reunion
He noticed her within minutes of his toes hitting the sand. How he knew that it was her he’ll never quite understand but there was no mistaking the pull on his heart and the sting in his chest. He had been back for months and he had yet to run into her. Not at the theater, the grocery stores, not even her favorite coffee shop. He knew she hadn’t left for he would have heard. The town loved to talk even when the words shouldn’t be said; always weaving their stories differently each time. It was like a disease but everybody loved the symptoms. He knew why she hadn’t been around: she knew he was looking and he knew she didn’t want to be found. When he came home he found out her mother had passed about a month before and she had slipped into a state of seclusion. Not entirely closed off, but she wasn’t here. He’d left for the city nearly 2 years ago arriving home 3 months before. She had never left his mind no matter the time or day, what mood he was in or how the weather was outside...