Lily stood at the kitchen counter, staring at the half-empty cup of coffee in her hands. The letter sat beside her, its edges slightly curled, as if time itself had tried to erase it. She should have put it away, tucked it into a drawer, locked it in a box—but she couldn't. Instead, she read it again, searching for something she had missed.
Daniel's handwriting was rushed, almost frantic by the end. Lily, there's something I need you to know… Then nothing. Just a void where the rest of his words should have been.
She let out a slow breath, gripping the counter. "What were you trying to tell me, Daniel?" she whispered to the silence.
The air was still, but her mind wasn't. It raced through the years they had spent together, digging for signs she might have ignored. The way he had started working late more often. The distracted look in his eyes some nights. The hesitation in his touch, as if something unseen stood between them. Had there been something else all along?
Her fingers traced over the ink as an ache settled deep in her chest. She wanted answers, but more than that, she wanted him.
But Daniel was gone. And all he had left her was an unfinished goodbye.
----
"You're spiraling," Claire said, propping her chin on her hand as she watched Lily push food around her plate.
"I'm not spiraling," Lily muttered, even though she hadn't taken a single bite of her sandwich.
Claire arched a brow. "You texted me at midnight about whether handwriting analysis is a real thing. That's a spiral."
Lily sighed, setting down her fork. "I just… I feel like there's something I don't know. Something Daniel was trying to tell me."
Claire's expression softened. "Lily, sometimes people leave things unfinished. It doesn't mean there's a big secret."
Lily wanted to believe that. But deep down, something told her Claire was wrong.
She changed the subject. "My mom called. Well, if 'call' means a single text saying Hope you're okay."
Claire rolled her eyes. "Classic. Did you respond?"
"No."
Claire took a sip of her coffee. "Maybe you should. Even if she's bad at this, she's still your mom."
Lily exhaled. "I just don't have the energy to deal with her right now."
Claire didn't push, but the concern in her eyes said enough.
-----
Later that evening, Lily curled up on the couch, scrolling mindlessly through her phone, trying to shut her brain off.
Then she saw it.
A voicemail. From Daniel.
Her breath hitched.
She hadn't noticed it before, buried beneath a dozen missed calls and condolences. The timestamp was from three weeks before his accident.
Shaky fingers pressed play.
"Hey, Lils. It's me." Daniel's voice crackled through the speaker, warm and familiar, yet distant. "I know we've been… off lately. I—I want to fix things. Meet me at Matteo's tomorrow night? I just… I need to talk to you. About everything."
The message ended.
Lily's pulse pounded.
Tomorrow night. Matteo's. About everything.
He had wanted to tell her something.
But she never got that message in time.
Her heart clenched as the weight of it sank in. What had Daniel been planning to say? And why did it feel like she was only now realizing how little she really knew?
-----
Lily sat in the dim light of the living room, Daniel's letter in one hand, her phone in the other.
She imagined him standing in front of her. His familiar smirk. The way he ran a hand through his hair when he was nervous.
What were you going to tell me, Daniel?
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"Give me a sign," she whispered, voice breaking. "Anything."
Silence.
And yet, deep in her chest, a storm brewed. Because she wasn't just mourning Daniel anymore.
She was starting to wonder if she ever really knew him at all.
----
If Daniel had been planning to meet her that night, why did it feel like he was leaving behind more questions than answers?