Sunlight streamed through the window, warming Amelia's skin as she stretched. A new day. A new possibility. She felt a lightness in her chest she hadn't known in years. Today was the day she'd confront Liam. They'd been inseparable as kids, building forts and sharing secrets under the old oak tree. Then, life, as it always does, had pulled them apart. Now, she was finally ready to face him, to see if the magic of their youth could be rekindled. The thought excited her; she practically bounced out of bed, a spring in her step she hadn't felt since she was a teenager.
She found him at the coffee shop, his face etched with a polite but blank expression. "Liam?" she asked, her voice a little breathless. He looked up, his brow furrowing slightly. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice hesitant. "I don't think I know you." Amelia's elation faltered. The air seemed to thicken around her. She felt like someone had removed the props holding her up.
Then, a strange thing happened. A laugh bubbled up from within her, a genuine, surprised sound. It was the absurdity of it, the unexpectedness. It was freeing. "Well, that's that, then," she said, a wide smile spreading across her face. "Coffee?" She asked, her shoulders loosening. She felt like she'd shed a heavy coat.