Miles Apart, Hearts Together

Chapter 6: The Space Between Us

The days passed by in a blur, each one blending into the next. The exchange of video messages had become their little ritual. Amara looked forward to each new message with the same excitement she felt when Karim first reached out to her. The distance between them felt more like a whisper now, a gentle reminder that they were separated by miles but not by heart.

One evening, as Amara was walking back to her room after finishing her homework, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her heart skipped when she saw Karim's name pop up on the screen. It was another video message. She quickly settled onto her bed, her anticipation growing.

The video opened with a view of a crowded market street. The camera panned over colorful stalls, the air thick with the sound of chatter and the smell of spices. Karim's face appeared next, his smile as warm as always, but there was something different about his eyes tonight—an intensity, a longing that she hadn't seen before.

"Hey, Amara," he said softly, his voice quieter than usual. "I wanted to show you something special. This is the old souk in Algiers. It's one of my favorite places to visit when I need to clear my head. The energy here... it feels alive, like it's always moving, always changing. I thought maybe you'd like to see it."

Amara smiled as she watched the bustling scene unfold on the screen, feeling as if she were walking beside him through the narrow streets, hearing the merchants calling out their wares. When Karim stopped to turn the camera back to his face, there was a pause—just long enough for Amara to wonder what was coming next.

He exhaled softly, his eyes meeting the camera. "Amara, I've been thinking a lot about what you said the other night. About one day walking along the bay with you, seeing that sunset. And I realized... I want that. I want it so much that it almost hurts." He paused, and she held her breath, caught between excitement and vulnerability. "I can't stop imagining the day we finally meet. But for now, all I can do is keep sending you these pieces of my world."

Amara's heart fluttered in her chest, the words she had longed to hear filling the space between them.

She quickly grabbed her phone to reply, her hands shaking slightly as she hit record. "I feel the same way," she said, her voice soft and sincere. "I can't stop thinking about it either—about the day we'll finally meet. I know it's still a long way off, but just hearing you say that makes me feel like it's not as impossible as it seems. That it's real."

She paused, feeling the weight of her own words. "I'm counting on that someday, Karim. I really am."

The message ended with a soft smile, and Amara leaned back against her pillow, letting out a slow breath. There was a strange comfort in knowing they both shared the same dream, the same hope.

Later that evening, as Amara scrolled through her social media feed, she came across a post about an upcoming festival in Manila. The thought of Karim experiencing the vibrancy of her city, with its lights, sounds, and flavors, made her smile.

She quickly typed out a message, her fingers moving faster than her thoughts. "One day, I want to show you this festival. It's one of my favorite things about living here. The music, the food, the lights—everything is alive. Maybe you could come here for it one year. And I could show you everything."

She paused before hitting send, wondering if it was too much, too soon. But she decided it didn't matter. If they were going to make it, if they were going to hold on to this connection, they had to dream big.

As the message sent, she felt a flutter in her chest. Maybe the space between them wasn't as wide as it seemed. Maybe, just maybe, their dreams were closer than they thought.