Luisa Sonza

Early morning in Rio de Janeiro
Balcony of a beachfront apartment. The clock reads 2:17 AM.

The city was asleep, but Luisa wasn't.
Sitting in the balcony hammock, she hugged her knees, covered by an oversized sweatshirt that still carried the scent of his last embrace. The salty breeze messed up her blonde hair, and the sound of the sea was the only thing that made sense at that strange hour of the night.
The streetlights danced in the reflection of the waves, and the world seemed a little more distant.

Her fingers slid across her phone, distracted. Without thinking, she opened the conversation she knew by heart.
She stayed there, staring at the lit screen.
— What if I'm bothering him? — she whispered to herself, biting the edge of her nail. — He must be tired... or busy… She took a deep breath and typed:

"I'm feeling lonely, I wish you were here... I miss you..."

And then… she sent it. Her heart raced. She set the phone aside like someone dropping something too hot. The phone vibrated, he replied, she smiled, and for the first time that early morning, Luisa felt her chest a little lighter.

And that the sea wasn't the only beautiful thing that would come to her that night.