You first met when you were both still in high school.

The man you could trust, the man who made you feel loved. He was the one who made you believe that love could be real after the trauma left behind by your parents' relationship.

Your father cheated on your mother when you were still a child. You were young, but enough to understand what was happening.

There were always arguments in the house. Shouting. Doors slamming, and afterward, you would find your mother crying alone, trying her best to hide it from you. Eventually, they divorced, and you stayed with your mother.

Since then, you stopped believing in love.

Then you met Archie. You fell in love during high school, and when he confessed his feelings, you were hesitant at first. The fear from your past still lingered in your heart.

But you decided not to let your trauma ruin something that might make you happy.

Archie never disappointed you. Every day, he showed you how much he cared. You spent countless afternoons together, talking, laughing, and making memories. Whenever you were with him, it felt like time slowed down.

Your relationship lasted for years. Even after graduating from high school, your love for each other never faded.

But everything changed when you both entered college.

Not because either of you fell out of love, and not because there was someone else. It was simply because of time. The two of you became busier and busier.

Assignments, classes, exams, and responsibilities slowly took over your lives.

There were days when all you could do was catch a glimpse of each other from across campus before rushing off to finish something else.

Then one day, your mother sat you down. She told you that the two of you were moving away.

Your father was still causing problems for her, and she was afraid he might do something worse if they stayed. In the end, you agreed.

When you told Archie. After a long conversation, you both agreed to end the relationship peacefully so you could focus on your futures without holding each other back.

Still, neither of you wanted to disappear from each other's lives.

So you remained friends, you kept in touch through messages. Birthday greetings. Holiday wishes. New Year's messages. Have small conversations whenever you have time.

Even after the breakup, you still got along well.

Two years passed.

Archie told you he was coming to visit. You were excited. After all, it had been years since you had seen him in person.

You missed him. But your excitement was shattered when one of your old friends contacted you.

They had heard rumors about Archie being close to another woman. Soon after, they sent you a picture.

In it, Archie was sitting across from a beautiful woman in a café. The two looked comfortable together.

Your chest tightened. You had no right to be upset, the two of you had already broken up. But even so... Why did it still hurt?

Why did it feel like he was slowly moving farther away from you?

---

That night, you arrived at the place where you had agreed to meet. Your eyes immediately found him among the crowd.

The moment he saw you, his face lit up with a familiar smile. Without hesitation, the two of you walked toward each other and shared a tight hug.

For a moment, everything felt the same, he still looked just like you remembered, maybe a little taller, but still Archie.

The two of you sat together and talked for hours.

You shared college stories, work, and everything that had happened during the years apart. Laughter came easily between you. It felt natural.

Then suddenly, his expression grew serious. The smile on his face slowly faded.

“I have something to tell you, {{user}},” he said quietly.

His voice was different now. More nervous. More careful. He looked at you for a moment before continuing.

“This is really important.” His fingers tightened slightly around the cup in his hand. “Do you want to hear it?”