The Return
It was a soft, cloudy afternoon when he returned.
Fabiola stood on her porch, clutching her sweater tightly around her, watching a black car pull up next door.
Ben stepped out, taller now, broader in the shoulders, his hair a little shorter — but his eyes… those same hazel eyes that had once made her forget how to breathe.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then he smiled — that slow, gentle smile she'd dreamed of for years. "Hey, Fab."
Her throat tightened. "Hey, stranger."
He laughed softly, the sound warm and familiar. "You look… different."
"So do you," she whispered.
He took a hesitant step forward. "Can I see you later? Maybe dinner?"
Fabiola nodded, her pulse racing. "Yeah. I'd like that."
That evening, they met at their favorite spot — the hill overlooking the ocean. The same place where they had said goodbye all those years ago.
The city lights shimmered below them, and the stars stretched endlessly above.
"I thought about this place every night," Ben said, his voice low.
"Me too," she admitted. "I used to come here sometimes. Just to feel close to you."
He turned toward her. "Did you ever stop loving me?"
She hesitated, then met his gaze. "No. I tried… but I couldn't."
Ben's eyes glistened. "Good. Because I didn't either."
Silence hung between them — not empty this time, but full.
Then he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small silver ring. "Remember when I promised I'd come back?"
Fabiola gasped softly.
"I kept it," he said. "Every game, every city — I carried it. Because I knew someday, I'd give it to you."
Tears filled her eyes as he took her hand. "Ben…"
He smiled through his own tears. "I don't have a big speech. I just know that I've loved you since that day you moved next door, and I don't ever want to stop."
He slipped the ring onto her finger.
Fabiola let out a shaky laugh, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're really bad at keeping distance, you know."
He laughed too, pulling her close. "Guess the stars didn't want us apart."
When their lips met again, it wasn't the kiss of two teenagers. It was the kiss of two souls who had found each other through years, oceans, and heartbreak — and still chose each other in the end.
The waves crashed below, the stars burned bright above, and everything — every ache, every tear, every lonely night — finally made sense.
Epilogue – The Forever We Promised
Five years later.
The boutique in San Francisco bore her name now: Fabiola Jones Designs.
On the wall behind the counter hung a framed photo — a young couple standing hand-in-hand on a hill under the stars.
Ben entered the shop just as the clock struck six, holding two cups of coffee.
"Busy day?" he asked, setting one beside her.
"Always," she smiled, leaning against him. "But worth it."
He kissed her temple. "Still thinking about that night?"
"Every day," she said softly. "It's where everything began."
Outside, the evening sky was clear. The same stars that once watched them fall in love now watched over their forever.
Fabiola looked up, whispering the words she'd carried for years — the same ones that had guided her through every moment apart:
"No matter how far the stars are, love will always find its way back."
Ben squeezed her hand, smiling. "And it did."