Fading Footprints

The soft hum of the ocean filled the air, a calm breeze gently sweeping across the sandy shores of their family beach house. The sun, brilliant and warm, cast a golden hue on everything it touched, and the horizon stretched endlessly, as if promising a future that would never change.

Selene stood at the edge of the water, her feet sinking into the cool sand as waves lapped over her ankles. The salty air was thick with nostalgia, pulling memories from her like waves washing ashore. She could almost hear the laughter of her younger self, when life was simple, and love was everything.

Back then, she had everything she ever wanted.

Flashback

The summer of their childhood was always the same, and yet, each year, it felt more magical than the last. At twelve, Kael and Selene were inseparable childhood sweethearts before either of them truly understood what love meant.

Kael stood taller than most boys his age, with jet-black hair that always fell over his eyes. Selene had teased him relentlessly about it, but secretly, she loved how it made him look mysterious. His piercing green eyes, always sharp and alert, softened whenever they looked at her.

"You're too slow!" Selene shouted, sprinting ahead, her laughter carried away by the wind.

Kael smirked, chasing after her, his legs pounding against the sand. She had always been faster, but he didn't mind. In fact, he loved watching her, her golden hair shimmering under the sunlight, her vibrant spirit drawing him in even as she tried to run away.

Selene stopped abruptly, her eyes wide with excitement as she picked up a shiny seashell. She turned to him, beaming.

"Look!" she exclaimed, holding it up like a prized possession.

Kael chuckled, catching up to her, breathless but smiling. "You always find the best ones."

"Maybe because I know where to look," she said with a teasing wink. Her eyes sparkled, and in that moment, Kael knew. Even if he didn't have the words for it yet, he knew he loved her completely, irrevocably.

That night, their parents gathered on the deck of the beach house, sipping wine under the soft glow of lanterns. Kael and Selene sat together by the fire, watching as their fathers joked with each other, and their mothers shared stories about the early days of their marriages.

Selene's mother, Elara, had a laugh that was infectious, her warm personality filling the space with ease. She turned to Kael's mother, Adira, smiling fondly.

"Do you remember how he proposed?" Elara asked, eyes twinkling. "He was shaking so badly, I thought he might pass out!"

Adira laughed, nodding as her husband, Eli, rolled his eyes playfully. "He barely got the words out, but when he did, I knew there was no one else I wanted by my side."

Eli smiled at his wife, his hand finding hers across the table. The quiet affection between them was obvious, and even in their late forties, it was as if they were still the love-struck couple from their youth. The sight of it made Selene's chest swell with warmth, and she turned to Kael, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Do you think we'll be like them one day?" she whispered.

Kael looked at her, his heart skipping a beat. "Yeah. I do."

The memory faded as Selene's gaze drifted back to the present. She hadn't thought about that night in years, and now, standing alone on the same beach, she wondered if she had ever really believed it could be that simple.

She closed her eyes, taking in the rhythmic crashing of the waves. She had left that life behind years ago. Left Kael behind. But the past had a way of catching up, and no matter how far she had run, she couldn't escape it.

And now she was back.