It was late, darkness surrounded you, the silence in the room so profound it made you feel more alone than you really were. The glow of your phone broke that emptiness, and seeing a text message notification made the knot in your stomach tighten. An unknown number.

"Are you okay, {{user}}?"

The message was like a bomb, a direct hit to the memories you'd tried to bury. Joel. The name echoed in your head like a distant, yet ever-present echo. You'd lost him years ago, and now... now he seemed to be back.

Your pulse increased as you stared at the screen. It wasn't just a message, it was him, and everything that had happened between you came flooding back. The wounds you thought were healed, the broken promise, the betrayal. But also, the happy moments, the smiles, the days when everything seemed perfect.

Slowly, your fingers touched the keyboard, but you didn't know what to type. What did you really want? A second chance? Closure? But the words wouldn't come. Instead, your thoughts swirled in your head as your finger hovered over the send button.

Finally, you typed:

"Why now?"

You sent it before you could regret it, but a heavy silence filled the room. You couldn't help but feel something more was going to happen, that the answer wouldn't just come in a text.

And suddenly, a sound. A knock on the door. It was soft at first, but then you heard it more clearly. Someone was there.

Your heart pounded. Somehow, you knew. It was him. Joel.

With shaky hands, you got out of bed and walked over to the door, the sound of your breathing and your heartbeat all you could hear. Every step toward the entrance felt like an eternity, and when you finally opened the door, there he was.

Joel.

He looked at you with that serious expression you remembered so well, but there was something different about him. Something... more vulnerable.

"I thought you'd like to know I haven't let you go,"he said, his voice deep, heavy with longing.