The Depth of Love

Chapter 14: Between Words and Silence

The next morning, Kai woke up feeling heavy, a dull ache in his chest reminding him of last night’s confession.

He lay in bed, replaying Rina’s response over and over. Her "Of courseee," and the cheerful "Study first!" kept echoing in his mind. He wanted to shrug it off, to be grateful that they could still be friends, but the thought left him hollow.

Maybe he should just focus on that — on being glad that he hadn’t lost her completely.

Dragging himself out of bed, he went about his morning, but every little thing seemed to remind him of her.

As he ate breakfast, he thought about the conversations they’d had and how he’d gotten used to sharing even the most trivial parts of his day with her.

But today felt different. He hadn’t received any messages, not even a simple good morning.

Later that afternoon, as he lay on his bed, staring at his phone, he thought about texting her. But he hesitated. What if she thought he was being clingy?

Still, the silence gnawed at him. After debating with himself for a while, he typed out a lighthearted message.

Kai: Hey, Rina! Just curious…what’s your favorite season?

He stared at the screen, watching the message he’d sent with an anxious heart. He wanted to keep it casual, to make it seem like he was just asking a friendly question. Maybe this could break the ice, he thought.

A few minutes later, he sent a follow-up message, trying to sound upbeat.

Kai: Mine’s autumn! HAHAHA

Kai waited. He checked his phone constantly, the minutes ticking by, each one feeling like an eternity.

When she didn’t reply after an hour, he began to feel restless. He thought about their usual conversations, the quick responses she’d send, the jokes they’d share back and forth. But today was different.

The hours dragged on, and by evening, Kai felt a strange emptiness settling in. He kept glancing at his phone, willing it to light up with a message from her. But there was nothing — no reply, no “seen”. Just silence.

“Maybe she’s busy,” he tried to reassure himself, but doubt crept in.

As the night wore on, Kai found himself lying in bed, his mind replaying memories of the last few weeks.

He thought about the laughter they’d shared, the late-night conversations, and the gentle teasing. It had been so easy, so natural.

But now, after his confession, everything felt complicated. A chill seemed to have settled over their friendship, and he wasn’t sure if it was something he could thaw.

Kai: Hey, just wanted to say goodnight. Hope you had a good day!

He pressed send and put his phone down, trying to distract himself with other things.

But every few minutes, he found himself glancing at the screen, hoping, wishing for a response. He felt foolish, clinging to his phone like a lifeline, but he couldn’t help it.

The following morning, Kai checked his phone first thing, heart racing as he looked for her reply. But there was nothing.

Rina hadn’t responded to any of his messages. His heart sank. This silence was different — it was the kind that felt deliberate, like she was avoiding him.

Maybe I scared her off, he thought bitterly. Maybe I shouldn’t have confessed.

By afternoon, Kai couldn’t shake the weight of his feelings. He wandered around his room, trying to convince himself it was all in his head. She was probably just busy. There had to be an explanation. But deep down, he knew something had shifted.

Trying to distract himself, he opened his textbook and tried to focus on his schoolwork.

But his mind kept drifting, each silence from his phone drawing him back to his worry. An hour later, he gave up and put his book aside.

He sighed, muttering to himself, “Why did I have to go and ruin everything?”

It was then that he decided to send her one last message — something light, something that would hopefully show her he wasn’t trying to make things awkward. He hoped it would feel like old times again.

Kai: Hey Rina, remember that funny thing that happened in class last week? The teacher totally spaced out, right? HAHAHA just remembered it and thought you’d laugh about it again!

He waited, forcing himself not to check his phone every minute. This was his last attempt. If she didn’t reply this time, he told himself he’d let her be.

Maybe she needed space. Maybe he’d been too pushy. The uncertainty gnawed at him.

As the minutes dragged on, Kai’s heart grew heavier. He watched the sunset, the sky darkening outside to his window, feeling more and more isolated.

The silence felt deafening. There was no “seen” status on his message, no reply, nothing but the empty, aching quiet that filled his room.

Finally, he collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. The emotions he’d tried to hold back came rushing in — the disappointment, the sadness, the regret.

He hadn’t realized just how deeply he’d cared for her until now, and he hadn’t anticipated how painful her distance would be.

His mind swirled with questions. Had he pushed too hard? Was he just not important to her?

Every passing minute made him feel more foolish for confessing, for daring to hope that maybe, just maybe, she might feel the same way.

“I’m such an idiot,” he whispered to himself, closing his eyes, trying to block out the feeling of hurt that gnawed at him.

He thought about deleting his messages, about pretending this had all been some strange dream. But he knew it wouldn’t change how he felt.

As he lay there, the thought crossed his mind, What if she found someone else? What if she’s just not interested to me at all?

The doubts overwhelmed him, each one chipping away at the fragile hope he’d clung to since his confession.

And so, as he drifted into sleep, a final, painful thought lingered in his mind, Is this really the end of what we had? Or… did I just imagine everything between us?

With that haunting thought, Kai felt himself sink into a restless, troubled sleep, unsure of what tomorrow would bring, or if things would ever go back to how they were.

In the silence of his room, the weight of his unreturned feelings pressed down, leaving him with a question that would stay with him far longer than he’d anticipated: What if she never responds?