People Aren't Data

It was 10:30 PM and I was still typing numbers into my laptop. Technically, I didn’t have to — my team had finished data collection hours ago. But we hadn’t sorted it yet. And it wasn’t like I had anything better to do with myself. Not when Lumi — my only real friend — hadn’t called, hadn’t sent me anything, hadn’t even responded to me. She had read my messages a day after I’d sent them. Her silence did not sit well with me.

Sighing, I closed my Excel window and got off my chair. I couldn’t feel my feet. It was the first time I’d stood since getting back from the office. To drive away the numbness, I paced my small room, shaking out my legs with each stride. It's neat, I thought with a touch of pride. The bed was perfectly made. The desk where I worked was empty, except for my laptop and phone. The rows of books, my prized possessions, were dusted and ordered on their shelves. A clean space mattered to me. How could I organize my thoughts if I couldn’t even take care of my room?

My thoughts wandered to Lumi, but I distracted myself with the small window. As I opened it, the usual hum of noise surged louder. Cars roared by on the brightly lit streets. People laughed and chattered. Distant music played — probably from a café.

I lived on the top floor of my apartment building. The bird’s eye view made me feel in control, like nothing could take me by surprise. But tonight, it felt different.

Isolating.

Quickly, I shut the window and yanked down the blinds. I needed to speak to Lumi. Not to chat, but to confirm.

I sat back on my desk chair and clicked harshly on the “WhatsApp” window. The laptop took a moment to load, and I took the time to set a boundary for my hopeful heart. The company I worked for collected data on social communication. I should know better than anyone else that conversations don’t end. They fade. It was happening right now, to her and me.

I looked up. WhatsApp had loaded. Her chat was near the top of the screen, just below “Mom” and my suspiciously sweet colleague “Maya”, who texted me far more often than I replied. There was no notification dot on Lumi’s chat. She hadn’t messaged me today. My stomach dipped, but like a hopeful fool, I opened the chat anyway. Obviously, the only messages were the ones I had sent six days ago.

Elaaa: Hey Lu

Elaaa: How are you?

Elaaa: You’ve been messaging less lately

Elaaa: It’s been three days and five hours since we last spoke

Elaaa: I think you’re creating distance

Elaaa: That’s fine

Elaaa: …

Elaaa: Okay then

Elaaa: I wish you well in all your future endeavors.

I gazed ruefully at that last sentence. So formal. So conclusive. It was no wonder why she hadn’t texted me since then. She probably thought I'd moved on, that I didn’t care anymore.

But I do.

Scrolling up further in our chat, I stopped at our most recent conversation. For the third time this week, I read it again.

Call ended

Glowbug: It was fun gaming with u!

Elaaa: Yes, Lu. I enjoyed myself.

Elaaa: Thanks for playing.

Glowbug: Sleep well Ela!

Elaaa: Going already?

Glowbug: I have some stressful work coming up so I need to prepare, sry

Elaaa: Okay.

Glowbug: …

Elaaa: Hopefully you are able to prepare well.

Glowbug: You’re not mad r u?

Elaaa: No. Goodnight.

Glowbug: Goodnighttt

And ever since then, no new messages. Perhaps the periods had made me sound cold. But then, she had cut off the night with a practical excuse — one of the most common ways users created distance.

I sighed and closed the WhatsApp window. There was nothing left for me there. But just in case, I opened my Notes file dedicated to Lumi — paper isn’t my thing — and stared at the information I had written about her.

Traits: Peaceful, calm, sweet, easygoing, slow to act, anxious, observant

Times late: March 20th – late five minutes for gaming session. April 4th – late thirty minutes for call. April 13th – late fifteen min…

Periods of silence: Six days

The list goes on. I’ve been told that I’m weird for keeping logs of the people I know, but for me it’s natural. Like organizing a trip or formulating questions for a business meeting. It helps me distinguish the fake from the real, excuse from genuine need — most of the time.

Just as I was changing six days to seven days, I saw it. A WhatsApp notification in the bottom right of my screen. I read the name — Glowbug. Lumi. Without thinking first, I clicked down on the mouse.

The open notes window was replaced by our WhatsApp chat. This time, it loaded immediately. And what I saw on the screen made my stomach sink lower:

Glowbug: Hey

I waited for her to add more, for the three dots that meant she was typing to appear on the screen. But they didn’t. My brows furrowed. Hey? That’s it? Her texts were usually long, layered with exclamation marks or extra letters. This was unlike her.

I placed my fingers on the keyboard, wondering what to say.

Elaaa: Hiiii

I deleted the text. Too much enthusiasm.

Elaaa: I missed you

Too direct. Deleted.

Elaaa: Hey.

That was just right. Not too cold, not too excited. My finger hovered over the enter key.

But should I keep the period?

Hastily, I closed WhatsApp and navigated to the window titled Chat GPT. I'm no supporter of artificial intelligence — but right now I needed help.

Elaaa: My friend said “hey” after seven days of silence. What can this mean? Is she ghosting me? How should I reply?

I drummed my fingers on the desk as I waited for its reply.

The words appeared.

ChatGPT: The interpretation of a message such as “hey” can vary heavily depending on context. Following a prolonged period of silence, it may be perceived as distant or non-committal.

However, it could also indicate a neutral attempt to reinitiate conversation without implying a specific emotion or thought.

The proper response to such a message will change depending on circumstance. It may be wise to follow with something that indicates openness, if prolonged conversation is the goal. Otherwise, a clipped word may hold value — it communicates disappointment to the receiver.

I closed the window, a frustrated sigh escaping my lips. The bot hadn’t answered anything — it had only told me what I already knew, or suspected. I needed more information. And that would have to come from her.

I clicked on WhatsApp again, and this time I took the initiative. It was time to find out what was going on.

Elaaa: Hey.

Elaaa: You’ve been quiet lately.

I looked at the one checkmark beneath my message, fingers tensing as another one appeared. That meant the text had been delivered — but not read.

Then the checkmarks turned blue.

She’s seen it.

Three dots moved in the bottom of the screen, just above the typing bar. She was writing back.

Glowbug: Yeah :) just busy, that’s all

Busy.

I typed out my reply.

Elaaa: oh okay

It felt insufficient the moment I sent it, but at least she was texting me.

Glowbug: Yeah sorry abt that

I waited for the three dots to appear, for her to add something to the conversation. A question. A joke.

Then I saw: Last seen at 10:45

The sentence lay beneath her profile picture, and I re-read it several times in a row. Lumi had left the chat. She wasn’t online anymore. That meant she had nothing more to say — either that, or she was relying on me to continue the conversation.

I decided I would.

Elaaa: Seriously, what’s going on with you?

That was too on-the-nose for my liking, but I sent it anyway.

The sentence below Lumi’s profile turned into Online. The typing dots came, flickered, then returned.

Glowbug: I told u, I'm just busy

Glowbug: And tired mostly

I bit my lip. Why so vague?

Elaaa: Okay.

My stomach felt cold. I had come here for clarity, to reestablish our connection or break it off for good. This unclear push-and-pull was the last thing I’d planned for.

A new text appeared.

Glowbug: Sorry

I frowned, re-reading the message a few times. Sorry for what? I wasn’t sure, but I took the opportunity to explain my thoughts.

Elaaa: Our relationship doesn’t feel the same anymore

Elaaa: It's like you’re pulling away

Elaaa: On purpose

A long pause. She was still online, but she wasn’t typing.

Then the dots emerged.

Glowbug: I'm not

Elaaa: Then why does it feel like you are

Glowbug: I don’t know

I pressed my fingers against the keys, and decided to go for something more direct.

Elaaa: If you’re tired of us you can just say it

Elaaa: I won’t get offended

The check marks went blue.

Glowbug: Elara, I said I’m tired in general... It’s not because of u

I raised an eyebrow at her words.

Elaaa: Why the full government name?

Then, more seriously:

Elaaa: You never call me Elara unless you’re angry or uncomfortable

It took her a good three minutes to respond. I knew based off my notes what that meant.

Glowbug: I just said hey

Glowbug: I never meant for it to turn into this

“This” what? I was way more confused than before. Sighing, I typed out a question. I had to put this conversation back on track.

Elaaa: Why didn’t you reply to my messages a few days ago?

The checkmarks turned blue — she had read it. I decided to press further.

Elaaa: I know you’re not "too busy” to send a text

Elaaa: It takes a few seconds

Elaaa: Anyone can do it

I paused before I added:

Elaaa: Unless you don’t want to, of course

The checkmarks changed color right as I sent the message. Lumi was fully online right now.

But she didn’t type anything.

Not for several minutes.

Then:

Glowbug: I don’t think I can do this right now

Something in my chest tightened.

I responded without thinking.

Elaaa: This what?

Glowbug: This

My throat went dry. The word sounded final.

Glowbug: Where everything I say gets analyzed

Glowbug: It’s stressful

I didn’t know what to say to that.

Elaaa: I’m not analyzing you

Even as I typed it, I knew it wasn’t true.

Glowbug: It feels like you are

Elaaa: ...

Glowbug: ...

Elaaa: Okay.

I rested my face in my palms, reading her words again and again and stopping at my final “okay”. I sounded so cold. Calculated. Anything else would have felt too risky, but why did I have to be so awkward...

My eyes snapped to the screen.

A new message.

Glowbug: I’m sorry

A weird coughing noise came out of me.

No one messaged for a few moments that felt like forever.

Then I asked it.

The question that hung in the air, unsaid but shared.

Elaaa: What now?

My shoulders went rigid as I waited. Hoped. I’m not sure for what.

Glowbug: Honestly...

Glowbug: I think I need some space

My hands moved in slow motion to the keyboard. I tried to process what was happening, and typed a question.

Elaaa: What space?

Her response didn’t come.

That's when I saw the error.

!message failed to send!

No, I thought, the text blurring before me. It can’t be.

I opened the twitter window and searched her name.

No results.

I checked Instagram.

Gone.

Finally, I tried Facebook.

No account.

My thoughts swam.

I turned off my laptop and dragged myself to bed. How had it come to this? My eyes closed as I landed heavily on the mattress. My throat felt dry. A tear fell from my eye, trickling down my cheek. Why would she block me? What had I ever done to her?

I swallowed against the lump in my throat. She was the last person I had expected to leave. I'd always trusted her.

Had I?

My thoughts continued in unproductive loops, and after some time my eyelids began to close on their own. I tried to stay awake and keep thinking. But sleep claimed me.

NEXT DAY

When I opened my eyes again, it was morning.

I didn't move for a moment. My thoughts felt heavy, unfinished from the night before.

Then I remembered.

My feet moved automatically, bringing to me to the desk on which my electronics lay. Blinking against sleep, I grabbed my phone.

7:00 AM

No notifications.

I unlocked it anyway, plopping down on my work chair. I tapped the WhatsApp icon. It opened to the same conversation.

Lumi.

My fingers went to the typing board. I knew texts wouldn’t go through; there was no reason why she would have unblocked me. But I wanted to try, however unlikely. So I sent two genuine messages.

Elaaa: Hey Lu, I want to talk to you

Elaaa: I really do

I held my breath.

!message failed to send!

A defeated sigh escaped my cracked lips. The same error as yesterday.

Nothing had changed.

I was blocked.

I swallowed, fighting the lump in my throat, and scrolled upward.

There had to be answer. A reason why this happened.

Our conversation was my best hope of finding out.

I started from the beginning.

Not just reading this time — analyzing.

Glowbug: Yeah :) just busy, that’s all

My eyes narrowed.

It wasn’t her text that confused me, it was my reaction.

Busy.

I remembered how I had interpreted it — like a variable that needed clarification. I had called it fake. Avoidant. Incomplete.

My gaze shifted lower, stopping at my reply.

Elaaa: Seriously, what’s going on with you?

It sounded like an accusation, not a request for information.

I started to feel worried and scrolled further down.

Elaaa: Our relationship doesn’t feel the same anymore

Elaaa: Like you’re pulling away

Elaaa: On purpose

I felt something shift inside me, reading those words. They were conclusive. Closed. Not like I’d thought them to be.

Had I made a mistake?

I forced the thought to stay on hold, and scrolled again.

Elaaa: If you’re tired of us you can just say it

Elaaa: I won’t get offended

My fingers tightened against the phone. That was pressure disguised as reassurance. A narrowing of opinions. Say it, or contradict it. No in between.

I leaned back in my chair, staring up at the gray ceiling. This was not what I’d expected. The pattern was clear, consistent. Not hers. Mine.

I had decided what her behavior meant before she finished explaining. I took the word “busy”, and translated it into distance. I’d analyzed every word. Every pause. Somehow, I’d made it all work with my theory.

I had treated her like data. Like something predictable.

My eyes returned to the screen.

Glowbug: Where everything I say gets analyzed

Glowbug: It’s stressful

I had pushed against it before. But this time, I needed to accept it. She was right.

“I didn’t give her room to be anything else,” I muttered hoarsely. There was a lump in my throat again.

I tried to contradict myself. She had blocked me in the end, so maybe it had been her goal to create distance. Maybe I had only accelerated the process. That kind of made sense.

But the conversation sat in front of me, unchanged. And no matter how much I pretended… I couldn’t agree with myself anymore.

“People aren’t data,” I sighed, voice cracking slightly.

It was a sudden realization. But I didn’t fight it this time.

I put my phone down, and sat in silence for a few moments.

Then I heard a buzz.

My fingers flew to the phone, heart lifting with hope.

If she had unblocked me…

I could apologize.

Then we could be friends again.

But the name didn’t read Lumi.

It was Maya.

I unlocked the phone anyway, gazing at the messages my coworker had sent me.

Maya Green: Good morning!

Maya Green: Can’t wait to see you at work today!

I stared at the texts with furrowed brows. Normally, I would ignore her. According to the internet, over-excitement is a red flag.

But this time, I caught the pattern in my own head… and stopped it.

Elara Smith: Good morning to you, too

Elara Smith: Would you like to… get coffee? At lunch break?

The dots appeared almost immediately.

I watched them, not analyzing this time.

Maya Green: Yeah I’d love to! Which shop?

I responded instantly, not giving myself the chance to think.

Elara Smith: The one around the corner, maybe. Frothy Green?

I smiled. There was something easy about this relationship.

Maya Green: Sureee, they sell the best matcha there!

Maya Green: I gtg, see you Ela!

My eyes rested on the familiar nickname for a moment.

Then I typed a reply:

Elara Smith: Bye

Wait.

Elara Smith: *Bye!

The exclamation mark looked unfamiliar, but I didn’t remove it.

My phone beeped. It was my 7:30 alarm. I switched it off, got to my feet, and grabbed cereal and milk. Then I moved the electronics and set a bowl down on my desk.

As I ate, my mind wandered.

I wasn’t trying to replace Lumi. I was walking a different path, because the old one hadn’t worked. And Lumi was a part of my past now. She would never unblock me, because —

No. I couldn't know what she'd do. It was out of my control, and that was... okay.

It was time to build a new life, one where uncertainty was allowed. Even in relationships. Especially in relationships.

It didn’t feel natural…

But it didn't feel unpleasant either.