The Diary Of A Spring Well Lived

Chapter 8.1

One evening, about a week after the revelation, Lisa was walking through the park, trying to clear her head. The air was cool, and the leaves crunched underfoot as she wandered aimlessly, her thoughts a jumbled mess. She had been avoiding this place, knowing it would remind her of Franclon, but tonight she had been drawn here, needing some kind of closure.

As she rounded a bend in the path, she saw him. Franclon was sitting on a bench, staring out at the pond, his face shadowed by the fading light. Her heart leapt into her throat, and for a moment she considered turning back, slipping away before he noticed her. But then he looked up, and their eyes met, and she knew there was no running away.

"Lisa," he said, his voice soft, almost broken.

"Franclon," she replied, taking a hesitant step closer. "I… I wasn't expecting to see you here."

He smiled faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I come here when I need to think. I guess I hoped you might show up."

She sat down beside him, the silence stretching between them, heavy with all the words they hadn't said.

"I miss you," Franclon finally confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I miss you too," Lisa admitted, her heart aching with the truth of it.

"But what do we do now?" Franclon asked, his gaze fixed on the water. "How can we move forward from this?"

Lisa shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know. I wish I did. But maybe… maybe we can start by being honest with each other, by talking about how we feel, instead of hiding from it."

Franclon looked at her, his expression full of sorrow and hope