When Aira returned to her hometown after five years, everything looked the same — except the small blue mailbox beside the old train station. It was rusted now, half-buried under vines, but seeing it sent her heart racing.That was where she had dropped the letter — the one she never meant for Leo to read. The letter that said she loved him, but was leaving anyway.She had waited all those years for a reply that never came. So when she saw the faint envelope tucked inside the box this morning, her fingers trembled. It had her name on it, in his handwriting.Aira opened it slowly. The paper smelled faintly of rain.“I read your letter the day you left,” it said. “But I wanted you to find your dream before finding me again. If you’re reading this, then you did. I’m still here.”As she looked up, Leo was standing beside the chestnut tree, holding two cups of coffee — just like he did the day she left.And this time, she didn’t run.
