Lana stared at Thomas’s message for a long time before she finally began typing.
Her fingers hesitated more than once.
“I’m not feeling too well today… I think I need to rest. Could we reschedule?”
She read it twice, then added another line — something softer, something that would not sound like avoidance.
“I’d really like that.”
She hit send before she could overthink it again.
The response came quickly.
“Are you alright? What happened?”
She swallowed, her throat dry.
“Probably coming down with the flu or a cold. Nothing serious. Just tired.”
Three little dots appeared… disappeared… appeared again.
“Please take care of yourself. Let me know if you need anything.”
Her chest tightened unexpectedly at the simple concern.
“Thank you. I will.”
She placed the phone down carefully,
