Seven Years of Love Seven Minutes of Truth

Chapter 27

Chapter 16

Life has a way of creating distance. Months passed without any news of each other, and | made sure to keep it

that way. | even asked my parents not to mention the Carters or anything about their family.

College life at Stanford was exactly the distraction | needed. Between joining the photography club, volunteering

at the campus rastation, and juggling a full course load, | barely had tto think about the past. The

California sun had a way of burning off old memories.

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Looking back, it seemed almost laughable how I'd centered my entire world around one person. Ironically, |

found myself agreeing with something Aiden had once said why tie yourself down so young when there's a whole

world to explore?

| was grateful for choosing Stanford. Sure, the earthquakes took sgetting used to, and the rent prices were

insane, but there was something magical about a place where flowers bloomed year-round. I'd already forgotten

what East Coast winters felt like.

During winter break, my old lab partner Emma visited the Bay Area, and Maya and | took her to this amazing

brunch spot in San Francisco. Inevitably, Aiden’s ncup.

“He and Madison barely lasted a month,” Emma said, stirring her mimosa. “Now he’s working his way through

every sorority at Columbia. Total player. You wouldn't even recognize him - completely different from the intense

valedictorian we knew in high school. It’s like watching someone have a quarter-life crisis at nineteen.”

| stayed quiet, pushing my avocado toast around the plate.

Maya shot Emma a warning look, quickly changing the subject to her latest startup idea.

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On New Year's Eve, Maya and | went to a rooftop party overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. During the

countdown, she nudgedto make a wish.

It wasn’t until later that | realized something - for the first time, my wish had nothing to do with Aiden. For six

years straight, every birthday candle, every shooting star, every 11:11 had been about him. Now, | was finally

writing my own story.

The real test cduring winter break of freshman year. Homesickness hit hard after finals, and | booked the

first flight h| could get.

But walking through arrivals, my heart stopped. There, standing between my parents with that familiar half-

smile, was Aiden.