Steph heard her phone ring across the room and felt the vibration of her watch on her wrist. She looked down at her wrist and saw the name across the screen “call from Kern”. She went through the five stages of grief all within half a second. She didn’t know why he was calling, she thought he was done with her. She didn’t know if she should answer because she thought it would make her heart hurt. She was pissed of that he thought he could just call and she would answer. She told herself that if she answered then she might feel the temporary happiness he always brings her. Her depression and anxiety were on stand by ready to take over any second. She finally picked up and he went off. Not in an angry way but in an unstable way. He just started rambling and going about everything going wrong in his life and she couldn’t even get a word in. She didn’t know how long this call would take so she went up to her room to get cozy in her bed because after all that’s where you’re meant to dream. She sat and listened to him and tried to process everything this dump truck released. When she thought he was done she told him to breathe with her and they just took deep breaths for 5 minutes. Kern slowed down and admitted he didn’t know what to do with his life and Steph just nodded and said that was okay. He didn’t like to hear what she said and he had to leave to go for dinner with his family anyway. He hung up and Steph just sat in her bed. A weight was lifted off of her. He never wanted her the way she wanted him and she accepted that now. He just needed someone to listen and she appreciated that he chose her, even if he tried 7 other people first. She thought he was doing great without her and that she was the only one drowning. She hated to admit it but seeing him break down made her feel comfortable that he was human. Her breathing became calmer and her muscles untensed. She was going to be okay. She got the closure she needed. It wasn’t the closure she hoped for but it would do. She felt one of her emotional walls break and decided it was time to try and find someone new. She texted someone who had been interested in her for a while and asked them out to coffee. She was going to be okay.