Chapter 226 7:30 Felt Like a Lifetime Away

Chapter 226 7:30 Felt Like a Lifetime Away

POV: Silver Preston

I sit on my bed staring at my phone. The clock reads 4:17 PM. Three hours and thirteen minutes until Eli's train arrives.

Three hours and thirteen minutes to decide what I am going to say to him.

"Stop looking at your phone," Americus says without glancing up from her laptop. "It's not going to make time move faster."

"I'm not--"

"You've checked it seventeen times in the last ten minutes." She finally looks at me. "I counted."

I set the phone face-down on my comforter. Then pick it up again. No new messages.

Riley sits cross-legged on Maya's bed, textbook open but clearly not reading.

"Maybe we should get dinner. Take your mind off things."

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten since breakfast," Maya points out. She is braiding her hair in the mirror, but her eyes keep flicking to my reflection. "You need to eat something."

"I'll eat later." I stand, pace to the window, look out at the darkening campus. Students hurry past in winter coats, breath visible in the cold air. Normal people doing normal things. Not waiting for their maybe-boyfriend to return from a secret meeting that might change everything.

"Okay, let's talk about what you're going to say." Americus closes her laptop with a decisive click. "Because spiraling in silence isn't helping anyone."

"I don't know what I'm going to say."

"Start with: 'Why did you go to New York without telling me?'" She ticks off on her fingers. "Follow with: 'Why are you still talking to teams about European offers after you said you turned them down?' End with: 'Are you planning to leave and just haven't found the right time to tell me?'"

"That's harsh," Riley says softly.

"That's honest." Americus's expression is sharp. "He disappeared. Multiple times. About major decisions that affect their relationship. Silver deserves answers."

"He said he'd explain." Riley's voice is gentle, reasonable. "Maybe there's a legitimate reason for all of it."

"Name one legitimate reason to disappear without telling your girlfriend where you're going." Americus waits. "I'll wait."

Riley opens her mouth. Closes it. Looks at me apologetically.

My phone buzzes. I grab it so fast I nearly drop it.

Eli: Train's running behind schedule. Mechanical issue. They're saying 8 PM now. Maybe later.

My stomach drops. Another hour and a half. Minimum.

"What?" Maya turns from the mirror.

"Train's delayed." I show them the message. "He won't be back until at least eight."

"Of course it is." Americus flops back on her bed dramatically. "The universe is conspiring against us."

I type back: okay. let me know when you're close.

Three dots appear immediately. Then disappear. Then appear again.

Eli: I know you're probably freaking out. I'm sorry. I should have just told you where I was going this morning.

Silver: why didn't you?

The dots appear and stay for a long time. I watch them, heart hammering.

Eli: Because I wasn't sure how it would go. Didn't want to worry you over something that might not work out.

Silver: what might not work out?

Eli: I'll explain everything tonight. I promise. Just trust me until then?

Trust. That word again. Trust him even though he disappeared without explanation. Trust him even though he has been keeping things from me. Trust him even though every instinct is screaming that something is wrong.

Silver: okay.

Because what else can I say?

I set the phone down and notice my hands are shaking.

"I can't do this for another three and a half hours," I say quietly. "I can't just sit here and wait."

"So let's not sit here." Riley stands, decisive. "Let's go somewhere. Do something. Anything."

"Where?" I look at her blankly.

"I don't care. The library. A coffee shop. A walk around campus." She grabs my coat from the hook. "Anywhere but this room where you're going to stare at the clock and spiral."

"I'll come too," Maya offers. "We can hit that new café on Chapel Street. The one with the good hot chocolate."

"I should stay here." Americus gestures to her laptop setup. "Keep digging."

"You've done enough for today," Riley says firmly. "Come with us."

"But--"

"Americus." Riley's voice is surprisingly stern. "Now we wait for Eli to explain himself like an adult."

Americus looks ready to argue. Then she sees my face and sighs.

"Fine. But I'm bringing my phone."

"Of course you are." Riley hands me my coat. "Come on. Fresh air will help."

We bundle up and head out into the November cold. The sun is already setting, campus bathed in that purple-gray light of late winter afternoons. Students rush past toward dining halls, toward Friday night plans.

I walk between Riley and Americus, Maya slightly ahead, and try to focus on putting one foot in front of the other instead of the questions spiraling through my mind.

The café is warm and crowded, smelling like coffee and cinnamon. We find a table in the back corner, away from clusters of students studying or gossiping.

"Hot chocolate all around?" Maya asks.

"Make mine a triple shot latte," Americus says. "I'm going to need the caffeine for tonight."

"It's not an interrogation," Riley says.

"It's a conversation where we demand honest answers about suspicious behavior. That's literally an interrogation." But Americus softens slightly. "A gentle interrogation. With hot beverages."

Maya goes to order while the rest of us settle into our chairs. I pull out my phone. 5:02 PM. Still almost three hours.

"Stop," Americus says, not unkindly. "Seriously. Put the phone away."

"I'm just--"

"Silver." Riley reaches across the table, squeezes my hand. "He's coming back. He said he'd explain. Whatever happens, we're here."

"What if it's bad?" My voice comes out smaller than I intend. "What if he's leaving? What if all of this was just him trying to figure out how to break up with me?"

"Then he's an idiot," Americus says immediately. "And we'll help you get through it. But you can't catastrophize before you even know what's happening."

"He kept something from me."

"Or he's dealing with a complicated career decision and didn't know how to bring you in until he had more information." Riley would not budge from her optimism. "Give him a chance to explain before you decide he's a villain."

Maya returns with drinks. Hot chocolate for me and Riley, an aggressively large latte for Americus, regular coffee for herself. We wrap cold hands around warm mugs and sit in silence for a moment.

I take a sip of hot chocolate. It is good. Sweet and rich.

I cannot taste it.

My phone buzzes. I grab it.

Jordan: hey, heard eli's coming back tonight. you okay?

Word really does travel fast on this campus.

Silver: yeah. waiting for his train. it's delayed.

Jordan: want company? i can come hang if you need distraction.

I glance at Americus, Riley, and Maya. At the three people who dropped everything to sit with me in a café while I have a slow-motion breakdown.

Silver: thanks but i'm good. with the roommates.

Jordan: cool. text me if you need anything. or if you need someone to punch him. i'm good at punching.

Despite everything, I almost smile.

Silver: will do.

I set the phone down and look up to find all three of them watching me.

"Jordan offering moral support?" Americus guesses.

"And physical violence if necessary."

"I like him." She takes a sip of her latte. "Very proactive."

"Nobody's punching anybody," Riley says firmly.

"Not yet," Americus corrects. "Depending on what Eli says, punching might become very necessary."

We sit in the café until almost seven. I cannot focus on the conversation flowing around me. Riley and Maya talk about their upcoming midterms. Americus rants about some reality TV show she is hate-watching. Normal things. Friday night things.

I sip my hot chocolate and watch my phone.

At 6:47, it buzzes.

Eli: Train's finally moving. Should be there by 8:15. Sorry about this.

Silver: it's okay. just let me know when you're close.

Eli: I will. And Silver? Whatever you're thinking right now, it's probably worse than reality. I'm not the bad guy here.

I stare at that message. He knows I have been worried. Knows I have been spiraling. Knows I probably suspect the worst.

But he is still not just telling me over text. Still making me wait.

"He's on the train," I say quietly.

"8:15?" Americus checks her own phone. "So we've got about an hour and a half."

We walk back to the dorm through cold darkness. Campus is quieter now, most people settled in for the night. I pull my coat tighter and try to organize my thoughts.

What am I going to say? How am I going to ask him about where he went and why he disappeared without admitting how much I have been spiraling?

Back in the dorm room, Americus immediately reopens her laptop.

"Okay. One final sweep."

"Or you could let Silver talk to him like a normal person," Maya suggests.

"I am helping her talk to him like a normal person. A normal person who is well-informed and prepared." Her fingers fly across the keyboard. "Knowledge is power."

My phone buzzes. 7:52 PM.

Eli: Just pulled into New Haven. Should be at my dorm in about 20 minutes. Still want to meet?

My heart hammers. This is it. No more waiting. No more spiraling.

Silver: yes. your room?

Eli: Yeah. I'll text when I get there.

I look up. Three pairs of eyes watching me.

"He's almost here," I say unnecessarily.

"Okay." Riley stands, walks over, hugs me. "You've got this. Just be honest. Ask your questions. Listen to his answers."

"And don't let him bullshit you," Americus adds.

"But also give him the benefit of the doubt," Maya says. "He's been good to you. He might have a real explanation."

I nod, trying to absorb their contradictory advice.

I grab my coat. Check my reflection in the mirror. I look pale, anxious, younger than I feel.

My phone buzzes.

Eli: Here. Room 312. Come up whenever.

"This is it." I turn to face my roommates. "Wish me luck?"

"You don't need luck," Americus says. "You need answers. And you're going to get them."

Riley squeezes my hand one more time. Maya gives me an encouraging smile.

I walk out into the hallway, coat over my arm, phone in my pocket, heart in my throat.

Time to find out if everything I have been building with Eli is real.

Or if it has been breaking apart all along and I have just been too blind to see it.