The Right Wrong Number

by Katie Warren

Your absence isn’t quiet. Sometimes it’s the loudest thing on earth. It weighs down on me so heavily that it makes it impossible to breathe.

I know it was just a mix up, a wrong number, but maybe it’s the right wrong number after all.

“Socks are like little tiny prisons for my feet,” I say, sticking my foot in her face.

“I’m here for you, and I promise I’ll be here whenever you need me. I won’t try to fix you, but I’ll be here to help you make peace with your broken pieces,”

“I’ve realized that life ends, but love doesn’t. I’ll never stop loving you,” I stammer, my voice trembling. “You were the man I loved when I had you. Liam can be the man I love in a world without you,”

“My heart was half-empty without you here. I’m going to let Liam fill it up again.”