The day was bright, the sun casting a golden glow over the city. It wasn't too hot, not too cold—just the perfect kind of day for getting lost in the moment.
Jnr dragged Rea through the busy streets, eyes wide with excitement. "Come on, you have to try this!"
Rea laughed as he pulled her toward a food stand selling something ridiculously sugary. "Jnr, if you eat one more sweet thing, you're going to explode."
He grinned up at her, mischief twinkling in his eyes. "That's the goal."
She sighed dramatically. "Fine. But if you pass out from a sugar coma, I'm leaving you on the sidewalk."
They spent hours like that—moving from one place to another, Jnr never running out of energy. They played games at an arcade, he beat her at one of the shooting games (which he wouldn't let her forget), and they ended up at a park, sitting on a bench with ice cream in hand.
Jnr talked about school, about how Greg was annoying but in a fun way, about how he planned to beat Jason in basketball next week. He was full of life, full of energy.
And Rea just listened, letting his voice ground her in the present.
Then, for some reason—maybe a feeling, maybe something else—she turned her head to the right.
And her breath caught.
There, across the street, standing casually with his hands in his pockets, was someone she never thought she'd see again.
Aster.
The world seemed to stop for a moment.
He looked just the same. That messy hair, that lean frame, that cocky smirk that had once driven her insane. He stood there like he had never left, like time had never taken him away.
Her heart pounded.
She blinked.
And he was gone.
Just like that, like a whisper in the wind.
But his smirk remained burned into her mind.
She felt something wet trail down her cheek and realized she was crying.
Jnr poked her arm. "Mom?"
She wiped her tears quickly and smiled. "Yeah?"
Jnr frowned a little. "You okay?"
She took a shaky breath and nodded. "Yeah, I just... thought I saw someone I used to know."
Jnr studied her, his sharp eyes catching everything, but he didn't push. Instead, he smiled. "Well, if they were important, I bet they're still around somewhere."
Rea looked at him, this boy who had somehow become her whole world.
"Yeah," she murmured, staring back at the spot where Aster had been.
Then she ruffled Jnr's hair and stood up. "Come on, kid. Let's go home."
Jnr groaned, swatting at her hand. "I told you not to call me kid."
She laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as they walked away.
And as they left, she knew.
She had made her choice a long time ago. She would never get married. Jnr would be her only child, the only person she'd raise and love in this world.
And maybe, just maybe—somewhere out there, in another life, in another time—she and Aster would get the chance to grow old together.
But for now…
She had Jnr.
And that was enough.
The End.