Upon reaching home, John instinctively picked up his phone to call Chloe. They found themselves lost in conversation for another three hours. This time, their conversation had moved to Chloe – her career, her dreams, her ambitions, and her desires. John found her easy to talk to, but his thoughts were still dominated by Heather.

The following day, Heather came by to gather her things. Surprisingly, John handled it better than he’d anticipated. Once Heather’s presence was removed from his house, his thoughts swiftly moved to Chloe.

Eager to hear her voice again, he called Chloe immediately after Heather had left. Their conversation was a refreshing change of pace, serving as a much-needed distraction from the day’s events. Time seemed to lose its meaning when they spoke; they simply couldn’t stop talking. The hours slipped by unnoticed, with their words filling the void left by Heather’s departure.