S I X T Y - F I V E

ARABELLA.

I wish I could say Alexander came back sooner, as he promised. Or the weeks he’s been absent go so smoothly.

At first, it was effortless. He texted when he got to Florida. He sent pictures, and we video-called almost every single day throughout the first week. Then the second week is when things started to change. He’d text once every two days, reply late, and there were no pictures or videos. And the third week, the current one, we’re on the fourth day, and there’s still no text from Alexander.

A sigh slips through my lips as I stare at the last message I sent him.

ME: Is everything okay?

When he got there at first, he told me her condition wasn’t all bad, but now, I know nothing because he’s kept me out of the loop. I don’t know if he’s not responding because something else happened or he just simply doesn’t want to.

I secretly pray it isn’t the latter as I drop my phone, trying to ignore the sharp sting in my chest at the realization that there’s still no response fr