Ella’s POV
I couldn’t stop thinking about Ethan. Seeing him after all this time... it was like a dream I didn’t know I’d been having suddenly came to life. Everything around me felt heavier, like I couldn’t just go back to how things were before he showed up. Not that things were bad before, but now it’s like my brain’s buzzing and I can’t turn it off.
Khian’s been weird too. He’s always been protective, but ever since Ethan came back, he’s been acting like there’s something wrong with him. I know my brother means well, but sometimes he doesn’t get it. Ethan was my best friend, and I thought about him every day since he left, wondering where he was, what he was doing. And now he’s back, and it’s not just some distant memory anymore.
---
At lunch, Lily and Sophie sat with me like always, but I could tell they noticed I was different today. Sophie was her usual self, talking a mile a minute about the most random things. 
“Did you know dolphins sleep with one eye open?” Sophie said, her eyes wide like she just discovered the meaning of life.
Lily rolled her eyes, picking at her food. “Sophie, literally no one cares about dolphins right now.”
I tried to laugh, but my heart wasn’t in it. My thoughts kept drifting back to Ethan. I hadn’t seen him since that conversation by the garden yesterday, but I felt like he was everywhere. Like the air around me was filled with memories I hadn’t thought about in years.
“Ella?” Lily said, her voice pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Huh?”
“You’ve been spacing out all day. What’s going on?” Lily asked, narrowing her eyes at me. “Is this about Ethan?”
I swallowed hard. Leave it to Lily to go straight to the point. “Yeah, kind of. It’s just... weird having him back, you know?”
Sophie perked up, looking more interested now. “Wait, Ethan? Your guys old friend? I thought he was gone forever or something.”
“Well, he’s back now,” I said quietly, glancing around like someone might be listening. “And I don’t know how to feel about it.”
Lily raised an eyebrow. “Do you ‘like’ like him?”
I felt my face heat up. “What? No! It’s not like that.” But even as I said it, I wasn’t sure if I believed it. 
Lily didn’t say anything, just kept giving me that look, like she could see right through me. Sophie, of course, didn’t pick up on the tension at all.
“Well, it’s good that he’s back, right?” Sophie said cheerfully. “I mean, you guys were like besties. You’ll just pick up where you left off!”
I forced a smile. I wanted to believe that, I really did. But it wasn’t that simple. It couldn’t be.
---
Later, after school, I found myself walking towards the old park near our house. It was the place Ethan and I used to hang out after school, back when life was simpler. The swings were still there, a little rustier than I remembered, but it felt the same somehow. I sat down on one of the swings and stared at the ground, my mind spinning.
Why did everything feel so complicated now? I should be happy he’s back, right? But instead, all I could think about was how much time we’d lost, and how much had changed since then. 
“Ella?”
I froze at the sound of his voice behind me. Slowly, I turned around, and there he was. Ethan. Standing there like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to show up at the park, like nothing had changed.
“You come here too?” he asked, walking over to the swing next to me.
I shrugged. “I guess so. Just felt like the right place to go today.”
He sat down, and for a few seconds, neither of us said anything. Just the creaking of the swing chains filled the air, and it felt both comforting and awkward at the same time.
“I missed this place,” Ethan said, his voice quiet. “I missed... us.”
I glanced at him, surprised by his honesty. He didn’t look at me, just stared ahead like he wasn’t sure if he should’ve said that. My heart ached a little, hearing him say that. Because I missed us too. But the truth is, I didn’t know if we could ever go back to the way things were.
“Yeah,” I finally said, my voice soft. “I missed us too.”
Ethan turned to face me, and there was something in his eyes, something I hadn’t seen before. Sadness, maybe? Or regret? I wasn’t sure, but it made my chest tighten.
“Why didn’t you ever write?” I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it. It had been on my mind since the day he left, but I never had the courage to ask until now.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t know. At first, I meant to. But things got complicated. And the longer I didn’t write, the harder it got.”
I nodded, even though it didn’t really make me feel better. I understood, but it still hurt.
“I’m sorry,” he added, his voice low.
I didn’t know what to say to that. Part of me wanted to tell him it was okay, that I forgave him. But another part of me wasn’t sure if I had yet.
We sat in silence for a while, the breeze rustling through the trees around us. I wanted to ask him so many things. What had he been doing all these years? Why was he really back? But instead, I just sat there, swinging gently, letting the unsaid things between us hang in the air.
---
By the time I got home, it was dark, and Khian was sitting on the couch, flipping through a school magazine. He glanced up when I walked in, giving me that big-brother look he always gives when he’s worried about me.
“Where were you?” he asked, his voice calm but firm.
“Just at the park,” I said, kicking off my shoes.
“With Ethan?”
I sighed, not wanting to get into it. “Yeah, but it’s not a big deal.”
Khian didn’t say anything at first, just watched me carefully. I could tell he didn’t like it, but he wasn’t going to push, at least not tonight. 
“Just... be careful, Ella,” he finally said, his voice soft but serious. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
I gave him a small smile, trying to reassure him. “I’ll be fine, Khian.”
But deep down, I wasn’t sure if that was true.
---
After talking to Khian, I headed up to my room. I dropped my bag on the floor and collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. My mind was still racing from everything, Ethan, the park, the things we didn’t say. 
It’s weird how one person can come back into your life and suddenly everything feels... off. Like before, things made sense. School, friends, Khian being Khian, it was all normal. But now, with Ethan here, it’s like all that went out the window. 
I grabbed my phone, scrolling through my messages absentmindedly. Nothing from Ethan. Not that I expected him to text right away, but still... I couldn’t help but feel like there was this invisible wall between us, like we were trying to figure out how to act around each other now that we’re not kids anymore.
---
The next morning, things felt even weirder. Khian left early for a student council meeting, so I didn’t see him at breakfast. Maybe that was for the best, I didn’t feel like getting another lecture about Ethan. I knew Khian meant well, but sometimes he worried too much.
At school, I found Lily waiting for me at the front gate, her arms crossed and looking impatient as always.
“You’re late,” she said, frowning.
“Only by five minutes,” I muttered, not really in the mood for her attitude today.
Lily glanced at me, her expression softening. “What’s up with you? You look... I don’t know, stressed.”
“I’m fine,” I lied. 
She wasn’t buying it, though. “Does this have anything to do with 'him'?”
I didn’t answer, just kept walking towards our classroom. I didn’t want to talk about Ethan right now, especially not with Lily, who had a knack for turning every conversation into a deep interrogation. I knew she was just trying to help, but sometimes it was too much.
Sophie joined us at the lockers, oblivious as usual. “Guys, did you see the new cafeteria menu? They’re doing pizza on Fridays now!”
Lily and I both gave her a look, but she just grinned and shrugged. “What? It’s exciting!”
I shook my head, smiling despite myself. Sophie could always find the strangest things to get excited about. Maybe I should’ve been more like her, carefree and happy about something as simple as pizza. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the tension building up inside me.
---
When lunchtime rolled around, I found myself wandering the halls, avoiding the cafeteria. I just needed some space to think. The crowded lunchroom wasn’t where I wanted to be right now.
I ended up outside near the old garden, the same place where Ethan and I had talked before. It was quiet, peaceful, and for a moment, I let myself breathe. 
But then, as if the universe had a plan, Ethan appeared again. He was leaning against the brick wall, looking like he’d been waiting there for me. I stopped in my tracks, unsure if I wanted to talk or just walk away.
“Hey,” he said, his voice soft.
“Hey,” I replied, feeling awkward all over again.
He motioned for me to come closer, and despite the weird tension, I did. We stood there in silence for a few moments, the unspoken things between us growing louder.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday,” Ethan finally spoke, his voice quiet. “About why I didn’t write.”
I tensed up, not sure if I wanted to hear what he had to say. But I nodded, waiting for him to continue.
“It wasn’t just that things were complicated,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t know how to reach out after all that time. I thought... maybe you’d moved on, made new friends, forgotten about me.”
I looked down at the ground, biting my lip. “I never forgot about you.”
Ethan looked at me, and I could see the regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Ella. For everything.”
I didn’t know what to say. Part of me wanted to forgive him, to just let it all go and start over. But another part of me was still hurt. Six years is a long time to go without a word, and even though I understood his reasons, it didn’t make the pain disappear.
“I get it,” I said finally. “But you can’t expect everything to go back to how it was.”
He nodded, his expression serious. “I know. And I’m not asking for that. I just... I want to be part of your life again, if you’ll let me.”
I didn’t answer right away. It wasn’t that simple. But at the same time, I couldn’t deny that part of me wanted him back in my life too.
“We’ll see,” I said quietly, looking up at him. “I need time.”
Ethan smiled a little, and it was that same smile I remembered from when we were kids. “Take all the time you need.”
---
As I walked back to class, I felt a strange mix of emotions, hope, confusion, and something else I couldn’t quite place. It felt like everything was shifting again, and I didn’t know where it would land.