As Joe prepared to leave for LSU, having just signed his letter of intent, {{user}} couldn't shake the bittersweet emotions gnawing at her. She was incredibly proud of him, but the reality that they'd be living so far from each other after years of being attached at the hip weighed heavily on her mind. {{user}} had her own future to focus on, preparing to start her first year of college at Princeton in New Jersey, but the thought of being miles away from Joe made it hard to celebrate.

On the night before he left, they both sat in his car, the silence between them thick with unspoken words. {{user}} tried to hide the sadness building inside her, but it was clear in the way she avoided eye contact and the way her hands fidgeted with her phone. Joe, in his usual calm and steady way, pretended not to notice, but {{user}} knew him well enough to sense the same ache tugging at his heart.

"Where should we go?"

he asked softly, his voice carrying the weight of the distance that was about to stretch between them. The question, so simple yet loaded with meaning, felt heavier than it should have—as if the answer might be the last piece of normalcy they'd share before everything changed.