COLEEN

It’s ridiculous how something as simple as a phone buzz could stir hope inside me.

Every time my screen lit up, even if it was just Alicia sending me a meme or a notification about an assignment, I had that tiny flicker of anticipation in my chest. Like maybe, just maybe, it would be him.

Sometimes it was.

Sometimes it wasn’t.

I tried not to let it get to me. I told myself I was being mature, realistic. I told myself that three weeks wasn’t forever, and that I had survived ...