The first semester had passed in a blur — classes, new faces, and long nights filled with study and the ache of missing home. River sat in his dorm room late one evening, the soft glow of his laptop screen illuminating his tired face. Lila was on video call, her face framed by strands of loose hair and the gentle flicker of candlelight behind her.
"I miss you," she said, voice barely above a whisper.
River nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Me too. Every day."
They talked about everything and nothing — the little things that made up their lives apart. She showed him a new painting, strokes bold and full of color. He shared a poem, the words raw and honest, written in the margins of a worn notebook.
But beneath the surface, the distance weighed heavily. The moments they couldn't share — the morning coffees, the lazy afternoons beneath the trees, the simple touch of a hand — left an emptiness neither could fill.
---
One weekend, River's phone buzzed with a message that made his heart skip:
"I'm coming to visit."
When Lila arrived, the airport felt like a crossroads — the place where waiting and reunion collided. They ran into each other's arms, laughter and tears mingling as if to make up for the time lost.
Their days together were a whirlwind of stolen moments: late-night talks on the rooftop, walks through the city's hidden corners, and quiet mornings wrapped in each other's warmth. But even in the happiness, a tension lingered — a silent question about what came next.
---
On the last night of her visit, they stood beneath the cherry tree in the park, the branches bare but the memory of blossoms fresh in their minds.
River took her hands in his, his eyes serious. "We can't keep doing this — the distance, the uncertainty."
Lila nodded, her breath catching. "I know. But what do we do?"
He swallowed, the words heavy but necessary. "I want us to be together. For real. No more waiting."
Tears shone in her eyes. "I want that too."
They leaned into each other, a promise made without words — to face whatever came next, side by side.
---
Back at school, River threw himself into his work with renewed purpose. The future was no longer a distant dream but something he could reach for.
And every night, beneath the glow of the city lights, he carried Lila's love with him — a beacon guiding him home.