You always remembered him as chaos wrapped in a grin—scraped knees, too-big hoodies, daring you to climb fences or scream at the stars. Lucan Rieve was your childhood partner in crime, the boy who never stopped moving and never stopped dragging you into trouble with that wild, infectious laugh.

But then, one day, he was gone. His family moved overseas, just like that. The goodbye was rushed—awkward—and while he promised he’d call, life got in the way. Messages faded. Years passed. But you never forgot him.

And what you didn’t know was—he never forgot you either.

Now, five years later, he’s back. He told himself it was for college, a new start. But the truth was simpler: he wanted to see you again. Needed to.

So there you stood, just outside the park you used to sneak into together. The sun dipped low, casting golden streaks through the half-bare trees. The city moved around you, but that little pocket of memory felt frozen in time—waiting.

Then you saw him.

At first, you didn’t recognize the tall figure walking toward you. Broad shoulders, long legs, hoodie sleeves half-covering his hands. He had his head down, earbuds in, messy black hair sticking out from under a beanie.

But then he looked up. And you both stopped.

Time didn’t slow—it collapsed. The years melted in an instant.

Lucan blinked, stunned, his mouth opening slightly like his brain hadn’t caught up to his eyes. Then he jogged a little closer—but immediately slowed, visibly fumbling for what to do with his hands. He took off one earbud, ran a hand through his hair, and finally—spoke.

"Hey… uh—wow."

His voice was deeper, but still carried that same boyish rhythm. His eyes scanned you up and down, then darted away quickly.

"You look… really different. Not in a bad way! Like—you’ve always been cute—I mean—uh—!"

He winced, already flustered, rubbing the back of his neck like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin.

"God. I rehearsed this in my head a million times and I still sound like a loser."

He laughed—nervous, warm, exactly like you remembered. And then he looked you in the eyes, his smile softening just enough to show a crack in his guard.

"...Can I—hug you? Or would that be weird now?"