Restart with a Stranger

Chapter 6: A Past Revisited

The familiar smell of freshly brewed coffee filled Ava's kitchen as she absentmindedly stirred a cup, her thoughts drifting back to a time she had long tried to forget. It had been years since she'd let herself think about him—the boy who had stolen her heart in high school only to leave it shattered. The pain of that breakup had stayed with her far longer than it should have, influencing her choices, her relationships, and perhaps even the path that led to her now-dissolved marriage.

Her phone buzzing on the counter pulled her back to the present. It was another message from Liam.

Liam: Hey, how's your morning going?

Ava smiled faintly, setting her spoon down and wiping her hands on a towel. Liam's messages had become a constant source of comfort, and she looked forward to them more each day. But lately, as their conversations deepened, she had been thinking more and more about her past—the one heartbreak she had never truly overcome.

Ava: Morning! It's good, just making coffee. You?

The moment she sent the message, a wave of unease swept over her. She could feel herself withdrawing slightly, unsure of how much to share. While Liam had been open about his struggles with his divorce, Ava had only shared vague details about her own. It was easy to talk about the recent pain and the fresh wounds, but the scars from her first love were different. They ran more profoundly, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to reopen them.

Her phone buzzed again.

Liam: Coffee sounds good. I've been thinking a lot lately about the past, about what led me here. Do you ever feel like the person you are now is a product of everything that went wrong?

Ava stared at his words, her heart racing. He had hit on something she had been avoiding that felt too raw to face. But this was precisely what she needed. If Liam was willing to share his vulnerability, it was time for her to do the same.

She took a deep breath and typed slowly, carefully choosing her words.

Ava: I know exactly what you mean. It's like... the choices we make, the mistakes, the people we let into our lives—they all shape us, whether we like it or not.

She paused before adding more, her fingers hesitating above the screen.

Ava: There was someone a long time ago. Someone I thought I'd never get over.

When she hit send, Ava's mind began to spiral back to high school. Even after all these years, the memory of her first love was still vivid. His name had been Nathan, and he had been everything to her. Young, wild, and full of promises that had been easily broken, their relationship had burned bright and fast, but the aftermath had left Ava feeling abandoned and questioning her worth. It was the first real lesson in heartache, and its impact had lingered.

She hadn’t spoken about Nathan in years, not even to her ex-husband, who had always sensed that there was a part of Ava she kept hidden. Maybe that had been part of the problem. Maybe Ava had never truly let herself be open with anyone since Nathan was too afraid of what losing again might do to her.

Her phone buzzed again, pulling her from her reverie.

Liam: I get that. I had someone like that, too. First love. It’s wild how something from so long ago can still affect us now, huh?

Ava: Yeah, exactly. It’s like I never fully moved on. Even when I got married, some of me still held onto that past hurt, you know?

Ava stared at the message, her thumb hovering over the send button. Was she ready to admit this? It was hard enough to confront it herself, let alone tell a stranger. But something about Liam made her feel safe—like he understood. Like he had been through something similar and wouldn't judge her for still carrying around that old pain.

She sent the message before she could overthink it.

The seconds stretched into what felt like minutes, and Ava paced her kitchen, the memories swirling in her head like a storm. She could see Nathan's face as clearly as if it were yesterday—the way his smile had once lit up her world, the way he had kissed her like she was the only thing that mattered. But then, as quickly as their love had begun, it had ended. And when he left, he took part of her with him.

The buzzing of her phone interrupted the flood of memories. Liam had responded.

Liam: I know exactly what you mean. My first love was like that, too. She was the one who got away, and I always thought we’d end up together. When it didn’t happen, it messed with me for a long time.

Ava's heart ached at the similarity of their experiences. How could it be that they had both gone through something so similar? She wanted to ask him more, to dig deeper into his story, but she also knew that she had to face her past first.

Ava: It’s strange how we carry those things, even after so many years. I thought I had moved on, but sometimes it feels like I’m still that heartbroken girl from high school.



She hesitated, then added one more line.

Ava: Do you ever feel like you’re still stuck in the past?

The question hung in the air, and Ava sat at the kitchen table, her coffee forgotten. She wasn’t sure what she expected Liam to say. Maybe he felt the same way. Perhaps he had moved on more than she had. Or maybe, like her, he was still trying to figure out how to heal from wounds that had never fully closed.

Liam: All the time. Sometimes, it feels like no matter how far I go, I’m still running in circles around that old pain. It’s hard to know when to stop looking back and... move forward.

Ava read his message, her chest tightening with emotion. She had been running in circles for years—first around Nathan and then around her ex-husband, never fully letting go of the past and embracing the future. And now, as she sat in her quiet apartment, texting a stranger who felt more like a friend, she realized that maybe it was time to stop running.

Maybe it was time to face her past, acknowledge the pain, and finally—finally—let go.

Ava: Maybe that’s what we both need. To stop looking back.

Her phone buzzed almost immediately with his reply.

Liam: Maybe you're right. Here’s to moving forward, huh?

Ava smiled softly, feeling a sense of closure wash over her. Maybe Liam was right. Perhaps it was time to stop looking back and start looking ahead.