TRISHA

The restaurant was alive with screams from kids and laughter from couples, the atmosphere buzzed

with the joy of the New Year, but I felt none of it.

I sat alone at a corner table, my hands wrapped around a cup of untouched coffee, my eyes scanning the entrance again.

Still no sign of Nolan. Had he forgotten we were supposed to be together today?

I exhaled sharply, glancing at my phone for what must have been the hundredth time.

No text. No call. Nothing.

The message thread was ...