The light is the same.
Late afternoon.
Golden.
Warm against the grass.
We're back in the park.
Same spot as always.
Laura at the piano they insisted on dragging out here for the aesthetic.
Axel tuning his guitar with quiet focus.
Zane stretched out on the grass nearby, pretending not to watch me.
Theo standing a little further back, checking something on his phone but listening anyway.
Amelia somewhere behind us with Nico, whispering commentary no one asked for.
It feels normal.
It feels familiar.
Laura begins playing.
Soft.
Measured.
Certain.
Axel joins in.
The melody is one we've played dozens of times.
Hundreds.
Before:
I leaned against Axel.
I felt safe.
Loved.
Small.
Now—
The first verse begins.
And instead of settling beside him—
I step forward.
Not dramatically.
Not to steal attention.
Just… forward.
The grass shifts beneath my feet.
The sunlight catches differently when you're standing.
My heart beats steady.
Not frantic.
Not uncertain.
Steady.
Axel glances up at me.
Just briefly.
And he smiles.
Laura's hands move fluidly across the keys.
Composed as ever.
But there's something softer in her expression now.
I start singing.
No hesitation.
No pulling back.
No blending into someone else's shadow.
The note carries.
Not louder.
Just clearer.
I'm not resting on Axel's shoulder.
I'm beside him.
Matching him.
The harmony expands naturally.
Zane sits up slowly, watching.
Not intervening.
Not guiding.
Just there.
The sun dips lower.
The song builds.
Laura's piano lifts it.
Axel's guitar steadies it.
My voice threads through it.
Intentional.
Present.
When the final note fades, the air feels full.
Not because it was perfect.
But because it was complete.
Silence lingers.
Then Amelia claps loudly like she's in a stadium.
Nico joins in.
Theo nods once.
Laura closes the piano lid gently.
Axel lowers his guitar.
Zane walks over and stands near me.
Not in front.
Not behind.
Beside.
The breeze moves lightly through the trees.
The same park.
The same people.
But something inside me has shifted.
I look at the space where I used to sit.
The spot where I used to lean.
And I smile.
I thought we were missing something.
Turns out—
It was me.