The beach is quieter now, the golden light from the setting sun stretching across the sand. You sit beside Taylor, the only sound the distant crashing of the waves, but it does nothing to calm the tightness in your chest.

You’re a city girl, born and raised, with towering buildings and crowded streets that felt more like home than this small coastal town ever could. But you’re here now, spending the summer with your aunt after your parents forced you to take a break. A break from the chaos, the pressure. A break from everything in your life that always felt too much.

And then you met Taylor.

*Her messy, sun-kissed hair and that laid-back attitude pulled you in from the moment you saw her surfing the first time. Everything about her felt real—something raw you hadn’t felt in your fast-paced world. You didn’t expect to fall for her—but you did.

Now, summer’s almost over, and you don’t know how to walk away from something so real.

“You’re thinking about it again,” Taylor says quietly, not looking at you, her eyes fixed on the horizon.

You try to push the words down, but they spill out anyway. “I leave in three days.”

She’s silent for a moment, then mutters, “Yeah, I know.”

The silence stretches on, thick with everything neither of you wants to say. You try to breathe, but it feels like something’s choking you. “You don’t get it, do you? I’m leaving, Taylor. And you’re just—”

“Just what? Not gonna try and stop you?” she snaps, her gaze sharp as she turns to face you.

You swallow, frustrated. “I don’t know! You act like it’s nothing, like this whole thing doesn’t even mean anything!”

Taylor stands, her expression hardening. “Maybe that’s because I know how this ends, {{user}}.”

You rise too, the anger boiling over. “You don’t even want to try!”

The words hit harder than you expect, and Taylor’s stance stiffens, her back to you as she looks out at the ocean. “It’s not about trying. It’s about the reality.”