The summer air was warm, carrying the scent of wildflowers and freshly cut grass as Ella walked barefoot through the open field. The sky was a deep shade of navy, the last traces of sunlight fading beyond the tree line.
And then—there they were.
Tiny golden lights flickered in the tall grass, glowing like fallen stars. Fireflies.
A soft laugh escaped her lips. She hadn’t seen them in years, not since she was a kid. Not since him.
Liam.
Ella wrapped her arms around herself, the memories rushing back like fireflies blinking into existence.
Long summer nights. Laughter echoing through the fields. The way he had once grabbed her hand and whispered, “Make a wish, Ella. Fireflies carry them straight to the stars.”
She had believed him back then.
And she had wished for him.
But wishes didn’t always come true.
A voice behind her pulled her from her thoughts.
“Still chasing fireflies?”
Her breath hitched.
She turned slowly, her heart pounding.
Liam stood at the edge of the field, hands in his pockets, the soft glow of fireflies reflecting in his deep brown eyes. He looked the same—familiar, yet different. A little taller. A little older. But still him.
Ella swallowed hard. “You’re back.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah. For a while.”
Silence stretched between them, thick with everything left unsaid.
Liam took a slow step forward. “Do you remember what I told you?”
Her fingers curled into her palms. “About fireflies?”
He nodded. “I told you they carried wishes.”
Ella let out a small, breathless laugh. “You were just a kid. You made that up.”
Liam shrugged. “Maybe. But I made a wish that night too.”
She frowned. “What did you wish for?”
His gaze softened, locking onto hers.
“For you to be here, when I came back.”
Ella’s breath caught.
She had spent years believing that some moments belonged to the past. That first love was just that—first. Not forever.
But standing here, with fireflies flickering around them, she realized something.
Some wishes don’t need fireflies to come true.
Some were just waiting to be spoken out loud.
Slowly, Liam reached out, his fingers brushing against hers.
Ella smiled, lacing her fingers through his.
And for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel like she was chasing something she could never catch.
Because this time, it had finally found her.
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