The call ended. The courtyard went quiet. And somewhere across the gap, a shadow moved behind a lit window—a hand lifting in a small wave.
She frowned. “I didn’t get any mail.”
“Before midnight.”
“What do you want, Sam?”
The username flashed on her screen for the fifth time that week. sammmnextdoor . Ellie stared at it, her thumb hovering over the ignore button before she sighed and swiped accept. sammmnextdoor
“You’re getting predictable,” she said instead of hello.
“Who makes me want to build a bridge out of coat hangers and bad decisions just to sit next to her.” The call ended
“That’s private,” she said, her voice smaller than she wanted.