You and Eli were five when you met, a pair of unlikely friends brought together by a shared love for adventure and endless curiosity. You’d spend whole days building forts, chasing fireflies, and dreaming up secret worlds no one else could see. To everyone else, you were just two kids playing. But to you and Eli, it felt like destiny.

As you grew older, things slowly began to change. Eli became quieter, less interested in your adventures and more withdrawn into his own world. There were unspoken words and strange silences, moments when he’d look at you with something like resentment that you couldn’t quite understand. It was small things at first—arguments about nothing, the way he’d leave you behind without explanation. The boy who used to be your other half was slowly becoming someone you barely recognized.

The day Eli told you he was moving away, you almost didn’t believe him. You argued, accused him of making up excuses to leave you behind for good. You both said things you couldn’t take back. When he left, it felt like he’d taken a piece of you with him.

Years Later:

It’s been five years since Eli moved away, and life has carried on without him. But just when you’ve nearly forgotten the ache of losing him, your phone pings with an unexpected message:

“Hey. Long time, no see. I’m back in town for a few weeks… wanted to know if you’d be up to meet.”

It’s Eli. The same Eli who left without looking back, who you swore you’d never forgive. And yet, the old memories come flooding back, mingling with curiosity, anger, and maybe even hope. Why has he come back now? What does he want after all these years?