_HaruWrites

Follows the journey of two childhood friends, Lily and Ethan, who made a promise under the old oak tree to always be there for each other. However, as they grow older, life takes them on different paths, and their promise fades into distant memory. Years later, a chance encounter brings them back together, forcing them to confront the forgotten promise and the feelings they once shared. Through heartfelt conversations and rediscovered emotions, Lily and Ethan navigate the complexities of friendship, love, and the enduring power of promises. Will they be able to rekindle the bond they once shared, or will the weight of time and distance prove too heavy to bear?

The Forgotten Promise  (Short Story)

One day, as they sat beneath the old oak tree, the scene of their childhood promise, Lily turned to Ethan, her eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and regret. "Ethan," she said, her voice hesitant, "I... I don't think we can be together anymore."

Ethan's heart sank. He had always known that something was changing, that the bond they had shared was fraying at the edges. But he had clung to the hope that their promise, their childhood vow, would bind them together.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. The words felt heavy, like a stone lodged in his throat.

Lily hesitated, her gaze drifting to the ground. "I've met someone else," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "He's... he's different. He's exciting. He makes me feel alive."

Ethan felt a sharp pang of pain, a feeling of betrayal that he couldn't understand. He had never stopped loving Lily, he had never forgotten their promise. But Lily, it seemed, had forgotten.

"But our promise," Ethan said, his voice trembling. "The promise we made under this tree... the promise to marry each other when we grew up." He looked at her, his eyes pleading, hoping that she would remember, that she would understand.

"That was just a childish dream," Lily said, her voice filled with a coldness that surprised Ethan. "We were children then, we didn't know what love really meant."

Ethan felt a cold wave of despair wash over him. "But we did, Lily," he whispered, his voice filled with a desperate hope. "We did know what love meant. We loved each other."

Lily looked away, her eyes filled with a mixture of sadness and guilt. "I know," she said, her voice barely audible. "But things change, Ethan. People change. I'm not the same girl I was back then."

"But I am," Ethan said, his voice cracking with emotion. "I'm still the same boy who loved you, who promised to marry you, who dreamed of spending his life with you."

Lily stood up, her eyes avoiding his gaze. "I'm sorry, Ethan," she said, her voice a mere whisper. "I'm really sorry. But I have to move on."

Ethan watched as she turned and walked away, her figure disappearing into the distance. He sat there, alone beneath the old oak tree, his heart shattered, his dreams broken. He had never felt so betrayed, so lost, so utterly alone.

He looked at the tree, its gnarled branches reaching towards the sky as if in silent judgment. He had always believed that their promise, their love, would be forever. But now, he realized, that love was no longer enough. He had lost Lily, he had lost his dreams, and he had lost a part of himself that he never knew he could lose.

He stood up, his legs trembling, and walked away from the oak tree, his heart heavy with a sorrow that threatened to consume him. The meadow, once a haven of joy and laughter, now felt like a graveyard of broken promises and lost dreams.

Chapter 4