The sky was heavy with clouds, a deep gray stretching over the skyline of Los Angeles. The scent of rain lingered in the cool air, the kind of evening that felt both lonely and comforting at the same time.

Elena pulled her coat tighter around her as she hurried down the crowded sidewalk. Her heels clicked against the wet pavement, her thoughts a restless storm in her mind.

Five years. It had been five years since she walked these streets, yet every corner felt like a whisper from the past. The laughter, the late-night drives, the quiet promises made under city lights—and him.

Her fingers curled into fists inside her coat pocket. Would he even recognize me? Or am I just a ghost from his past?

As she turned the familiar corner near the old bookstore, raindrops began to fall. She sighed, realizing she had forgotten an umbrella. Some things never change.

Just as she was about to duck into a nearby café for shelter, a voice cut through the sound of the rain.

"You still forget to carry an umbrella, don't you?"

She froze.

That voice.

Deep. Familiar. Unmistakable.

Slowly, she turned around.

There he was.

Liam.

Her breath hitched. He looked different—older, sharper, more confident—but his eyes? His eyes were exactly the same. Intense, thoughtful, filled with unspoken words.

The boy she had left behind was now a man.

What do I even say?

"Hey, it's been a while?" Too casual.

"I missed you?" That would be a lie, because missing him wasn't enough—she had never stopped thinking about him.

Before she could say anything, he tilted his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "You're not going to say anything?"

Elena swallowed. "I… didn't expect to see you."

"Neither did I." His gaze flickered over her, as if searching for something. Maybe answers. Maybe the girl he used to know. "But here we are."

She forced a small, awkward smile. "You still carry an umbrella, I see."

Liam let out a low chuckle. "Old habits die hard." Without hesitation, he stepped closer, holding it over both of them. "Come on, I'll walk you."

She hesitated for just a second before stepping under the umbrella beside him. Why does this feel so natural? Like I never left?

They walked in silence, the rain forming a steady rhythm around them. Every step felt like balancing on a fragile thread between past and present.

After a while, Liam spoke. "So, how long are you staying?"

Elena bit her lip. "I… don't know yet."

She noticed his grip tighten on the umbrella handle. "Five years, Elena." His voice was calm, but there was something heavy underneath it. "You disappeared without a word. And now, you don't know how long you're staying?"

Guilt pressed against her chest. She had expected this. She had rehearsed this conversation a hundred times in her head.

But now that she was here, facing him, everything she had planned to say felt meaningless.

"Liam, I—"

But he stopped walking, turning to face her completely. "Why did you leave?"

Elena felt her breath catch.

The question she had been dreading. The answer she had been running from.

She could lie. Tell him something simple, something that wouldn't hurt.

Or she could tell the truth.

That she left because she was scared. Because she thought she was protecting him.

Because she never stopped loving him.

The rain continued to fall around them, but for Elena, time had stopped.

What would she say?