A Promise in the Snow: A Reunion in Times Square
The music played softly, a gentle melody blending with the muffled laughter of their classmates. Twinkling lights bathed the school gym in a golden glow, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. But for Peter and Sally, the rest of the world had faded away.
Peter’s hands trembled slightly as he cupped Sally’s tear-streaked face, his thumbs gently brushing away her tears. She was shaking in his arms, her breaths uneven.
“I don’t want to go,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I don’t want to leave you.”
Peter swallowed hard, his heart aching. “I know,” he said softly. “I don’t want you to go either. But you have to.”
Sally’s green eyes, fierce even in sadness, met his. “But what about us?”
Us.
Their entire world had been built on that simple, beautiful word.
Sneaking out on warm summer nights to watch the stars.
Dancing in the rain, laughing as if time stood still.
Holding hands in a crowded diner, stealing kisses between bites of cherry pie.
Sally wiped her nose with the back of her hand and tried to smile. “We were supposed to grow old together, Peter.”
Peter inhaled deeply, gripping her hands tighter.
“We will,” he promised. “Some dreams are bigger than us, but they don’t have to end.”
Her father had accepted a job in Paris, and Sally had been offered a place at a prestigious university in Europe. It was a dream she had worked for her entire life, but now, at the edge of goodbye, it felt bittersweet.
“If we ever lose touch,” Sally whispered, “promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“Ten years from now. Christmas Eve. Times Square.”
Peter blinked. “What?”
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