The October breeze carried a warmth that seemed out of place, almost shyly brushing past as if it, too, had memories of this town it couldn't let go of.
It held a subtle chill beneath its layers, but that faint coldness was masked by the chatter, laughter, and bright smiles of people filling the streets.
Festive lights, strung across buildings and wrapped around lampposts, sparkled like stars, though Sid could only see one star tonight.Siyana.
As she looked around with wide, childlike wonder, Sid felt an unbreakable pull toward her. She was his constant,someone who, for him, made everything else fade into shadows.
Her face lit up with amazement as she turned back toward him, her eyes twinkling.
"Sid, look at this place! How has it managed to stay the same all these years? It's like stepping right back into our school days."
Sid felt a warm pull in his chest. He tore his gaze from her, forcing himself to take in the view she'd pointed out. Around them, families strolled hand in hand, their laughter intertwining with the lively music spilling from nearby shops. Children wove through the crowd, clutching candy, their laughter echoing like tiny bells.
There was a long line of people waiting to buy hot chocolate, a familiar sight that took Sid back to those brisk, laughter-filled days when he, Siyana, and their friends would queue up, huddling for warmth as they awaited their own steaming mugs.
He could almost feel the warmth of the cup in his hands, the taste of bittersweet chocolate mingling with the sharp chill of autumn.
His thoughts drifted further back, to days spent exploring every corner of this small town. A town just two hours from City of L of Country E, but which had felt like a universe away. Back then, it had been both an adventure and a cage, boarding school in a place they would learn to call home, however reluctantly.
Turning to Siyana, he met her gaze, softened by the glow of nearby lights. "You're right. It feels like I've traveled back in time," he murmured. "Nothing's really changed here."
The town held memories of their youth, echoes of their shared laughter, arguments, and dreams. For Siyana, those memories seemed just as vivid.
He watched her as she let the nostalgia wash over her, a smile touching her lips. To anyone else, this might just be a town, but to them, it was so much more.
"This place…it's like it's frozen in time," Siyana said, her eyes bright with memories. Sid could see the same mixture of awe and warmth on her face that he himself felt but could never express.
She laughed softly, and he recognized that look in her eyes, the look of someone who once loathed this town with every fiber of her being.
He still remembered the day she arrived, her face red with indignation as her parents explained that this would be her new home. She'd been ten, defiant, furious, and clinging desperately to the life and family she'd left behind.
She turned to him, laughter bubbling up as she recalled, "Do you remember how much I cried when I found out we had to stay here, that our parents weren't taking us back with them?"
Sid's lips twitched, the faintest trace of a smile. "Oh, I remember," he replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You were a brat back then. You weren't just crying, you were practically wailing. There was snot everywhere. You looked like you were ready to bring the whole town down if it meant going home."
Her eyes narrowed playfully, undeterred by his sarcasm. "I was ten years old! And don't exaggerate, I was just…hurt. I thought my parents didn't want me anymore. I'd convinced myself they were replacing me with my baby brother who was just 10 months old." She rolled her eyes, brushing off his words as easily as she always did.
"I wasn't a brat, just a little kid who loved her family too much to let go."She shrugged, glancing away, her voice softer. "I was scared."
He felt a flicker of sympathy, mixed with an amusement he couldn't fully hide. He leaned closer, lowering his voice in a playful whisper. "Yeah, scared enough to try escaping the place your first week here. Crawling under the wall, thinking you'd make it home across an entire continent. Brilliant idea, really."
One of the countless times she'd driven him to the edge of his sanity, only to pull him back in with that same look she wore now.
They say children hold onto a few core memories, and for Siyana, that night in 2010 was one of hers. She'd been terrified, wandering through the forest with only the pale light of the moon, her heart pounding in her ears.
Just when she thought she couldn't go on, she'd heard her name, shouted by a voice she didn't know she would come to trust above all others for rest of her life.
She giggled, a laugh filled with equal parts embarrassment and nostalgia. "I was bold, okay? Besides, it was an adventure. Looking back, I think it's kind of funny. I was terrified, but in a weird way, I was also… free. I actually thought I'd make it."
Sid smirked, his voice gentle but with that characteristic sarcasm she'd long grown used to. "Free? You were lost in the woods, crying and looking like a drenched kitten. I spent the whole night running around town trying to find you. You should thank me for saving you from certain doom."
Her eyes softened as she looked at him, her gaze lingering a moment longer than usual. "You know, you're probably right. If it weren't for you, who knows where I'd be now?" She paused, a mischievous glint sparking in her eyes. "But honestly, you should thank me for keeping your life interesting. Can you imagine how boring it would be without me?"
Sid chuckled, his expression settling into its usual unreadable look. "My life? Boring? Right. Because dealing with your constant drama was definitely what I was missing."
He shot her a sidelong look, an eyebrow arched in challenge. "I've somehow survived being best friends with a trouble magnet. And yet… here I am."
She stuck her tongue out at him, making a face as she laughed her face lighting up with that familiar, playful defiance he knew so well. "I don't get it. What do these girls see in you, Sid? You don't even talk to people. You just scowl at them and bark if they get too close."
He tilted his head, an amused glint surfacing in his gaze. "I don't talk to them, true. But there are…other things we do. And what they see in me.." he smirked, pausing to savor the look of mock horror on her face, "is clearly something beyond your understanding."
She narrowed her eyes, her voice dropping to a mocking sneer. "You're disgusting, you know that?" She scrunched her nose, letting out a laugh and preparing to fire back with something to really knock him down. But her phone buzzed in her pocket, interrupting her mid-sentence.
Glancing at the screen, her expression softened instantly, as though she'd been swept away to another world. Sid felt the temperature around him drop just a little, a subtle, invisible chill seeping into his chest.
She answered, her voice softening into something he wished he'd never have to hear. "Hey, honey… I miss you too. I'm done here. Yeah, Sid and I will be leaving in about two hours from City L for City LA. I'll be home tomorrow. Can't wait to be back in your arms. Love you."
Sid's gaze shifted to the scenery in front of him, but his mind was a thousand miles away. He kept his face stoic, his trademark poker face hiding the pang of regret and heartbreak that stirred within him.
But behind his steady eyes, there was a torrent, a fierce, aching reminder that she belonged to someone else.
As she ended the call and turned back to him, she shot him a playful but slightly exasperated look, unaware of the storm swirling beneath his calm facade. "Anyway, where were we?"
He forced a smirk, his voice steady. "Somewhere around the part where I save you from yourself. Again."
She laughed, nudging him playfully, oblivious to the silent confession hidden behind his eyes. And Sid simply followed her, matching her step for step, burying his feelings even deeper, knowing that for as long as she was by his side, he'd take whatever pieces of her she was willing to give.