The soft rays of morning light streamed through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. Liora stirred, her body nestled against Ziv's. For a moment, everything felt perfect, as if the world outside had ceased to exist.
Ziv smiled sleepily at her as she blinked awake, brushing her fingers against his jawline. "Good morning," she murmured, her voice husky with sleep.
"Morning," he replied, his voice soft. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, holding her close.
As they lay in the quiet intimacy of the moment, a sudden vibration broke the stillness. Ziv's phone buzzed on the nightstand. He reached over to grab it, glancing at the screen.
His expression shifted ever so slightly, a flicker of something—unease?—crossing his face. He quickly silenced the call and set the phone face down.
"Who was that?" Liora asked, her brow furrowing slightly.
"No one important," Ziv said casually, but his tone felt just a little too forced. "Probably a wrong number."
Liora didn't press further, but a small seed of doubt planted itself in her mind.
The morning passed peacefully enough. They shared coffee on the porch, reminiscing about their childhood antics and making tentative plans for the future. Yet, each time Ziv's phone vibrated—twice during breakfast and again as they walked through the vineyard—Liora couldn't help but notice his growing tension.
The third time, she decided she couldn't ignore it anymore.
"Ziv," she said, stopping him in his tracks near the old oak tree. "What's going on? You've been getting calls all morning, and every time you look at your phone, you seem… off."
Ziv hesitated, his jaw tightening. "It's nothing, Liora. Just some work stuff I need to handle."
"Work?" she asked, crossing her arms. "You didn't mention anything about work when you got here. What kind of work follows you home like this?"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's complicated. I didn't want to bring it up and ruin this… us."
"Ziv," she said, her voice softening. "You're not ruining anything. But if something's bothering you, I want to know. Don't shut me out."
For a moment, he looked as though he might tell her, his lips parting as if to speak. But then the phone buzzed again, and he glanced at the screen with a frown.
"I need to take this," he said, stepping away before she could respond.
Liora watched him walk a few paces away, lowering his voice as he answered the call. She couldn't make out the words, but his posture was tense, his free hand raking through his hair.
When he returned a few minutes later, his smile was forced. "Sorry about that. Let's keep going."
But the mood had shifted.
Liora tried to push aside her doubts as the day went on, but the questions lingered. Who was calling him? Why wouldn't he talk to her about it?
That evening, as they sat down for dinner with her father, the atmosphere was warm, but Liora felt a growing distance between her and Ziv. He was attentive, laughing at her father's jokes and helping clear the table, but there was a shadow behind his eyes that hadn't been there before.
After dinner, Ziv excused himself, saying he needed to make a quick call. Liora's father, noticing her troubled expression, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Everything alright, sweetheart?" he asked gently.
She forced a smile. "Yeah, Dad. Just tired, I guess."
But as the night wore on, Liora couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. And as Ziv's phone buzzed again on the nightstand while he slept beside her, she found herself wondering just how strong their new beginning really was.