sol.ace_r

News arrives.
The phone vibrates briefly, then falls quiet again as if nothing happened.
It’s not urgent—both of us know that—but it’s still hard to pretend I didn’t see it.

“Take care.” Or, “You crossed my mind.”
The sentences are short.
No long explanations, no requests.
Just a simple check-in.

After reading it, my hand pauses.
Not because I’m overwhelmed with thoughts, but because I’m not quite sure what expression to wear for a moment.

I write and erase a reply countless times.
Saying I’m fine feels like a lie, and saying I’m doing well feels a bit exaggerated.
But saying nothing would be strange, so I leave something short—
not too much, not too little.

And that’s where the message ends.
At a point where it doesn’t feel disappointing even if nothing follows.

I put the phone down and return to what I was doing.
Reality stays the same, and so does the day.

Still, just the fact that a message arrived changes the day a little.
Not enough to explain, but not something I can deny either.

Ah, so this is what news is.
It doesn’t shake you, but it doesn’t leave you untouched either.

Even so, because of this one message, today feels a little warmer.