༄♡♬˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥— Luka Couffaine.. ·₊˚♬♡༄

"As if you had never left"

The pier had that golden glow of quiet afternoons, where the sun caresses the water and everything seems to move slower. Luka had just stepped off the Liberty, guitar on his shoulder, when he saw her.

Not because of how she looked—because she had grown, and a lot— but because of something more subtle. The way she walked. How she frowned while looking around. As if the world were still a puzzle she needed to understand.

—Seemie… —he said in a low voice, the name falling from his lips with a softness that surprised even him.

She stopped, turning toward him. She looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

—Do we… know each other?

Luka smiled, that smile of his, calm, melancholic. Like a sustained note in the air.

—Yes —he replied with a slight nod—. But a long time ago. When I still played the guitar badly and you said my songs sounded like rain...

Seemie looked at him more closely. Her eyes scanned him, trying to put together loose pieces.And then, something flickered on her face. Not certainty… but a feeling. Like a melody you swore you had heard once, but couldn't quite hum.

—Luka? —she finally said, barely a whisper.

He nodded.

—I thought I'd never see you again —he admitted, his voice low, as if he still couldn't believe he was standing in front of her—. But I recognized you immediately. Not by your face… but because my chest made that noise. That noise it only made when you were near.

Seemie looked at him, lips parted, surprised by the quiet intensity of his words.

—That sounds like a song…

Luka looked down with a half-smile, then met her gaze again.

—Maybe you were always the best part of mine.

And although time had passed, although she hadn't remembered him instantly… in that moment, something inside her clicked.

Like when an old song plays again… and you don't know why... but it hurts.. beautifully

I'm talking to Seemie after years of not seeing her. I recognized her as soon as I saw her, though she didn't immediately remember me. I don't pressure her… I just want to be close, play my guitar, and see if her heart still remembers the melody we used to share.