Where Are You?

The city lights blurred through the rain-streaked window as Mia sat curled up on the worn-out couch in her tiny apartment. Her phone lay silent beside her, the screen dark and empty. For the hundredth time that day, she glanced at it, hoping for a message, a call—anything that would tell her Lucas was still out there, somewhere. But there was nothing.

Three months. Three long months since Lucas disappeared from her life without warning, without explanation. And every minute since had been a slow, aching question that haunted her—Where are you?

Mia’s mind drifted back to the last night they had spent together. It had been a night full of bitter words and broken promises. They had fought over the future—over things neither of them dared to say aloud. She remembered how his eyes, once warm and full of hope, now held shadows she didn’t understand.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Lucas had said quietly, turning away. “I need time. I need space.”

“Where are you going?” she had asked, voice barely a whisper, fear gripping her throat.

He didn’t answer.

And then he was gone.

At first, Mia told herself it was just a break—a temporary silence that would soon end. She kept busy with work, with friends, with anything to drown out the emptiness. But every night, as the city fell asleep, her heart called out to him in the quiet.

She reached for her phone again. She wanted to call, but the thought of hearing his voice after all this silence terrified her. What if he had forgotten her? What if the man who once promised forever had simply moved on?

Her fingers hovered over his name in her contacts, trembling. Then she stopped herself, tears threatening to fall. “Where are you, Lucas?” she whispered into the empty room.

The days stretched on like a heavy fog. Mia’s friends tried to cheer her up, invited her out, but she declined. The thought of smiling without him felt like betrayal.

One chilly evening, unable to bear the loneliness, Mia found herself walking the familiar streets they used to roam together. The rain had stopped, leaving a fresh scent in the air. She passed the small café where they had first met, the one with the faded red door and wooden benches outside.

Her heart ached with memories.

It was here, just a year ago, that Lucas had asked her to be his. Under the soft glow of fairy lights, with a nervous smile and trembling hands, he had promised to never leave.

But promises sometimes break.

Mia pushed open the door and stepped inside. The warm air wrapped around her like a comforting embrace. The place was almost empty, except for a few late-night drinkers and the barista cleaning tables.

She ordered a coffee and sat at the corner table, tracing the rim of her cup as her mind wandered. Hours passed, or maybe minutes—time seemed to lose meaning.

Then, the door creaked again.

Her heart stopped.

In walked Lucas.

The years, the pain, and the distance melted away for a moment. He looked tired, older—his eyes shadowed by sleepless nights and regrets—but there was something familiar and real in his gaze.

Mia stood up, unable to find words.

“Hey,” he said softly, his voice breaking the silence.

“Lucas,” she breathed. “Where have you been?”

He swallowed hard, pain flickering in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Mia. I never meant to leave like that.”

“Why?” she asked, voice cracking. “Why didn’t you call? Didn’t you miss me?”

He looked down, ashamed. “I was scared. Scared of failing you, scared of the man I was becoming.”

Mia’s tears spilled freely now. “I waited for you. Every day. Every night.”

“I know,” he said, stepping closer. “I’m here now. I want to fix this—if you’ll let me.”

For a moment, the world felt whole again.

But love, Mia soon realized, was never that simple.

Lucas explained the past months he had spent away. A family crisis, his father’s illness, and the heavy burden of secrets he couldn’t share. He had been lost in his own darkness, fighting battles alone.

Mia listened, her heart breaking for him, for them.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered.

“Because I didn’t want to lose you,” he replied. “But by hiding everything, I almost did.”

They talked until the café closed, baristas urging them to leave. Outside, the cold night air bit at their skin, but their hands remained tightly clasped.

Days turned into weeks, and slowly, they rebuilt their fragile connection. But the scars ran deep.

Mia found herself haunted by doubt—wondering if Lucas would disappear again. And Lucas fought his own fears, battling guilt and regret.

One rainy afternoon, as they sat by the river watching the water swirl, Mia asked the question she’d held back for too long.

“Do you still love me?”

Lucas looked into her eyes, steady and sure. “More than anything.”

But then, a shadow crossed his face.

“There’s something I haven’t told you,” he said quietly.

Mia’s heart clenched.

Lucas confessed that despite his love, the pressure of his family and past mistakes weighed heavily. There was a chance he might have to move away for good—to start over somewhere new, far from the life they had dreamed of.

Mia felt the floor give way beneath her.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“Because I wanted to hold on to the time we had,” he said. “But I didn’t want to keep you waiting for something uncertain.”

She wanted to scream, to beg him to stay. But all she could do was nod, tears blurring her vision.

The last weeks were bittersweet. They made memories—walking through parks, laughing over coffee, and stealing kisses beneath gray skies. But every smile carried the weight of goodbye.

On the last night before Lucas left, they sat in the small park where they had first kissed.

Mia clung to his hand, the cold night wrapping around them like a shroud.

“Promise me one thing,” she said, voice barely audible.

“Anything,” Lucas replied.

“Promise you’ll find your way back. Promise me you won’t disappear again.”

Lucas held her face gently. “I promise. Wherever I am, I’ll always carry you with me.”

And then he was gone.

Mia sat alone in her apartment again, the city lights blinking like distant stars. Her phone remained silent, but she no longer stared at it with desperate hope.

Instead, she whispered into the quiet room, a question for the universe:

“Where are you, Lucas? Wherever you are, please come back.”

And though the nights were long and the pain still fresh, Mia held onto one truth.

Love doesn’t always mean holding on tightly.

Sometimes, it means letting go—while waiting for a day when two hearts might find their way home again.