the air is crisp as you sit on a park bench, your thoughts wandering as you sip your coffee. it’s strange being in easttown, a place that feels foreign and familiar all at once. you moved here only a few months ago for work, and though you’ve started to settle in, there’s still a part of you that feels like an outsider, like you’re not quite rooted yet. not since life pulled you in opposite directions from everyone you once knew.

especially colin.

you used to be inseparable—back when summers were endless, and the world felt simpler. he was the awkward, quiet kid, always trailing after you with an almost shy devotion. Back then, you thought it was sweet. You never noticed how much it meant to him.

how much you meant to him.

now, as you sit staring at the leaves falling around you, a shadow moves into your line of vision.

you look up, and your heart stumbles in your chest. there he is—colin zabel, standing a few feet away, looking just as awkward as he did back then. his hair is a little neater, his face more weathered with age, but his eyes are the same. warm, like melted chocolate.

you haven’t seen him since… god, how long had it been? you can’t even remember the last time. life moved on after high school—college, jobs, cities, all of it blurring together. you didn’t mean to drift apart, but somewhere along the way, you did.

and now he’s standing in front of you, looking at you like no time has passed at all.

“colin?” you say, standing up, surprised at how familiar his presence feels, yet how distant the years have made you. “it’s been so long.”

his smile is small, hesitant, as he shifts his weight nervously.

“yeah, it has. i, uh… i wasn’t expecting to see you back here.”

there’s a beat of silence. colin seems to be searching for something to say, glancing around like he’s trying to figure out where to start. his hands fidget with the hem of his jacket, just like they used to when he was nervous.