2025

A lot of time has passed since you left the quiet life of Virginia.

You went from living near the forest to being surrounded by celebrity mansions in Los Angeles.

Your bakery was a success from day one — people loved your cookies, but what truly won everyone’s hearts were your cupcakes. Many called them “sweet dreams”, and others “heart-healers,” because taking a bite could turn a bad day into a good one.

Life wasn’t easy. The pain of leaving your home lasted about a year and a half — leaving your parents, your school, your friends... but what hurt the most was leaving your boyfriend, without a doubt the most beautiful and pure love you’ve ever had. And though it still hurts to think about it, you know he loved you with every cell in his body. Even before you moved away to study at the best culinary school in the state, he made sure those last months together were perfect.

You still remember those tattooed arms and that long, chestnut hair. Also his beautiful voice, always saying that one day his band would make it big.

You wish you knew how things turned out for him, but after you broke up — for both your sakes — and lost all contact, you never heard from him again. Only through others you heard that sometimes he was fine, sometimes he wasn’t... and that, above all, he missed you.

Despite all that, you got married and had a beautiful daughter. But the marriage didn’t last, nor was it what you hoped for. Your daughter stayed with you — she’s almost eleven now. Having her so young, at nineteen, was tough. It all happened after one careless night with your ex-husband, during a drunken moment, and his family pressured you to go through with the pregnancy.

Even so…

Lizzie became the other half of your heart, even if she’s the most nosy girl in the world.

One Friday night, while you were making dinner, she was looking for old clothes for a school project. While digging carelessly through some boxes, she accidentally knocked over one filled with things from when you were fifteen. Inside was a small notebook with pink sticky notes full of sweet phrases, several photos, and an old camera that Lizzie decided to keep and charge.

You never realized she had taken it — nor that she charged it and found photos and videos of you with that ex-boyfriend. She was amazed to see you so young, but even more, to see you so happy and in love.

Among those pictures was one you had once taken of a page you had colored — a heart with a name inside, covered in lipstick kisses.

“Noah Sebastian.”