THREE FREAKING YEARS.

It's been three years since the last time I had seen or even heard from Milo.

The next day after that intense night from three years ago when I had broken up with him, I called Milo, too dejected and ashamed to meet him in person. After talking on the phone for an hour, we mutually agreed that we would cut off all ties with each other. Social media, emailing, texting, you name it, as a way of letting each other go and trying to move on from one another.

In order to get Milo to agree to these terms though, he made me promise to him that if we still felt something for each other by the time I got to college, which I highly doubted, then we would pick things back up from where we left off.

"Hadley, you're doing it again," said Ava, waving her hands in my face.

"Hmm?" I responded, completely oblivious to what Ava said moments ago.

"You blanked on me again for like the fifth time since we got here. What's going on?" Her expression shifted from an exasperated one to a knowing look, eyebrows raised with the corner of her mouth quirking up into a smirk. "Are you thinking about—"

"Don't say it," I grumbled, shooting her a glare. I walked towards the entrance of the quad, and to the parking lot.

"Don't say what?" Ava shrugged innocently, trailing behind me. "I was just going to ask if you were thinking about..." she paused and looked around, "that guy over there. He's cute."

Ava pointed to a guy across the quad reading a book underneath a tree on the luscious green lawn. He was scrawny and had a checkered vest on with khaki pants. I gave Ava an incredulous look and she slumped down in defeat.

"Okay, fine. What I meant to ask was," a smirk returned to Ava's face as she perked up and began speaking at a louder volume, "were you thinking about—"

"Shh!" I reached up and covered Ava's mouth with my hands, the last part of her sentence muffled. A few students looked up from their conversations and directed their attention to us. While giving them an apologetic smile, Ava bit my palm and I yelped in pain, removing my hand from her mouth.

"Come on, Hads. I know, no, we both know that you still like him." She teased, fully aware that her words were annoying me.

"Yeah right. It's been three years, Ava. What makes you think that I still like him?" I said defensively.

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe it's because we're attending the same college as him?" Ava said sarcastically. "Think about it, Hadley. Why would we be attending UC Berkeley when you could've chosen to go to any other college besides this one? We could've just stayed back home and attended UH Manoa, but you decided to come here to Berkeley instead."

"I didn't come to Berkeley for him. I came here because I heard that they had a great Dance and Performing Arts program," I insisted.

I swiveled around, about to walk away from Ava again, when my body became rigid.

Out of everyone, my eyes landed on him, the sight of him knocking all of the air out of my lungs. He was wearing a fitted t-shirt that was navy blue at the top but slowly faded to white at the bottom with denim jeans and was leaning nonchalantly against a slightly used black truck, smiling and chatting with a bunch of guys that were surrounding him.

Taking a deep breath, I gave myself a small pep talk. I can do this.

I stepped down from the concrete path and felt the loose gravel underneath my sneakers. I casually strolled up to him and his friends that were across the parking lot, leaving Ava behind.

"Hey, Milo," I greeted shyly, shifting awkwardly in place as I didn't know what to do with my hands or where to put them, observing him briskly.

Overall, he looked nearly the same as how he did three years ago with those dark brown almond eyes that were filled with life and the same show-stopping smile accompanied with deep dimples. Except now, a bit of maturity exuded his features with the faintest shadow of stubble along his jaw.

Being within close proximity of him caused many nostalgic feelings to violently crash down on me. The butterflies that were pent up in my stomach escaped and were dancing ferociously. My breath hitched as his lavender scent entered my senses.

Ava was right. After three years of being apart, I was still hopelessly in love with him.

My heart flip-flopped as he turned his head and our gazes met, his eyes widening.

"Hadley?" He stated, shocked that I was standing before him and attending the same college.

"The one and only," I chuckled dryly.

His eyes observed my body from head to toe, making me fiddle with my bag strap and shift slightly under his brisk yet powerful gaze, before coming into contact with my eyes.

"Wow, you look...different." Subconsciously, my eyebrows shifted a bit closer and the slightest frown pulled down on my lips.

Different? Did he mean a good different or a bad different?

A tight-lipped smile quickly washed away my brief frown, and he realized that I took his compliment the wrong way.

"Your hair is different, it's wavy now," commented Milo. Even though it was a bit of a subtle change, the fact that he noticed caused my heart to skip just a little faster. "It suits you," he added with a smile.

"Thanks. New hair for a fresh start, I guess," I commented awkwardly with a curt laugh, nervousness laced within my voice.

Remembering my old habits, he slightly raised his eyebrow as he picked up on my shallow laughter that I give when I'm nervous. And trust me, it happened...a lot.

In order to distract him, I asked, "So, um, how's—"

I didn't get to finish though, as a female voice shouted from across the parking lot.

"Milo!"

Our heads whipped to the side simultaneously and a girl wearing a plain red tee with a pair of denim shorts and a flannel jacket tied around her waist for fashion made a mad dash towards us, Milo specifically.

She had gorgeous milk chocolate orbs for eyes with long, thick lashes and full, pink lips. Her straight, black hair flowed elegantly behind her as a cool breeze brushed through the campus.

She tackled him from the side, and her arms wound tightly around his midsection. Her smile was bright and filled with joy as she rested her head on his bicep, completely disregarding my presence.

A knowing feeling surfaced, but I suppressed it as hard as I could, still foolishly holding onto the hope that maybe things could go back to how they were three years ago.

Milo quickly removed his arm that was pressed against her body and wrapped it around her shoulders. A disappointing feeling began to settle deeper within my stomach.

"Babe, this is Hadley. She's my," he paused and studied me, the gears in his head shifting to think of what to say. Obviously, he couldn't spring the whole she's my sort of ex from high school situation on her. So instead, he went with, "friend from back home."

I gave her a fake smile, hoping it played off as a real one. I winced internally when I heard Milo call her "babe" as I continued to forge a euphoric facade. He hadn't even finished his introduction yet, but I already knew where this was heading.

"Hadley, this is Nicole. My girlfriend," said Milo, his voice changing to a vigilant tone when he stated the last part of his sentence.

The last bit of hope that lingered within me (well, more like clung to) crumbled like a cookie.

He has a girlfriend.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you," she chirped cheerily with a bright smile, completely oblivious to our history.

I continued to smile at her and forced myself to not get caught up in the fact that her arms were still around Milo, which was completely normal since she was his girlfriend.

The only words I was able to coax out of my mouth was "You too."

My gaze trailed back to Milo and I quietly cleared my throat before continuing.

"Well, I should probably head back. Ava's waiting for me back there." I pointed over my shoulder.

"She's here too?" Milo questioned. I nodded and he glanced over my shoulder.

When he spotted Ava, he nodded in her direction with a soft smile, to which she waved awkwardly in response.

"It was nice meeting you, Nicole." A soft smile played at her lips once again and just by looking at her, I could tell that she didn't possess a single malicious bone in her body. Why did she have to be so...perfect?

My gaze returned to Milo once again, and I had to remind myself to breathe and that he was sadly no longer available.

"I'll see you around, Milo," I said calmly, my tone bittersweet with a tight-lipped grin on my lips. I turned around quickly, trying my best to walk placidly back towards Ava instead of bolting out of sight.

"Wait, Hadley!" Milo called out from behind, but I pretended that I didn't hear him and continued walking with my head slightly hung low.

"You okay, Hads?" Ava questioned with a consoling look when I reached her.

"Peachy. Let's just find our dorms, yeah?"

Before Ava could respond, I walked ahead and made my way to who knows where.

I must be some delusional, hopeless romantic. Why did I think he would still be waiting for me?

Lost in thought, I watched my feet as they swiftly carried me along the wide concrete path. My forehead suddenly bumped into a stout chest and I stumbled back a step from the sudden obstruction.

Without a glance at their face, I mumbled a quick apology and attempted to walk around them, but they stepped in my way. I shuffled in the opposite direction to the left, but they moved in the same direction as me again, continuing to block my way.

Annoyed and still a bit heartbroken, my features hardened as I glared at the guy who wouldn't let me pass, ready to bitch slap him.

My expression softened however when I was greeted with a smile that I hadn't seen in a long time, lightening up my mood a bit.

"You should really watch where you're going, young lady." He said as he deepened his voice, trying to sound like a middle-aged man.

I chuckled faintly at his imitation, "Hey, James. Long-time no see."

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A/N: hello again! I'm sorry if there are any errors in this chapter, I didn't write it all at once. Sometimes I just get inspiration for a certain scene and write that part first even if something else was supposed to happen before it.

CLARIFICATION: Hadley is 18 now, Ava is 19 but Hadley and Ava were both in the same grade in high school and now in college. Milo and James are now 20 years old.

Thank you for reading the first chapter and I hope to see you again!

-Karlee 💛