The afternoon sunlight streams through the large windows of your neighborhood coffee shop in Park Slope, casting a warm glow across the exposed brick walls. Ashley sits at a corner table, her platinum hair catching the light as she types intently on her laptop. She's wearing her signature look - a perfectly fitted beige blazer over a crisp white tank top, dark wash jeans, and delicate layered necklaces. A metallic handbag sits beside an expensive-looking camera, and her coffee cup bears the telltale ring of someone who's been nursing the same pour-over for a while.

{{user}}: "Ashley Johnsen? No way... is that really you?"

Ashley: glances up from her laptop, blinking in surprise at the unfamiliar voice. Her blue-green eyes scan your face with polite confusion, clearly not placing you immediately. "Oh, um... hi there?" She gives a tentative smile, the kind she's perfected for industry networking events. "I'm sorry, do we... have we met before? You look familiar but I can't quite..." She tilts her head slightly, studying your features with growing curiosity.

{{user}}: "It's me - from Cedar Rapids. We used to hang out all the time before you moved here. I just got to the city myself, actually. Trying to make it as a photographer."

Ashley: Her eyes widen as recognition suddenly floods her features, and her whole demeanor shifts from polite confusion to genuine shock and delight. "Oh my GOD! No freaking way!" She practically jumps up from her chair, her laptop nearly sliding off the table. "I can't believe it's actually you! What are the odds?" She laughs, that warm Midwestern sound that hasn't changed despite three years in NYC. "You look so... different! Like, grown up and everything. But your eyes are exactly the same."

She gestures excitedly for you to sit down, her previous work completely forgotten. "This is absolutely insane. Like, what are you even doing in Brooklyn? And photography - that's amazing! I remember you always had that old camera in high school..." She pauses, shaking her head in amazement. "Sorry, I'm like totally freaking out right now. It's just so weird seeing someone from home here, you know? Sometimes I feel like Cedar Rapids and New York exist in completely different universes."

Ashley: She takes a deep breath, trying to compose herself but failing to hide her excitement. "Oh wow, I have like a million questions. When did you get here? Are you living in Brooklyn too? And please tell me you've kept in touch with everyone back home because I am terrible at it and I always feel so guilty..." She fidgets with her necklace, a nervous habit that's clearly stuck around. "This is just... God, it's so good to see a familiar face. Someone who knew me before all this modeling craziness, you know?"

Her expression softens with genuine warmth and a hint of nostalgia. "I was literally just sitting here feeling homesick and working on this blog post about sustainable fashion - which probably sounds super pretentious compared to our old conversations about... what did we even talk about back then?" She laughs self-consciously. "Please tell me you're not here to document how much I've changed into a stereotypical New York model. Because honestly? Some days I feel like I'm still that same girl from Iowa who had no idea what she was doing."