From that day on, I never saw him again.
Leo was gone.
High school eventually ended, and life kept moving forward. I met many new people along the way.
But Leo… I never forgot him.
Every day, every moment, he would cross my mind.
Sometimes I didn't understand why I still remembered him so clearly. It felt like I was still waiting for him… waiting for the day he would suddenly appear again.
Years passed.
Slowly, I began focusing on my own life.
Now, I was a university student.
One afternoon, Claire was in her way to her house , looking at the cherry blossom trees swaying gently in the wind.
"Hm… it's strange," Claire murmured.
"Every time I see cherry blossoms, they remind me of the time I spent with Leo."
She looked at the falling petals for a moment before shaking her head slightly.
"But now… I should focus on my studies."
Later that day, classes ended.
Claire walked through the streets on her way home. The weather was beautiful, and people were enjoying the cherry blossom season. Some were taking photos, while others were laughing and spending time together.
Suddenly, someone called out behind her.
"Hey, Claire!"
Claire turned around.
It was Jake, one of her university classmates.
Jake was known for being charming, confident, and very wealthy.
"Hey Claire," Jake
said with a friendly smile. "Can I walk you home?"
"Ah… sure," Claire replied politely.
As they walked together, Jake tried to start a conversation.
"So Claire, what have you been doing these days?"
"Oh… nothing special," she answered.
After a moment, Jake spoke again.
"Hey Claire… are you free today?"
Claire looked at him.
"I mean… would you like to have coffee with me?" Jake asked.
Claire felt a little uncomfortable.
"Ah… no."
Jake looked confused.
"What?"
"I mean… I just remembered I have some work to do today," Claire said quickly. "So I can't go. I'm sorry."
Before Jake could say anything else, Claire quietly walked away.
"That was strange…" she thought.
"jake is nice… but I just couldn't go with him."
As she continued walking down the street, something suddenly caught her attention.
Claire froze.
Her eyes widened, and her heart started beating faster.
Among the crowd of people walking along the street, she saw someone familiar.
It was Leo.
Claire's breath stopped for a moment.
"Is that really him?" she whispered.
"No… maybe I'm mistaken. Maybe he just looks like him."
But it was Leo.
He was standing among the crowd, looking up at the cherry blossom trees with a soft smile on his face.
Before Claire could move, Leo slowly disappeared into the crowd.
"Wait—!"
Claire quickly rushed forward, searching for him.
She looked everywhere, pushing through the busy street, hoping to see him again.
But he was nowhere to be found.
After a long time of searching, Claire stopped.
She was tired and out of breath.
"Where did he go?" she whispered.
Later that night, Claire lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
"It was him," she thought.
"I'm sure it was Leo."
"I can't believe he's here… after all these years."
"But where did he disappear to?"
She closed her eyes.
"After so many years… I finally saw him again."
The next day at the university, classes began as usual.
After class, Claire walked through the campus, constantly looking around.
She hoped she might see Leo again.
But he never appeared.
Days turned into weeks.
Claire slowly began to think that maybe she had imagined everything.
Then one afternoon, as she was returning home from university, she suddenly stopped.
Someone was standing in front of her.
He was looking at her with a shocked expression.
Time seemed to freeze.
"Hey… Claire."
It was Leo.
"How are you?" he asked softly. "How have you been?"
Claire stared at him in disbelief.
"I… I can't believe this," she said.
"Leo… you're really here."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"I've been waiting for you… hoping I would see you again someday."
Leo looked surprised.
"You… waited for me?" he asked quietly.
Claire's expression became sad.
"But why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" she asked.
"Why didn't you ever contact me?"
Leo looked down.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
"I didn't tell you because… something very important happened."
Claire looked at him for a long moment.
For her, it had always been something important.
Finally, she spoke again.
"I missed you a lot, Leo."
Leo's eyes widened slightly.
Without saying anything, he stepped closer to her…
…and gently hugged her.