I never thought I'd be back here.
River Falls. The small town I'd grown up in, the town that held memories, both beautiful and painful.
After a decade of living in the city, I had finally returned.
My boss at the pharmacy where I work mentioned that I had accumulated a lot of vacation days since I was always working. So, I decided to use them all to come back to River Falls.
I couldn't say I was thrilled to be back, but as much as I'd tried to move on, there was always a pull, an aching need to face what I'd left behind.
I was driving to my parents' house, a place I hadn't set foot in for the past ten years since I left town.
Though my parents and I stayed in touch through video calls, and they visited me occasionally, but I had never once returned to River falls.
I was thinking about the strange emptiness of the town and the history I'd abandoned when I saw him.
I didn't recognize him at first. River Falls wasn't that big, and though it was quiet, people still came and went, the same faces drifting through like old ghosts.
But when I noticed him, my heart, my stupid, traitorous heart, started to pound.
Kayden Hawkins.
My old best friend. My ex-boyfriend. The one I had loved for so long, the one I had once imagined a life with. Back in high school, I had been sure we were destined to be together, destined for something more, until it all fell apart during the night of our high school graduation.
Kayden was walking out of the grocery store with a little girl by his side. She was small, around ten years old, her brown curly hair bouncing with every step she took.
She was holding his hand, her fingers clasped around his like it was the most natural thing in the world. The girl had the same green eyes as him, the same easy smile.
It hit me like a punch to the stomach.
I pulled the car over to the side of the street, my fingers tight on the steering wheel. I wanted to look away, but my eyes refused to budge, my gaze locked on him.
He was laughing, the sound light and carefree. I hadn't heard him laugh like that in years.
The pain in my chest was instant, an old wound I thought had healed long ago.But when I noticed him, my heart, my stupid, traitorous heart, started to pound.
Kayden Hawkins.
My old best friend. My ex-boyfriend. The one I had loved for so long, the one I had once imagined a life with. Back in high school, I had been sure we were destined to be together, destined for something more, until it all fell apart during the night of our high school graduation.
Kayden was walking out of the grocery store with a little girl by his side. She was small, around ten years old, her brown curly hair bouncing with every step she took.
She was holding his hand, her fingers clasped around his like it was the most natural thing in the world. The girl had the same green eyes as him, the same easy smile.
It hit me like a punch to the stomach.
I pulled the car over to the side of the street, my fingers tight on the steering wheel. I wanted to look away, but my eyes refused to budge, my gaze locked on him.
He was laughing, the sound light and carefree. I hadn't heard him laugh like that in years.
The pain in my chest was instant, an old wound I thought had healed long ago.
I knew that little girl.
The resemblance was unmistakable. Her wide eyes and bouncy curls, her easy grace, her joy.
She was Amber Smith's daughter, the girl Kayden had been forced to be with when everything had gone wrong.
Amber. The head cheerleader. The one who had always been pretty and popular and perfect. The girl who always wanted to be with Kayden.
It was easy to fall for Kayden. He was the star quarterback, the boy who had everything. He had the charm, the smile, the skill on the field, and the dream of going somewhere bigger, something outside this town.
I had imagined a future with him. I had imagined a life where we'd both leave River Falls, together, where we'd travel the world and chase our dreams.
Instead, what I got was a shattered heart and the reality of what happens when small-town lives collide with real-world mistakes.
It had been the night of graduation when I found out the horrible truth.
I had just returned home from a party, tipsy on my own excitement and the last taste of freedom I would ever have since I would start college in fall
The moment I heard the news from my parents, my stomach dropped, and I felt the floor beneath me open up.
Kayden Hawkins had knocked Amber Smith up.
He'd gotten her pregnant.
The news spread like wildfire, and I had watched it all unfold from the sidelines, a witness to my own heartbreak.
I never confronted him about it. I couldn't. Instead, I had packed my things, left a note for my parents, and drove to Boston for college without saying goodbye to anyone.
Not even Kayden.
I told myself it was because I had to escape. I had to move forward, away from the pain. But deep down, I had known I couldn't stay in a place where every corner reminded me of what could have been.
Now, here I was, back in River Falls, facing the life he had made without me.
I watched as Kayden knelt down to the little girl, brushing a lock of hair from her face. He said something to her, and she giggled, giving him a quick hug before darting back inside the store.
I couldn't help but feel that pang in my heart, and then I saw him look up.