"A lot has happened since you left, Jared…"
Maria's voice kept echoing in my head as my brain struggled to process her earlier words to me. The fact that this world had experienced 10 years without us.
'That's insane!' My mind rejected such a possibility as multiple emotions overwhelmed me.
For one, Maria would now be 26 years old, a much different person from the 16-year-old girl I used to know. I had missed out on a lot of time, and a lot was bound to have happened in those years I was away.
Even then… she had run to hug and kiss me.
It brought me relief that, despite the years that had passed, Maria didn't move on from me.
It was truly a big relief.
"W-wow… ten years…" I mumbled, slowly beginning to become composed. "You've really… held on, huh?"
It felt really odd for me right now, considering how Maria was biologically much older than I was. She was also taller, and she definitely looked more mature.
