The city had a way of making Leya feel small. Each time she stepped onto its streets, she was reminded of how much it moved without her, how the world seemed to carry on while she stood still, lost in the weight of her thoughts.
It had been days since Sabine's meeting, and still, no word. Leya had tried to move on, to bury herself in her work, to distract herself with the never-ending list of things she "needed" to do. But the longer she pushed herself, the more she realized that something was missing. A piece of herself, something that had been locked away for far too long, was tugging at her, calling her to remember.
And then, there was Reis.
She couldn't avoid him forever. Not after Clara's message, not after everything they had been to each other. The past was a lingering shadow, one she could try to outrun, but never quite escape.
Her fingers hovered over her phone again. She hadn't replied to Clara's message. She hadn't been able to bring herself to do it.
But now, in the quiet of her apartment, Leya found herself typing.
"I'll meet him."
She sent it, and almost immediately, her heart started to race. What had she just agreed to? She didn't even know where he was, what he was doing, how much time had passed since they last spoke. All she knew was that the thought of seeing him again was both thrilling and terrifying in equal measure.
The idea of meeting Reis was like stepping into a dream she didn't know whether to wake from or live in. There was so much history between them, so many unspoken words, so much left unresolved. How did they even begin again after everything?
Her mind wandered to that summer, the one that had changed everything. They had been so young, so naive, believing that love alone could bridge the gap between who they were and who they wanted to be. But that summer, something had broken, something that neither of them could fix. Their paths had diverged, and she had convinced herself that it was for the best.
But was it?
The truth was, the years apart had only solidified what she already knew: no matter where she went, no matter how far she ran, she would always carry him with her.
Later that week...
Leya found herself in a small café, a place she had frequented in her college days. She remembered sitting here, talking with Reis about dreams, about the future, about everything they hoped for. It was supposed to be their little secret spot, but now, it felt like a ghost of a time long gone.
She had arrived early, just as she had always done, but now, her fingers nervously drummed on her coffee cup. She wasn't sure what she expected from this meeting, but she didn't think it would be easy.
Minutes later, the door opened, and there he was. Reis. The same Reis she had known—older, different, yet somehow still the same. His eyes met hers, and for a moment, neither of them moved. There was something electric in the air between them, something that neither time nor distance could erase.
Leya stood up, her heart pounding in her chest. She had imagined this moment a thousand times, but none of those times had prepared her for the reality of it.
"Leya," Reis said, his voice as familiar as it was distant. "It's been too long."
Her breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, she couldn't speak. The words she had prepared seemed to slip away, leaving only the raw, unfiltered truth between them.
"I didn't expect to see you here," she finally managed, her voice soft, almost uncertain.
Reis smiled, a small, bittersweet smile that tugged at Leya's heart. "Neither did I."
They sat down across from each other, and for a moment, there was only silence. The years between them felt like an ocean, vast and unbridgeable. And yet, in this small, quiet café, they had found their way back to each other, somehow.
"So, what's been going on with you?" Reis asked, breaking the silence.
Leya hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal, how much of herself she was willing to share. She had changed. She wasn't the person he remembered, and neither was he. But something told her that in this moment, she didn't have to explain everything. Not yet.
"I've been... trying to figure things out," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Work. Life. All of it. It feels like I'm running in circles sometimes."
Reis nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "I get it. Life has a way of making you feel lost."
"I think I've always been lost," Leya admitted, her eyes meeting his. "I thought I knew who I was, but now... I'm not so sure anymore."
He reached across the table, his hand hovering just above hers. "You're not alone in that, Leya. You never were."
His words felt like a balm to a wound she hadn't known was still there. For a moment, it was as if no time had passed at all. As if they were the same two people they had been all those years ago, sitting here, dreaming of a future they couldn't yet see.
But things had changed. Life had shaped them into who they were now—who they needed to be.
And maybe, just maybe, they could find their way back to each other. But that would take more than just the passage of time. It would take understanding. It would take healing. And most of all, it would take the courage to face the things they'd left unresolved.