The Sound of You

Lena hadn’t expected to return to her hometown. The idea of it had always been something of a distant thought, a chapter she never really wanted to revisit. Yet here she was, standing at the front door of the small house on Hawthorne Street, the one she had grown up in.

She inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of pine and the faint hint of damp earth. The air in her hometown had always felt different—familiar in a way that tugged at the heart, like a song you hadn’t heard in years but still knew all the words to.

The move was temporary. Her mother had fallen ill, and Lena had come back to help take care of her. But even so, it was hard not to feel like an intruder in her own life. So much had changed since the last time she’d been here, but some things, like the creak of the porch steps and the ivy creeping along the fence, felt like they hadn’t moved an inch.

She hadn’t seen him in years.

Lena had tried to avoid thinking about Aaron. He had been the boy next door, the one who had once filled her world with laughter and warmth. But somewhere along the way, their paths had diverged. Life had taken her to the city, while he had stayed here, in the same town, building the life he’d always dreamed of. They had both grown in different directions, and though they’d promised to keep in touch, time had eroded the connection between them.

As Lena stepped inside the house, she felt the familiar presence of her mother’s things—her favorite chair by the window, the old oak dining table, and the photographs on the walls. But one thing stood out, and it made her stop in her tracks.

There, on the mantle, was a picture of her and Aaron, taken during the summer they’d graduated high school. They were both laughing, sitting on the hood of his old car, the sun setting behind them in a perfect wash of gold and pink. She could almost hear the sound of his voice in that moment—easy, full of life, as if the world was theirs to conquer.

But it wasn’t. At least not for her.

A knock on the door snapped her out of her reverie. She wasn’t expecting anyone, but when she opened it, there he was—Aaron, standing on the other side, looking as handsome as ever.

“Lena?” His voice was soft, and there was a moment of hesitation in his eyes. “I—I heard you were back in town. I thought I’d stop by, see how you were doing.”

Lena’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected him to come here, and she wasn’t quite sure what to say. Her words felt stuck somewhere between her chest and her throat, but she managed to smile.

“I didn’t think you’d be the one to come knocking,” she said, stepping aside to let him in.

Aaron smiled, a little shy, as if the years that had passed had put a certain distance between them. “I wasn’t sure what kind of welcome I’d get,” he admitted. “I mean… it’s been a while.”

“Ten years,” Lena said softly, looking at him, really looking at him for the first time since that summer. “A lot can happen in ten years.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I guess so.”

There was an awkward silence between them, the years of separation making everything feel unfamiliar yet undeniably intimate. But then, just like that, they were back. The easy camaraderie, the comfort in each other’s presence, the shared history that neither of them could erase, no matter how much time had passed.

“I’m sorry about your mom,” Aaron said after a moment. “I heard from my mom. If you need help with anything, just… let me know.”

Lena nodded, grateful for the offer. “Thank you, Aaron. That means a lot.”

They talked for a while longer, catching up on the mundane details of their lives. The conversation flowed, and the tension between them gradually faded. It felt natural. Like no time had passed at all.

But when the topic of the past came up, it was hard for either of them to avoid it.

“I saw the picture,” Lena said, her voice barely above a whisper. “The one on the mantle.”

Aaron’s face softened at the mention of it. “Yeah. I never could bring myself to take it down. It’s… one of my favorite memories.”

Lena bit her lip, her heart aching in her chest. “I miss that. I miss us.”

Aaron looked down, his hands fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “I miss it too, Lena. I never understood why we stopped… talking. I mean, I get it. Life happened. But it always felt like there was unfinished business between us.”

She swallowed hard. The words she had never said, the feelings she had never fully expressed, were bubbling to the surface. “I left because I thought I had to. I thought if I stayed, I’d be stuck here forever, and I couldn’t live like that. I had to go, Aaron. But leaving you behind—it… it tore me apart.”

Aaron’s gaze softened as he took a step closer to her. “You were never stuck, Lena. And I’ve never wanted you to feel like you had to leave me behind.”

“I thought I was doing what was best for me,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “But now that I’m here, I realize… I’ve missed you. More than I ever let myself admit.”

Aaron reached out, gently cupping her face in his hands. The touch was warm, familiar, and it made her heart race. “You don’t have to miss me, Lena,” he said quietly. “I’m right here.”

She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, and for the first time in years, she let herself breathe. The ache in her chest slowly melted away, replaced with something much warmer, something much more real.

When she opened her eyes, Aaron was leaning down, his lips brushing against hers. It wasn’t a fiery kiss, but a slow, tender one—one that spoke of everything they had lost, and everything they had found again.

They pulled away, both breathless.

“Maybe we could try this again,” Lena said softly, her fingers tracing the lines of his hand.

Aaron smiled, a warmth in his eyes that made her heart flutter. “I was hoping you’d say that.”