Do I?

The rain tapped gently against the windowpane, a rhythmic sorrow that mirrored the weight in Jacob’s heart. The dim glow of the table lamp cast long shadows across the wooden floor of his small cabin, where he sat alone, his old guitar resting against his knee. Outside, the wind howled through the trees, but inside, the silence was heavier than the storm.

Jacob had always been a man of few words, but tonight, his heart spoke louder than ever. His fingers traced the worn edges of a crumpled photograph—the only thing left of her. Lily. The woman who had once been his entire world. Her laughter used to fill this house, her touch used to bring warmth to his soul. But now, all that remained was the ghost of a love that had slipped through his fingers like sand.

A deep sigh left his lips as he picked up his guitar, the strings humming softly beneath his touch. The melody came first—slow, aching, filled with the kind of sorrow only a man who had lost everything could understand. Then, the words followed, flowing like a confession too painful to say aloud.

"Do I cross your mind when the night gets cold?

Do you reach for me like you used to before?

Do I haunt your dreams the way you do mine?

Or am I just a ghost of a love left behind?"

His voice cracked on the last note, the weight of his own words pressing against his chest. He had spent too many nights wondering—did she ever think about him? Did she ever regret leaving? Or had she moved on without a second thought?

Memories played in his mind like an old country song—slow dances in the kitchen, her head resting on his shoulder; late-night drives down empty roads, hands intertwined; whispered promises beneath the stars, ones that they both believed would last forever.

But forever had come and gone, leaving him with nothing but a guitar full of sad songs and a heart that still ached for a woman who was never coming back.

He took a long sip from the whiskey bottle beside him, the burn in his throat not nearly as strong as the one in his heart. Outside, the storm raged on, the wind howling like a sorrowful tune, but inside, Jacob played on.

He strummed another chord, letting the melody fill the room. He wasn’t even sure if he was singing to her anymore or if he was simply singing to the past, trying to bring back something that had already faded away.

Then, for the first time in months, his phone vibrated. He stared at it for a moment, hesitant, afraid that hope might be playing tricks on him. When he picked it up, his breath hitched in his throat.

Lily.

Her name glowed against the dark screen, a ghost from a life he wasn’t sure still existed. His hands trembled as he answered.

"Hello?" His voice was rough, unsure.

There was a pause, then a deep sigh. "Jacob… I—" She hesitated, as if searching for the right words. "I heard your song."

His heart pounded. "You did?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "And I need to know… do I still cross your mind?"

Jacob closed his eyes, his fingers tightening around the guitar. He didn’t have to think. He already knew the answer.

"Every damn day, Lily," he admitted.

Silence. Then, a shaky breath on the other end of the line. "Me too."

Outside, the storm began to die down. The rain softened, the wind calmed, and for the first time in a long time, Jacob felt like maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t singing to a memory anymore. Maybe this song wasn’t the end. Maybe it was the beginning of something new.

And with that thought, he strummed another chord, letting the melody carry them both into the unknown.