FINDING YOU , LOVING ME

THE PROMISE

CHAPTER 5

The Promise

Mia's POV

I couldn't sleep.

Not because of the rain.

Not because of school.

Not even because I had an unfinished story sitting on my desk.

It was because of one photograph.

A little boy.

A little girl.

And a promise written on the back.

I'll find you again someday.

Ethan had kept that photograph for years.

And somehow, he had actually found me.

I stared at the ceiling.

"Why don't I remember?"

The question escaped my lips.

I remembered the bookstore.

I remembered books.

I remembered rain.

But I couldn't remember Ethan.

Not completely.

My eyes slowly closed.

And then—

A memory appeared.

A little boy sitting alone.

His head lowered.

His clothes slightly wet from the rain.

A younger version of me walking toward him with a book in my hands.

"Are you okay?"

The memory disappeared.

I opened my eyes.

My heart was beating quickly.

I sat up.

"I remember..."

---

The next morning, I couldn't wait to see Ethan.

I found him near the school library.

He was standing beside the window, reading.

"Ethan."

He looked up.

His eyes immediately softened when he saw me.

"Morning."

"I remembered something."

He closed his book.

"What?"

"That day."

His expression changed.

"The day we met."

He nodded slowly.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember you sitting outside the bookstore."

He smiled.

"You do?"

"Just a little."

I walked closer.

"I asked if you were okay."

"Yeah."

"And I gave you a book."

"You did."

"What happened after that?"

His smile faded slightly.

"You went home."

"And you?"

He looked away.

"I left."

"Why?"

He didn't answer.

"Ethan."

He sighed.

"My family moved."

"That quickly?"

"That night."

I stared at him.

"So that's why I never saw you again."

He nodded.

"I didn't get to say goodbye."

"Why didn't you?"

"I tried."

He looked at me.

"But when I went back to the bookstore the next day, you weren't there."

Something about that made my chest ache.

"I wish I remembered."

"You were just a kid."

He smiled.

"You don't have to remember everything."

"But you did."

"I had a reason."

"What reason?"

He looked at me for a moment.

"You were the first person who made me feel like I wasn't alone."

I didn't know what to say.

Before I could answer, someone called my name.

"Mia!"

I turned.

Lia was walking toward us.

She stopped when she saw Ethan.

Then she looked at me.

Then at him.

Then back at me.

Her expression said everything.

I immediately shook my head.

"Don't."

She grinned.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were about to."

"I was just going to say good morning."

"Sure."

Ethan laughed.

"I'll see you later."

He walked away.

Lia watched him leave.

Then she grabbed my arm.

"Okay."

"What?"

"You are telling me everything."

I sighed.

---

After classes, I returned to The Book Nook.

I needed some quiet time.

I walked toward the old shelves near the back.

That's when I noticed something.

A small wooden box sat behind a stack of books.

I pulled it out.

There was an old label attached to it.

M. RIVERA

My heart stopped.

My name.

I opened the box.

Inside were several old photographs.

One of them showed me as a child.

Another showed the bookstore.

And underneath them was a folded piece of paper.

I carefully opened it.

There were only a few words.

"If Mia ever comes back, give this to her."

My hands went cold.

Someone had written it years ago.

But who?

I turned the paper over.

Nothing.

Then I heard footsteps.

I quickly put everything back.

"Mia?"

I froze.

It was Ethan.

He walked toward me.

"What are you doing back here?"

"I found something."

He looked at the box.

His expression changed.

"You found it."

"You know about this?"

He didn't answer.

"Ethan, what's going on?"

He looked nervous for the first time since I'd met him.

"I didn't know it was still here."

"What's inside?"

He stared at the box.

"Something your family left behind."

"My family?"

He nodded.

"Your mom knew mine."

I stared at him.

"What?"

"Before we moved, our families knew each other."

I felt more confused than ever.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't know if you were ready."

"Ready for what?"

He looked at me.

"The truth about why our families lost contact."

Silence filled the bookstore.

I swallowed.

"And what is the truth?"

Ethan hesitated.

Then he reached into his backpack and pulled out another photograph.

This one was different.

It showed two young women standing together.

One of them was my mother.

The other was Ethan's mother.

They were smiling.

And on the back was a message.

"One day, our children will find each other."

I looked at Ethan.

He looked back at me.

Neither of us spoke.

Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance.

And suddenly, I understood.

Finding Ethan hadn't been a coincidence.

Someone had expected us to meet again.

The question was—

Why?