C44 The Silence Between Us Felt Heavier

Once inside the office, everyone settled into their workstations. As usual, the attendance register was passed around for signatures.

When it reached my desk, I signed my name. Then, without realizing it, I began scanning the list of names. My eyes moved from one signature to another. I paused. What exactly was I looking for? That girl from lunch yesterday.

The shy one. The beautiful one. The one whose eyes met mine for a brief moment. I continued searching before finally shaking my head.

I didn’t know her first name. I didn’t know her last name. I didn’t even know if she was in our department. But she set in our table. How was I supposed to find her? Feeling slightly foolish, I passed the register along and returned to work.

Elsewhere, Samantha had spent the previous night at her parents’ house. Once again, she had pleaded with them for freedom. Once again, they ignored her. Eventually, she stopped asking.

That morning, she arrived at Wood IT carrying lunch for Ben. At the same time, I happened to leave my department and head toward the washrooms.

The corridor was unusually quiet. Then I saw her. Samantha. She froze. I stopped walking as well.

For a brief moment, neither of us moved. Neither of us spoke.

The silence between us felt heavier than any words could have been. Months ago, we could spend hours talking. Now we couldn’t even greet each other.