...The Second Title: "The Second Time Around

Maya stood at the edge of the park, her heart pounding as she scanned the crowd. The festival was alive with laughter, bright string lights, and the aroma of food trucks. It was supposed to be her favorite place, her favorite time of year. But tonight, it was suffocating.

She hadn't planned on coming back to this town. Not after the messy breakup with Liam two years ago. But here she was, back for her cousin's wedding, and fate—or her cousin's meddling—had somehow landed her in the middle of the Summer Lights Festival.

“Maya?”

She froze. That voice. She’d recognize it anywhere.

Turning slowly, she found herself face to face with Liam. He looked the same but different—his hair a little shorter, his jawline more defined, and his eyes just as piercing as she remembered.

“Hi,” she managed, her voice barely audible.

Two years ago, Liam had been her world. They’d grown up in the same small town, inseparable since middle school. He was the boy who convinced her to jump into the lake fully clothed, who stayed up with her to watch meteor showers, who promised her the world.

But dreams of the world had torn them apart. Maya had always wanted to leave their little town, to chase her dreams of becoming a journalist in the city. Liam, on the other hand, loved the quiet life and wanted to stay. Neither of them had been willing to compromise, and their love had shattered under the weight of their ambitions.

“You’re here,” Liam said, his voice a mix of surprise and hesitation.

“Yeah. My cousin’s wedding,” Maya said, crossing her arms, trying to guard herself from the storm of emotions threatening to break through. “What about you?”

“I never left,” he said with a small smile, gesturing to the festival. “I run the bookstore downtown now. You know me—always a sucker for stories.”

Maya’s chest tightened. She remembered the bookstore. They used to spend hours there, sitting on the worn-out couch in the back corner, sharing dreams they thought would last forever.

“That sounds… nice,” she said, her voice wavering.

“And you?” Liam asked. “Did you get everything you wanted? The city life? The big stories?”

Maya hesitated. She had chased her dreams, moved to the city, and built a career she was proud of. But it had been lonelier than she’d expected. The noise, the pace, the constant push to prove herself—it was exhausting.

“I got some of it,” she admitted. “But it wasn’t as easy as I thought.”

Liam studied her, his expression unreadable. “I missed you, you know.”

Maya blinked, caught off guard. “You did?”

“Yeah,” he said softly. “But I figured you were happier out there, living your dream.”

“I thought you’d hate me for leaving,” she whispered.

“I could never hate you, Maya,” Liam said, stepping closer. “I was hurt, sure. But I understood. You had to go. I just wished…” He trailed off, looking at her like she was both a memory and something new.

“You wished what?” Maya asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I wished you’d come back,” Liam admitted, his eyes locking onto hers.

The festival seemed to blur around them, the world fading into the background as they stood there, caught in the gravity of each other.

“I didn’t think I’d ever come back,” Maya said, her voice trembling. “But being here… seeing you… it makes me wonder if I made the right choice.”

Liam’s eyes softened, his voice steady. “You followed your heart back then, Maya. Maybe now it’s telling you something different.”

Maya felt tears sting her eyes, but she blinked them away. “I don’t know if we can fix what broke between us.”

“Maybe we don’t need to fix it,” Liam said. “Maybe we just need to start again.”

As the first fireworks lit up the sky, Liam reached out, hesitating for a moment before taking her hand. Maya looked down at their hands, then back up at him, and for the first time in years, she felt a spark of hope.

“Maybe,” she said, a small smile breaking through.

And as the fireworks painted the night with bursts of color, Maya realized that sometimes, the things we leave behind have a way of finding us again—if we’re brave enough to let them.

Around"