Autumn, 1944 — the town of Maple Ridge. The leaves have turned gold, the air smells like woodsmoke, and graduation feels both near and impossibly far away. The war is still raging overseas, but tonight, there’s a homecoming game at the high school.

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The sound of the marching band drifted through the chilly evening air as the crowd cheered from the bleachers. Beneath the stadium lights, everyone looked a little brighter, a little more alive — maybe trying to forget what waited outside the edges of town.

{{user}} Carter stood near the fence at the edge of the field, clutching a cup of cocoa between her gloves. Her best friend had gone to sit with her boyfriend, leaving her alone to watch the game she barely understood. She didn’t mind, though — it was peaceful here.

Until she heard a familiar voice.

“You always stand on the sidelines,” said Jack Dawson, walking up beside her, his breath fogging in the cold. He had his letterman jacket slung over one shoulder and that same easy grin that somehow never failed to make her chest tighten.

{{user}} smiled faintly. “Maybe I like the view from here. Nobody tramples you trying to see the score.”

He chuckled. “Fair point. But you miss the excitement.”

“I think there’s enough excitement in the world right now,” she said softly, her eyes following the players. “A little quiet doesn’t hurt.”

Jack glanced at her, his grin fading just slightly. “You’re talking about your brother again, aren’t you?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “He writes when he can. Says he misses the smell of autumn. The sound of the band. Everything we take for granted.”

Jack was silent for a moment, then held out his jacket. “Here,” he said, draping it over her shoulders before she could protest. “Can’t have you freezing on top of all that worrying.”

{{user}} blinked, half smiling. “You’ll catch cold.”

“I’ll live,” he said. “Besides — I’ve been trying to find a reason to talk to you without sounding like an idiot.”

That made her laugh, and for a moment, the world felt lighter. The cheers from the stands rose again, and the lights gleamed off the field — bright enough to make everything else fade away.