She forgot him.

Not all at once, but at fits and starts over years, her mind piling full of new memories that had nothing to do with his blue eyes or the curve of his lips. She built dreams of a future that bore no resemblance to the fantasies she entertained with him. There were no more sandy-haired children, no more houses overseas. Instead, there were city nights paved with smoldering cigarettes and black smudges of kohl on glistening skin. She stopped piling away for a future that was safe and secure- dropped out of college and lived on couches for a while. And she felt free.

But… as these things often unfold, one day he was back. She was on her feet by then, in a manner of speaking. Working the day shift, in an apartment she could at least call her own. He came over one night. Old friends and all. She smoked a cigarette while he told her the person she had become was the person he’d left to find all those years ago.

She smiled. And when he left, locked the door behind him.