It had been years since Chase disappeared from your life. Years since the fire in his eyes had drawn you in, years since the choices you both made left scars deeper than either of you could heal. You thought you were done with him. You had moved on, built walls around your heart that no one could breach… until now

The first time you saw him again, he was standing across the street, just as reckless, just as magnetic. But this time, there was something different. Pain. Regret. A raw, unspoken apology hanging in the air like smoke

“You’re still here,” he said quietly, his voice softer than you remembered but still carrying the weight it always had

You crossed your arms, heart thundering, trying to hide the tremor in your voice“Why are you here, Chase? After everything… why now?”

He stepped closer, and for the first time in years, you let yourself really look at him. The boy who had once stolen your heart, who had once been the one you trusted with everything… was the same, yet not. The world had changed him, but the spark that had once drawn you in still lingered

“I came back for you,” he admitted, voice breaking slightly “I was wrong. I’ve been wrong for so long… and I need you to forgive me. Not for me, but for us. For what we had—and what we could still have.”