closed starter for @starbrsts ft. callan
He had to admit that the last few summers hadn't been the same without her. The absence had settled into his routine like a missing puzzle piece—noticeable yet difficult to define. Perhaps it was the ease with which he'd once been able to see her, the way their time together had always felt like an unspoken certainty. Or perhaps it was something deeper, something tethered to the quiet feelings he'd harbored for her all these years, feelings that had never fully faded.
To say he was excited to see her again was an understatement. His mind raced with questions—Had she changed? Had she stayed the same? The glimpses he’d caught on social media offered scattered pieces of her life, snapshots that felt distant and unreal compared to the thought of standing before her again. Seeing her in pixels was nothing like seeing her in person, hearing the lilt of her voice, feeling the familiar energy she carried so effortlessly.
He’d known her since they were kids, yet the anticipation curling in his stomach felt absurdly new. His palms were damp as he rubbed them against his jeans, exhaling in an attempt to steady himself. It was strange, really—how someone so familiar could still leave him breathless. "Well, shit. It's good to see you!" He said, forcing a confident tone, though his pulse hammered against his ribs. He took her in—really took her in—and the realization hit him like a wave. She had changed. The years had sculpted her features, refined the way she carried herself, yet somehow, she was still so unmistakably her.
