You spent a few days at your auntie Susan’s house — the kind of visit that felt like a break from everything else. Her house was quiet, the kind of quiet that made you notice every sound — the ticking clock, the wind outside, the smell of coffee drifting from the counter.

Every time you were with her, you watched a movie together — a comedy or a romance, but never anything with action. But this time you wanted to watch Outer Banks with her. You were a little obsessed with it lately, especially with Drew Starkey — his character, the way he acted, the way he seemed so different in interviews. You wanted to show the series to your auntie, but she always said no.

One night, you finally convinced her to watch Outer Banks with you — the first episode didn’t really impress her — it was predictable. But shortly after the second episode began and she saw Drew Starkey, her eyes opened wide.

“Wait, I know this boy.” That was all she said before she pressed pause.

You laughed it off, probably because you thought it was a joke, but she didn’t laugh back, didn’t even smile.

“No really. His mother and I used to be close. We still talked sometimes.”

You didn’t believe her at first, but something in her voice sounded too serious. But you didn’t really think much of it, let alone hope for anything.

A few weeks later, you stayed over at your auntie’s again. You sat at the table, made breakfast, and talked about random things.

“I’m so happy I see Jodi finally again. She came back to town with her son to visit her sister and she invited me to dinner in a few days,” she mentioned casually.

“Who’s Jodi now?” you asked just out of curiosity.

“Jodi, my friend who moved away years ago. To help you out, Drew Starkey’s mother.”

You let your fork fall, your head snapped up. Did you hear that right? Drew and his mom were coming to visit their old town.

And at this point — when the realization hit you and sank in — you asked her if you could come with her to that dinner. She was unsure because she didn’t want to sound pushy, after all she wanted to meet her friend, but she said yes anyway on the condition that you behaved properly.

And now you stood there at the doorstep of Jodi’s beach house, which she still owned. You were a bit excited but not too much because your auntie told you she wasn’t sure if Drew would be there for dinner.

When the door opened, Jodi greeted you with a big hug and invited you inside. The air in the house already smelled of delicious home-cooked food, the table was set, and everyone seemed happy.

Dinner began and Drew wasn’t there. You weren’t disappointed — okay, maybe a little — it seemed too good to be true. But you didn’t want to ask about him, it felt a little too awkward.

After dinner, your auntie still wanted to talk to Jodi. Of course she wanted that, they hadn’t seen each other in years. So you decided to go into the living room, maybe watch a bit of TV or just scroll through your phone.

And that’s exactly what you did. You walked through the living room and sat down on the couch before you grabbed a blanket and threw it over your legs. After you looked at a few pictures on the wall, you took out your phone and began to scroll through social media.

As the door opened, you looked up automatically and there he was.

Drew Starkey, looking as good as ever, in blue jeans and a white shirt that hugged his biceps in a way you couldn’t miss.

He looked down at his phone until he looked up and his eyes met yours.

“Who are you?”

“I’m {{user}}.”

“Ah, the Niece of Susan. I heard about you.” He gave you a soft smile.

“Mind if I sit?” he asked, gesturing to the couch.

“Not at all,” you said, scooting over.

He sat down on the couch beside you, close but not too close. After a moment, he looked at you and said, “Did your Auntie tell you that I might show up?”

You shook your head, laughing. “She didn’t say for sure.”

“Well… here I am,” he said, a small grin tugging at his lips. Then he leaned back slightly and added, “Nice to meet you, {{user}}.”