Long-Awaited Hope

Lydia slowly stirred awake as the morning sunlight peeked through the gaps in her bedroom curtains. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, she let out a deep sigh, followed by a soft chuckle. She had just dreamt about her high school days—about Evander.

It had been years since she last thought about those moments with such clarity. In the dream, she was once again the teenage girl chasing after Evander, following him through the school hallways, finding excuses to talk to him, determined to win his heart. She had never really had a dream like that before, not so vividly, and she wondered if it was because of her recent interactions with him. Seeing him again, speaking with him, and facing the complicated past between them must have ignited something in her subconscious, bringing long-buried memories back to life.