April 21, 2023
Kate and her parents arrive at the airport and bid their final goodbyes to one another. She watches their car drive off into the distance and walks through the front door tiredly, her bags trailing behind.
A girl passes by with a drink from Starbucks, and Kate instantly smiles.
"Excuse me," she asks. "Where did you buy that?"
The girl points to a cafe located a bit further down from where they are standing, and Kate thanks her.
She walks over, bags in hand, and patiently waits in line. Realizing she forgot to put on her jewelry this morning, she takes her Forever & Always engraved necklace out from her purse, only for it to slip out of her fingertips.
The man in line behind her kneels down and picks it up. "Forever & Always," he whispers as he studies the necklace. He stands back up and lifts his head. The two make eye-contact, and Kate's face turns bright red.
'This man is gorgeous. He has luscious brown hair, deep chocolate-colored eyes, and dimples that will make any girl fall in love,' she thought.
"Here you go," he says as he hands it back to her. Their fingers touch, and she shivers. He bites his lip, shoving one hand into his pocket, and sticking his other one out. "I'm Daniel."
"Kate," she replies and shakes his hand.
Daniel smiles. "Do I know you?"
A blush makes it way onto her face yet again. "I don't believe so. I'm from San Francisco but I came out here after eighth grade graduation. I'm moving back today, actually."
"So it is you . . . " he replies in a hushed tone. Kate gives him a weird look and watches as he laughs it off. "Sorry. You just remind me of someone I used to know . . . " He pauses. "I should probably go. My friend is waiting for me."
She nods her head. "It was nice meeting you."
Daniel smiles at Kate, but she can see a hint of humor in his eyes. "Nice to meet you too. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around the city a lot more. Give me a call me if you need anything."
He hands her a slip of paper with his number on it and walks away. She faces the front of the line and smiles to herself.
'I'm glad I met Daniel. He reminds me of an old friend of mine.'
She fixes her necklace and looks down at it.
'And I sure miss him.'
"Next in line," the barista calls, and Kate grabs her things, rushing toward the counter.
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THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL. IT WILL CONTINUE ON FROM THE EPILOGUE, AND WILL BE PUBLISHED HERE.
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The Original Four
Teen Fiction"Promise?" "Promise." Kate Mitchell, Daniel Mayer, Olivia Taylor, and Nick Howard: the original four. A lot of promises were made the day of their eighth grade graduation, but promises are made to be broken and definitely weren't kept. For Kate, m...
