Emma and Cody first crossed paths in seventh grade, walking the halls of Sandridge Junior High when life was simple, and even the smallest moments felt like they were a part of something grand. They were each other's first crush, each other's first kiss-two kids swept up in in the magic of young love, in a world that felt as big and wide as their dreams. Their friends were a constant presence, more like family than anything else, and together they spent almost every weekend laughing and adventuring. Friday nights were sacred, with the whole friend group gathering to play games, watch movies, and share countless inside jokes. Other days, they'd meet at Roy West Park for soccer, playing with all of the energy they had, running wild under the open sky as though each day was a page in the story of their lives. In the early days, Emma and Cody shared moments that felt infinite: watching movies together, playing night games with their friends, and simply hanging out, talking about everything and nothing at all. They felt like adulthood would take forever to arrive, as if they could hold into those moments forever, safe in their little corner of the world. But life has a way of changing things. As they grew older, Emma and Cody's paths began to pull in different directions. Emma moved to the big city, ready to chase her dreams and get swept up in the lights, the noise, and the endless possibilities of new places. Cody, meanwhile, left for his mission, excited to see new parts of the world and find purpose beyond the town they grew up in. Though they drifted apart, each quietly carried the memories of those early days with them, like folded letters tucked away in their hearts. Years went by, Emma found herself getting used to the rhythms of the city life. She embraced its pace, its promise of adventure. Cody, too, changed during his time away, finding a different kind of strength and compassion that only distance and new experiences could bring. They both moved forward, shaped by the paths they'd chosen, and for a time, the memories of their shared past settled into something quiet, a soft ache that neither of them spoke of. Then one summer, Emma returned to her hometown, drawn back by the familiar streets and faces she hadn't seen in so long. Cody, as fate would have it, had just returned from his mission, his heart and mind changed in ways he hadn't anticipated. Neither of them expected to see each other again, let alone to feel that same old spark. But when their paths crossed, it was as though all those years apart vanished in an instant. They met with a mixture of surprise and recognition, both of them feeling as though they'd been brought back to this moment by an unforeseen force, a thread that had always connected them, no matter the distance. It was as if the universe had held onto their story, just waiting for them to pick up right where they let off. Their reunion was simple-a warm hello, a shy smile-and yet it was filled with a new sense of understanding. They weren't kids anymore. They had grown, and their love had matured, becoming something rare, beautiful, and enduring. As the summer days turned to long, golden evenings, Emma and Cody spent time together, rediscovering the things they had loved about each other, now deeper and more meaningful. They talked for hours, sometimes reminiscing about old memories, other times dreaming of new ones. Their love was no longer the fleeting sweetness of first kisses during junior high, it has transformed into something timeless, something that felt like it was always meant to be. And so their story began again, with a love that was now like a quiet, beautiful melody, one that had waited patiently for them to return. They had both journeyed far, only to find that home, and each other, was where they were always meant to be. Their love, no longer a first crush but an everlasting promise, was now the foundation of a life they would build together meant to last a lifetime.