I REMEMBERED WHO I WAS
247 Words
Ella hadn’t been back to the studio in months. The mirrors still lined the walls, dusty but familiar. The wooden floors creaked beneath her sneakers as she stepped inside, heart thudding.
She used to come here every week—before Roger, before the silence. Back when movement felt like freedom.
She turned on the speaker, scrolled through her old playlist, and hit play.
The music filled the room, soft and slow. She closed her eyes and let her body remember. Her arms moved first, then her feet, then her whole self—like she was shedding everything she’d been holding.
She danced until her lungs burned and her cheeks were wet with tears.
When the song ended, she collapsed onto the floor, laughing through the sobs.
She felt alive.
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Later that night, Ella lay in bed, scrolling through old photos. One popped up from two years ago—her, Stanley, and Roger at the beach. She was in the middle, smiling. But now she saw it differently. Her smile looked tired. Stanley’s eyes were on her, not the camera.
Her phone buzzed.
> Stanley: Can I ask you something weird?
She replied instantly.
> Ella: Always.
> Stanley: If we’d met now, not before, do you think you’d still fall for me?
She stared at the screen, heart racing.
> Ella: I think I’d fall harder. Because now I know what I want.
There was a pause. Then:
> Stanley: I’m glad you didn’t wait.
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- Writer
