Our Old Manager.

Calling it a coincidence felt wrong.

Morning came slower than usual. No alarms. No rushing. Just quiet. Sunlight slipped through the curtains in thin lines, stretching across the floor and up the edge of the bed. The apartment felt still, like the world outside had already started moving, but this place hadn’t caught up yet. Y/N was awake.

She had been for a while, staring at nothing in particular, just thinking. Or trying not to. Her phone rested beside her, screen dark. No new notifications. No missed calls.

Everything normal.
Too normal.

A soft shuffle came from the other side of the room. Y/N turned her head slightly. Daniela was sitting up now, hair messy, still half-wrapped in the blanket. She blinked slowly, adjusting to the light. "What time is it?" She mumbled. "Late enough," Y/N replied quietly. Daniela squinted toward her phone, then let out a small groan. "Yeah, I’m not going in today." Y/N huffed softly. "Same."

Daniela dropped back onto the pillow for a second, then turned her head toward Y/N. "You sure?" She asked. "You had something today, right?"

"Had," Y/N said. "Not anymore." There was a pause.

Daniela studied her for a moment. Not in a pushy way. Just noticing. "You didn’t have to pay that," She said after a while, voice quieter now. Y/N didn’t answer immediately. Her gaze shifted up to the ceiling. "I know," She said. "Then why did you?" Daniela questioned.

Another pause.
Longer this time.

Y/N finally turned her head, meeting Daniela’s eyes. "I didn’t want you leaving like that," She said simply. Daniela blinked. Caught off guard, not by the words, but by how direct they were. "That’s not a good reason," She said, though there was no bite to it. Y/N shrugged lightly. "Too late now." Daniela exhaled, pushing herself up again, this time fully awake. "You could’ve just let me go and come back," She said. "It wasn’t a big deal."

"It felt like one," Y/N replied.

That made Daniela pause.
There it was again.

That small shift in tone.
Not dramatic.
Just different.

“Why?” She asked softly. Y/N hesitated. She didn’t have a clear answer. Just a feeling. "I don’t know," Y/N admitted. "It just did." Silence settled between them again, but not uncomfortable. Just thoughtful. Daniela reached for her phone, unlocking it. "I’m gonna call the university later," She said. "This doesn’t make sense."

"Yeah," Y/N nodded. "You should." Daniela scrolled for a bit, then frowned slightly. "I don’t even have a record of the call," She muttered. Y/N looked over. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Daniela tilted her screen slightly. "If they or anyone called me, it should be here, right?" Y/N sat up a little to see Daniela’s calls log.

Nothing unfamiliar.
No unknown number from last night.
No missed calls.
No trace.

"Maybe it was a private number?" Y/N said, though it came out slower than she intended. Daniela didn’t respond right away. Her thumb hovered over the screen. "Yeah, maybe," She said eventually but she didn’t sound convinced. Y/N leaned back slightly, her mind starting to piece things together, then stopping halfway. Because it didn’t fully make sense. And it was easier not to push it.

"Whatever," she said, brushing it off. "At least it’s handled." Daniela looked at her. Really looked this time. "Yeah,” She said. But her eyes lingered just a second longer than usual.