Five years ago…
A young girl, no older than twelve or thirteen, buried her face against a boy's chest, holding on as though letting go would mean losing him forever.
"Sophie… don't cry. I'll be back in five years, I promise.." he murmured softly, brushing her hair back.
"Really?" Her trembling voice carried both fear and longing.
"Yes. You have my word." he assured her.
"But… Brother Jason said you're going to stay there permanently." Sophie whispered, sniffling as she tried to dry her cheeks with the back of her hand.
Alexander's gaze shifted to Jason, who leaned against the doorframe, grinning like he'd sprung the perfect trap.
Alexander exhaled sharply, torn between Sophie's desperate trust and his friend's mischief.
"Don't believe a word he says… he was only trying to fool you."
"Is that so, Alexander? How can you call me a liar when you're the one who told me you were planning to settle there for good?" Jason replied, smirking as he took the opportunity to tease his best friend.
"Sophie… I only repeated what I heard from him…"
Alexander turned sharply to his friend. "When did I ever say that?"
Jason tilted his head. "Did you forget? During that game of truth or dare—you chose truth. You said you wished you could settle there permanently. And now that you're actually going, I just… connected the dots."
Sophie's eyes widened. Her lower lip trembled—then without a word, she dashed out of the room. Neither of them even noticed until it was too late.
Alexander recalled as the memory surfaced. It had been almost a year ago, that night when the incident happened.
Meanwhile, downstairs…
Sophie slipped onto the couch beside her father, Matthew Reynolds. She tugged gently at his sleeve, her hands still shaky.
Matthew glanced down and smiled. "Yes, Sophie? What is it you want to tell me?"
But when he looked closer, concern crept into his voice. "Your eyes look red… Did you cry? Come on, sweetheart, tell me what happened."
She shook her head quickly. "No, Daddy. I just rubbed too hard. They were itchy." Her small smile wavered
After a moment, she leaned against him and whispered, "Daddy… can we go home?"
"Of course. We'll go now."
Richard Hayes, Alexander's father, rose from his chair. "So soon? Won't you stay for lunch?"
"Margaret has to go to the hospital to visit her friend. I was about to tell you that…"
"Alright then… Next time, bring your whole family."
"Okay… then see you soon."
"Oh, I almost forgot to ask… when is Alexander leaving?"
"In the next month.."Alexander's father, a faint smile on his face that couldn't hide the sadness underneath.
"I wish I didn't have to send him," he sighed softly, "but it's his dream… and I can't stand in the way of that."
"Yes, Richard. If he wants to go there and study, then we don't really have a say in it."
"Yeah, that's true."
Sophie, along with her father, had already left for their house.
"Father, where are Uncle and Sophie?" Alexander asked as he rushed downstairs.
He had panicked upon not finding Sophie in his room, and so hurried down in search of her.
"They just left a moment ago… Why? Did you want to say something to Matthew?" his father replied.
Alexander clenched his fists. "Damn it." His glare fell on Jason—sharp and accusing. If Jason hadn't said those careless words, Sophie would never have looked at him with such hurt in her eyes.
Jason scratched the back of his head, suddenly unsure if his joke had crossed into something far crueler than he intended.