Another sleepless night.
Not because of the messages this time.
But because of the questions churning inside her.
Alaine lay on her bed staring into the darkness, listening to the soft hum of the ceiling fan turning above her.
The room felt unfamiliar somehow.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like she had spent years living inside herself without ever truly noticing what was there.
***
Her phone rested beside her on the mattress.
Silent.
No new messages.
And strangely enough, part of her kept checking anyway.
Not out of fear anymore.
But anticipation.
That realization unsettled her.
How had a stranger’s words become the thing she thought about most during the day?
***
She turned onto her side with a frustrated sigh.
Maybe Elsie was right.
Maybe something inside her really was yearning for more.
But what exactly was this yearning?
Peace?
Purpose?
God?
The last thought made her uncomfortable immediately.
Alaine shut her eyes tightly.
She hadn’t thought seriously about God in years.
Not beyond rushed prayers during difficult moments.
Not beyond church visits on holidays or family occasions.
Faith had become something distant to her.
A background thing.
Like an old song you once loved but no longer played.
***
Yet lately…
God kept appearing in her thoughts unexpectedly.
Quietly.
Persistently.
And she didn’t know what to do with that.
***
With another sigh, she reached for her phone and opened social media.
Out of habit more than interest.
Videos.
Pictures.
Smiling faces carefully edited into perfection.
Normally, scrolling distracted her mind long enough for exhaustion to take over.
She would fall asleep with her phone still in her hand.
But tonight it only made her feel emptier.
Every post felt loud somehow.
Forced.
Temporary....