After the Heartbreak

Chapter 13 of Part II: The Silence that Spoke Volumes

(Gerald’s POV)

It had been two days since I’d heard anything from Megan.

At first, I told myself it was fine—Megan was busy running her restaurant, testing new dishes, and managing the endless responsibilities of being a business owner. I’d seen it before: sometimes she’d get caught up in work and shoot me a text at the end of the day, apologizing for going quiet. But two days? That was different.

Normally, even when I was distancing myself, she’d send something—a random joke, a picture of whatever creation she was making in the kitchen, or just a quick “Hey, how’s your day?” Megan had always been the one to keep the conversation alive, even when I wasn’t putting in as much effort. But now? Nothing.

I stared at my phone, willing it to light up with a message from her. Anything.

The silence was starting to gnaw at me, and no matter how much I tried to convince myself it was nothing, my gut told me otherwise.

Maybe she’s just busy, I kept telling myself. But two days felt like too much time had passed. Something wasn’t right, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something important.

I paced my apartment, my mind racing. I didn’t want to come off as paranoid, but Megan’s sudden silence had me worried. We weren’t dating, but we’d become close. Close enough that her absence felt like a gaping hole.

I grabbed my phone again, staring at her name in my contacts. Before I could talk myself out of it, I scrolled to Mark’s name and hit Call. He and Megan had been friends for years—they used to work together at the publishing company, and even though they didn’t anymore, they stayed close. Mark would know if something was going on with her.

The phone rang twice before Mark picked up, his usual easygoing voice greeting me. “Gerald! What’s up, man? Been a while.”

“Hey, Mark,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Yeah, it’s been a bit. How’s everything?”

“Same old, same old,” he replied. “Work, gym, you know the drill. What about you?”

“Not much,” I answered, trying to steer the conversation toward the reason I’d called. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something. Have you heard from Megan recently?”

Mark paused for a second, and I could hear the curiosity in his voice when he responded. “Megan? Not really. I mean, I talked to her maybe three days ago, but not since then. Why? Something up?”

I hesitated, not wanting to come off as too worried, but my gut told me to ask. “It’s just… I haven’t heard from her in a couple of days. That’s not like her.”

Mark’s tone shifted, becoming more serious. “Yeah, that’s weird. She’s usually good about keeping in touch. I’ve been meaning to check in with her too, but I figured she was just busy with the restaurant.”

“Same,” I agreed. “But two days of nothing feels… off.”

Mark sighed on the other end of the line. “Now that you mention it, that’s not like her at all. You think something’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But it’s weird, right? Maybe she’s just swamped with work, but… I don’t know, man. I’ve got a bad feeling.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean,” Mark said, his voice thoughtful. “Have you tried calling her?”

“I didn’t want to seem… I don’t know, overbearing,” I confessed. “We’ve been texting, and I figured she’d respond when she had time.”

Mark was quiet for a moment, then he spoke again, his voice more concerned. “Tell you what, I’ll try giving her a call, see if she picks up. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”