Waiting for the Call

The next few days felt like an endless blur. Lucy went through the motions of her day—work, school runs, grocery shopping—but there was an undercurrent of anxiety that tugged at her. Every time her phone buzzed, her heart skipped a beat, only to be disappointed when it wasn't Tim reaching out.Celina called her once or twice, but the conversations had been short. She didn't push Lucy for more details about what happened with Tim, sensing that Lucy needed space to figure things out on her own. Lucy was grateful for that.On the weekend, she met up with Angela for coffee. The quiet clink of their cups filled the space between them as they sat in a cozy corner of the café."Have you heard from him?" Angela asked gently, her eyes searching Lucy's face for any sign of how she was holding up.Lucy shook her head. "No, nothing. He sent me that text, but... that's it. It's like he's gone silent."Angela frowned, but there was a comforting warmth in her voice when she spoke. "You can't control what he does, Lu. You've done everything you could.""I know," Lucy said, her voice heavy with frustration. "But it's hard. I just... I just wanted him to be a part of Charlotte's life. And now I don't know where he stands. I don't know if he even wants to be involved.""Give him time," Angela said. "Maybe he's scared. This is a big deal. I'm sure he just needs to process it all."Lucy nodded, though she wasn't sure she believed it. Tim hadn't exactly shown much interest in her life before, so why would he suddenly want to be part of Charlotte's now? She didn't want to get her hopes up.