CHAPTER TWELVE 

Amara stared at her phone for the fifth time that evening.

Nothing.

No new messages. No missed calls. Just silence.

She dropped the phone beside her and lay back on her bed. The room felt too quiet. Her thoughts were louder than usual, replaying everything the distance from Iris, the awkward group assignment, the growing insecurity she couldn’t shake.

Then her phone buzzed.

She grabbed it immediately.

Unknown number.

Her heart skipped.

“Good evening, Amara. This is Dr Adrian. I hope you’re doing well.”

She sat up instantly.

Dr Adrian?

It had been weeks since she last spoke to him. She didn’t even expect he remembered her.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. She suddenly felt nervous.

"Good evening sir. I'm fine. Thank you," she typed, then erased it.

Too dry.

She tried again.

“Good evening sir. I'm doing okay. It's been a while.”

She sent it before she could overthink.

Three dots appeared almost immediately.

“I know. I just wanted to check on you. You sounded stressed the last time we spoke.”

Amara blinked.

He remembered that?

She didn’t realize how much she needed someone to ask that simple question.

"I'm better now," she replied.

She paused, then added:

“Just school stress.”

Dr Adrian responded.

“You're overthinking again, aren't you?”

Amara frowned slightly.

How did he always know?

She smiled unconsciously.

“Maybe a little.”

A few seconds passed.

“You’re still doubting yourself?”

That hit her harder than she expected.

She hesitated.

Then she decided to be honest.

“Yes.”

This time, the reply took longer.

“Amara, confidence doesn’t come from avoiding people. It comes from facing them. You can’t keep shrinking yourself.”

She read the message twice.

Her chest tightened.

It felt like he was seeing straight through her.

"I try… but it's hard," she typed.

“I know. But you're stronger than you think.”

Her lips curved into a small smile.

No one had said that to her in a long time.

Then another message came.

“How is your class? Anyone still making you feel uncomfortable?”

Amara immediately thought of Iris.

Of the distance. The silence. The tension.

"It's complicated," she replied.

"Complicated usually means unfinished," he sent back.

She leaned back slowly.

Unfinished.

He was right.

Before she could respond, another message came.

“And Amara… don’t run away this time. Face it.”

Her heart beat faster.

It felt less like advice… and more like a challenge.

She typed slowly.

“I'll try.”

Dr Adrian replied:

“That's all I want. Try.”

Amara placed the phone on her chest and stared at the ceiling.

For the first time in days, her mind felt calmer.

But she didn’t realize something else.

Someone had been watching her smile at her phone from across the room.

Her roommate raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you chatting with?" she asked.

Amara quickly locked her screen.

“No one.”

But the small smile on her face refused to disappear.

And for the first time… she was looking forward to the next message.