The Years Between Us
Time passed — slow at first, then all at once.
Fabiola finished high school and left for college in San Francisco. She studied design, worked part-time in a small boutique, and surrounded herself with new faces and new dreams.
But no matter how much her world changed, one thing never did: Ben.
At first, they talked every day — video calls that lasted until sunrise, letters filled with sketches and doodles, messages that said "miss you" even when they'd already said it a hundred times before.
But as months turned into years, the time zones grew heavier.
His replies came slower. Her calls went unanswered. Life — relentless and unpredictable — began to stretch the space between them.
And still, she never stopped waiting.
Every birthday, every first snowfall, every sleepless night — she looked at the stars and whispered his name, trusting that somewhere across the ocean, he was doing the same.
London changed Ben.
He grew taller, quieter, more thoughtful. He went to university, started training with a local football team, and tried to fill the space Fabiola had left behind with everything else — but nothing worked.
She was in his sketchbook margins, in the songs he listened to, in the quiet moments between practices when he caught himself staring at the sky.
Sometimes he'd write her messages and delete them before hitting send.
Other times, he'd start a video call, then end it when he saw how tired she looked from studying.
He wanted to reach across the ocean and hold her — but all he could do was hold onto the memory of her voice.
Years passed this way — full of "almosts" and "not yets."
Until one day, everything changed.
It was late November when Fabiola got the news.
Mrs. Mark had called. "Ben's coming home," she said over the phone, her voice trembling with joy.
Fabiola froze. "When?"
"Next week. He's done with his degree — he's finally coming back for good."
Her heart pounded. For the first time in years, she didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
She hadn't seen him in almost five years.
Would he still remember her laugh? Her favorite ice cream flavor? The promises they'd made on that summer hill?
She didn't know. But she did know one thing — she never stopped loving him.