rst Love Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Life has a way of creating distance .
Months passed without any news of each other , and I made sure to keep it that way .
I even asked my parents not to mention the Carters or anything about their family .
College life at Stanford was exactly the distraction I needed .
Between joining the photography club , volunteering at the campus radio station , and juggling a full course load , I barely had time to think about the past .
The California sun had a way of burning off old memories .
Looking back , it seemed almost laughable how Id centered my entire world around one person .
Ironically, I found myself agreeing with something Aiden had once said why tie yourself down so young when theres a whole world to explore ? I was grateful for choosing Stanford .
Sure , the earthquakes took some getting used to , and the rent prices were insane , but there was something magical about a place where flowers bloomed year round .
Id already forgotten what East Coast winters felt like .

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During winter break , my old lab partner Emma visited the Bay Area , and Maya and I took her to this amazing brunch spot in San Francisco .
Inevitably , Aidens name came up .
He and Madison barely lasted a month , Emma said , stirring her mimosa .
Now hes working his way through every sorority at Columbia .
Total player .
You wouldnt even recognize him completely different from the intense valedictorian we knew in high school .
Its like watching someone have a quarter life crisis at nineteen .
I stayed quiet , pushing my avocado toast around the plate .
Maya shot Emma a warning look , quickly changing the subject to her latest startup idea .
On New Years Eve , Maya and I went to a rooftop party overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge .
During the countdown , she nudged me to make a wish .
It wasnt until later that I realized something for the first time , my wish had nothing to do with Aiden .
For six years straight , every birthday candle , every shooting star , every 11:11 had been about him .
Now , I was finally writing my own story .
The real test came during winter break of freshman year .
Homesickness hit hard after finals , and I booked the first flight home I could get .
But walking through arrivals , my heart stopped .
There , standing between my parents with that familiar half smile , was Aiden .
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