~~BEYOND THE BINARY~~

Chapter 11

It was little things.

Cassian checking their group chat twice, as if expecting another message to appear.

Arden flipping through her notes and pausing on an empty margin, brows knitting together before she shook her head.

Ash hesitating at the entrance of the library, glancing at the tables like he was searching for someone—before scoffing at himself and moving on.

No one said anything.

There was nothing to say.

But the silence between them felt heavier.

Like something had been taken out of the picture.

Like they were missing a brushstroke in a painting and couldn't figure out why it looked wrong.

That night, they found themselves back at the café, as always.

The lights were dimmer, the air thick with the scent of rain-soaked pavement and freshly ground coffee.

Selene sat back in her chair, hands wrapped around a mug.

She was tired. Maybe that was it. Maybe that was why she felt... strange.

Cassian was scribbling something in his notebook, tapping his pen against the paper.

Arden scrolled through her phone, looking for a song but never settling on one.

Ash toyed with the bracelet on his wrist, gaze flickering toward the door, then away.

None of them spoke much.

The silence wasn't awkward.

It was just... there.

The bell above the door jingled.

A waitress walked over, notepad in hand.

"The usual?" she asked.

Selene nodded. So did the others.

The waitress hesitated.

Her eyes flickered across the table.

Her brows furrowed, just slightly.

Like something wasn't adding up.

Selene noticed immediately.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

The waitress blinked. Shook her head. "No, it's just..."

She trailed off, pressing her lips together. Then she let out a soft laugh. "Never mind. Thought for a second there were five of you."

Silence.

A slow, creeping kind.

Selene felt her fingers tighten around her mug.

Cassian blinked, looked up.

Arden tilted her head slightly.

Ash let out a quiet snort. "You're probably thinking of another group."

"Yeah. Probably." The waitress smiled, scribbling on her notepad before walking away.

The silence stretched.

Selene exhaled, shaking off the chill creeping up her spine.

It was nothing.

A mistake.

A miscount.

She was just tired.

Arden put her phone down. "We should head out soon."

Cassian nodded, shutting his notebook.

Ash grabbed his drink. "Yeah. Let's go."

Selene stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

The feeling was still there, deep in her gut.

But she didn't say anything.

Because there were only four of them.

There had always been four.

Right?

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You wouldn't notice an empty space in a puzzle if you never knew a piece was missing.

Not at first.

Not when the world reshapes itself so perfectly, so seamlessly, that you don't even think to question it.

But the mind is restless.

It lingers on things it shouldn't.

A hesitation. A flicker of doubt. A shadow where there shouldn't be one.

And sometimes—just sometimes—something slips through the cracks.

A whisper. A scent. A name you don't remember saying.

Tell me, dear reader...

Have you ever felt like you've forgotten something important?

Something that was never supposed to be forgotten?