The town of Evermere had a tradition—one that had lasted for centuries. On the night of the first snowfall, couples would gather on the old stone bridge and make a wish upon the stars. They called it the Starlit Promise—a belief that if two hearts made a wish together, they would always find their way back to each other.
Emma had never believed in such things.
She had spent years watching from the sidelines as people whispered their wishes into the cold winter air, their hands clasped together, their breath forming soft clouds in the night. It had always felt like something out of a fairy tale—beautiful, but not meant for her.
And yet, tonight, she found herself standing on the bridge, snowflakes catching in her hair, heart pounding for reasons she couldn’t quite explain.
Because she wasn’t alone.
“Didn’t take you for the wishing type,” a voice said beside her.
Emma turned and saw him—Caleb. The boy who had once been her best friend. The boy who had left town without saying goodbye. The boy who, despite everything, had somehow found his way back.
“I’m not,” she admitted, glancing away. “Just… passing through.”
Caleb smirked, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. “Funny. So am I.”
Silence stretched between them, filled only by the soft whisper of snow falling into the river below.
“You left,” Emma finally said. It wasn’t a question—it was a fact. One that had settled deep into her bones long ago.
“I did,” Caleb murmured. “And I thought about that every day.”
Emma swallowed hard. “Then why didn’t you come back?”
He exhaled, his breath visible in the cold air. “Because I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to.”
She turned to him then, really looking at him for the first time in years. He was older, his eyes carrying stories he hadn’t told yet, but there was still something achingly familiar in the way he watched her—like she was the only thing that had ever made sense.
“Why are you here now?” she asked softly.
Caleb hesitated, then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. He unfolded it carefully, smoothing out the creases.
“I made a wish before I left,” he said. “And I wrote it down, just in case I forgot what it felt like.”
Emma’s gaze dropped to the words written in his messy, familiar handwriting.
“I wish I had more time with her.”
Her breath hitched.
“I thought it was too late,” Caleb continued, voice barely above a whisper. “But then I remembered—this town believes in second chances.”
Emma stared at the paper, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure he could hear it.
Slowly, she reached into her own pocket, fingers curling around something small and worn.
A folded piece of paper.
With shaky hands, she opened it.
“I wish he would come back.”
Caleb’s eyes widened as he read her words, his breath catching in his throat.
“You made a wish for me?” he asked, disbelief laced in his voice.
Emma nodded, her throat tight. “I never stopped.”
A slow smile spread across Caleb’s face, one that held years of longing and something that felt a lot like home.
“Then let’s make a new one,” he murmured, stepping closer.
Together, they turned toward the sky, the stars shining down on them like they had been waiting for this moment all along.
And as the first snowflakes of the season fell, two hearts made a wish—this time, knowing it would come true.
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