely knew her, waiting quietly for her to speak. Waiting to listen to her tremble and break without judgment. Maybe that was why she finally gave in. Maybe that was why she pressed the record button.
With a deep breath, she began to speak. One voice note turned into another. Her words came out in pieces at first, then like a river that had been waiting years to overflow.
As she spoke, her tears fell faster. Her voice cracked. Her pain became visible in every breath she struggled to take.
He listened without interrupting. He had been through something similar once, so every quiver in her voice felt like a memory digging into his own past. His worry grew with every message she sent.
She kept talking with a trembling voice, pouring out everything she had buried for so long. And slowly, her breath began to steady. The storm inside her softened.
Only then did he respond. His words were gentle, warm, and steady enough to touch the quietest part of her heart. She knew they were only comforting words, but even those words felt like a small ray of light on a night she thought would swallow her whole.
For the first time in days, she felt the tightness in her chest loosen. Their conversation stretched on quietly, and somewhere between her tears and his calm replies, she drifted into sleep.
He panicked at first, thinking something had happened, but when he heard nothing alarming, he relaxed a little and stayed awake for a long time, watching her last seen, waiting for her to return.
When she finally woke up, the first thing she saw on her phone were his messages. Many of them. Checking if she was okay. Asking if she was asleep or hurting.
She blinked at the screen in surprise. Nobody had ever shown her that kind of concern.
She replied softly, "I am alright. Nothing to worry. Thank you for listening to me. If you were not there, I would have been so lonely".
His reply came instantly, "Never think you are alone. I am always here. You can call me any time you feel like talking".
She read it but did not let the words settle inside her. Her inner voice whispered firmly, Promises do not last. Do not trust so quickly. Do not depend on anyone.
Still, when he asked if they could talk over a call, she agreed. And they spoke again. His voice was calm and steady, hers softer and less heavy than before. Somewhere during the call, she began drifting again, sleep pulling her eyelids down.
This time he got truly scared.
He remembered his own past too vividly, the night when he himself had tried to end everything while pretending to sleep. The memory shook him, and he feared she might be slipping into that same dangerous silence. He kept calling her name. Then he called her phone again and again. He waited for her to pick up.
But she did not. Her phone had slipped to silent mode without her knowing. She had no idea how many times he had tried to reach her.
And he had no idea if she was safe... or if history was repeating itself in the most terrifying way.
Her silence grew longer. His fear grew deeper.
And at that very moment, something happened on her end that neither of them expected. Something that would change the way he saw her. And change the way she saw him.
To be continued…
