Suprise!!!

Two Years Later

Time doesn't heal all wounds. It just teaches you how to live with them.

Time moved slowly after Brian left.

For months, I was a wreck—like he had taken a piece of me with him, one I didn't know how to get back. How could he leave like that? So cruelly, so coldly? I didn't deserve that kind of pain. The silence he left behind was deafening, and for months, I drowned in it. I wanted answers, closure, something to make sense of why he disappeared without a word. But none ever came.

But as the seasons changed, so did I. I learned to breathe again, to live again. It was never the same, but I survived.

Adria helped. She came into my life when I needed her the most, piecing me back together in ways I didn't know I needed. She became the sister I never had, my safe place. Without her, I don't know where I'd be.

But nothing could have prepared me for today.

The Return

It's already past 1 p.m. when I finally roll out of bed, sore from the party Adria and I snuck out to last night. Worth it!. Still groggy, I shuffle to the bathroom, splash cold water on my face, and brush my teeth.

Downstairs, noise filters in from the kitchen—too much noise for a lazy Saturday afternoon. I barely register it as I head straight for the fridge, stomach growling.Food first. Everything else later.

Then, out of nowhere—

"Oh, Leah! I was just about to call you," my mom says, her voice oddly cheerful. "You won't believe who stopped by this morning!"

"Who?" I mumble, still searching for food.

Then a voice—a voice I haven't heard in two years—answers.

"Me."

The world stops.

I freeze. My fingers tighten around the fridge handle. For a second, I convinced myself I imagined it. That my brain is playing cruel tricks on me.

But I know that voice.

I'd know it anywhere.

Slowly, I turn.

And there he is.

Brian West.

Standing in my kitchen like he never left.

He's taller now, broader. Dressed in a black shirt and jeans, looking effortlessly good in the way that makes my stomach tighten with frustration. His dark curls are a little messier, his jawline sharper. And his eyes—they aren't the same warm brown I remember. They're darker now, unreadable, like shadows have settled inside them.

If I wasn't carrying years of anger and resentment, I'd probably be swooning right now. But I am furious. I am still hurt.

And the audacity of him—to stand here in my kitchen like nothing happened, Like he didn't tear my heart apart and leave me to pick up the pieces, like he didn't vanish without a word—makes me want to scream.

His gaze sweeps over me, and suddenly, I become painfully aware of what I look like—faded gray night shorts, an oversized t-shirt, and hair that's a tangled mess 

I hate that I care.

The silence stretches, thick with everything unsaid.

My mom, completely oblivious to the tension choking the room, claps her hands together. "Isn't this wonderful, honey? The Wests are back! And they'll be staying for a long time, isn't that right, Brian?"

His eyes never leave mine as he nods. "Exactly."

That voice. Deeper. More certain. More… something.

My stomach twists. My appetite vanishes.

I force a tight smile. "That's great."

Then I turn and walk away.

I don't ask him why he left.

I don't ask him why he's back.

I don't give him the satisfaction of knowing he still has an effect on me.

I just leave, because if I don't, I might break.

I barely make it to my room before my mom follows, brows furrowed in confusion.

"What was that?" she asks.

"What was what?"

She crosses her arms. "Leah, I was expecting something warmer. You two were inseparable before he left."

I swallow hard. If only she knew. But she doesn't—because I never told her the truth.

For two years, I let her believe that Brian and I were still close. That we talked. That he explained everything and I forgave him. Because how could I tell her what really happened? That he disappeared like a ghost, cutting me out of his life like I was nothing?

I couldn't. So I lied.

I plaster on a neutral expression. "We grew apart, but we're still cool." Half-truth.

She studies me for a second before nodding. "Good. Because I invited them over for dinner tonight."

My stomach plummets.

"What?" My voice comes out hoarse.

She smiles, oblivious. "It's been years! We need to catch up. It'll be fun."

Fun.

Yeah, because sitting across from the boy who shattered me without explanation sounds like a great time.

I nod, forcing a smile so she won't see how much I want to scream.

She leaves the room.

The second she's gone, I rush to my window, heart hammering.

Their car is parked outside.

Boxes are stacked on their driveway.

And then my eyes find his window.

It's open.

This isn't a joke.

This isn't a dream.

Brian West is back.

And I have nowhere to run.

Panic coils in my chest. I can't do this.

I throw on the first clothes I find, grab my bag, and bolt downstairs.

"Where are you going?" my mom calls from the kitchen.

"Out."

She frowns. "Be back before six."

Six.

Dinner.

Brian.

"Sure," I sigh, already halfway out the door.

I need Adria. I need air. I need to breathe.

But the second I step onto the porch, I feel it.

A presence.

A gaze.

Slowly, I turn toward the Wests' house.

And there he is.

Brian.

Standing on his porch, hands in his pockets, watching me.

Like he's waiting.

Like he knows I'll have to face him eventually.

And the worst part?

He's right.