I sat on the bus, leaning my head against the window as I watched the fields pass by. The scenery was beautiful.
I kept thinking… maybe I didn't really belong anywhere. Maybe I was just meant to pass through people's lives. I wasn't lucky with my parents. In friendships, I always ended up betrayed. In love, I was always the one being played.
I sighed and decided to clear my head.
I was leaving my city life behind all the painful memories and starting over with Grandma.
I wiped a single tear from my eye and glanced at my sky-blue watch. It was already 3:00 p.m. Two more hours before I reached the province. I decided to take a nap.
Two hours later, I woke up just as the bus stopped at the terminal. I stood up and dragged my suitcase with me. As I stepped outside, fresh air greeted me. It was already dark.
I smiled and called a nearby motorcycle driver. In the province, from the highway, you usually need to take a motorcycle or tricycle to reach the inner areas. Thankfully, it wouldn't take long. To Grandma's house, it was only about twenty-five minutes.
After a short ride, I arrived. I paid the driver and slowly walked toward my grandma's house, dragging my suitcase behind me.
Her house was simple — a small wooden cottage with a gray metal gable roof and a front porch that wrapped around the side. It stood on white concrete stilts with wooden railings leading up to a small white staircase. Warm light glowed through the windows.
I stepped onto the stairs and gently knocked.
"Who is that?" she asked.
When she didn't hear a response, I heard her footsteps approaching the door.
"I wasn't expecting any visitors tonight," she murmured before opening it.
She froze.
"Aria?" she called, her voice filled with worry.
"Nana…" I answered weakly and kissed her cheek a habit I've had since I was little.
She guided me inside. She glanced at my suitcase, but instead of asking questions, she set it aside and hugged me tightly.
"My granddaughter… you're home," she whispered.
"Yes, Nana…" I said, tears falling again.
She didn't ask what happened. She knew better.
"I'll get some food. I only made vegetable soup tonight," she said with a soft laugh as she walked to the kitchen.
"You know I love everything you cook, Nana," I replied. My stomach was already growling from the smell.
"You're teasing this old lady again," she laughed.
I laughed too.
"Here. Eat while it's still hot."
I grabbed a spoon and started eating. "How about you, Nana?"
"I already ate. Finish first, then I'll prepare your bedroom."
I smiled and nodded. Nana still treated me like a child.
And honestly… I liked it.
After eating, I washed my plate and sat beside her on the sofa, cuddling her and asking how she had been. She said she was fine — busy with her small farm and animals.
I smiled. I loved animals. I would visit them tomorrow morning.
Soon, sleepiness took over. I said goodnight and went to my old bedroom. I changed into my pajamas and lay down. I was too exhausted to unpack. I would arrange my clothes tomorrow.
⸻
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of roosters crowing and tricycles passing by. I yawned, stretched, and got out of bed.
Through the window, I saw Nana sitting outside with a cup of coffee, looking at her garden colorful flowers, leafy vegetables, and neat rows of green plants along a brick walkway.
I made myself a cup of coffee and joined her outside.
"Good morning, Nana," I greeted her, kissing her cheek.
"Good morning," she replied, kissing me back before returning her attention to her plants.
I walked around, holding my cup.
"Nana… does Crystal still live there?" I asked, looking at the house beside hers. It wasn't too close maybe forty steps away separated by a small white wooden fence.
"Of course," she answered.
I took a sip of my coffee and looked toward their house. It was quiet.
It had changed a little still simple and cozy. A charming two-story cottage with a stone lower level and light upper walls, topped by a dark tiled roof. There was a spacious terrace with decorative railings and a wooden staircase leading down to a colorful garden.
I stopped when I saw someone outside, washing a motorcycle.
I frowned.
Who was that?
As far as I remembered, Crystal's little brothers were still kids. It was impossible for them to grow that tall in just four years.
Or maybe… it was that cousin who used to visit?
"It's Thatcher," Nana said, noticing where I was looking.
"Thatcher?" I repeated.
Now I could see clearly. He had changed. His body was well-built, muscular especially his arms and shoulders. He looked lean and toned.
"Yes, Thatcher. Crystal's cousin, remember? They've been living there permanently for almost a year now."
My eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Weren't you two friends before? He used to come here with Crystal," Nana added.
I remembered. Crystal and I were close. Sometimes I went to her house, sometimes she came to mine. And when Thatcher visited, they would come together.
But I always ran away and hid.
I used to be shy. Especially around boys.
I shook my head, feeling embarrassed at the memory.
"No, Nana… we weren't close," I answered.
Nana looked at me curiously but simply nodded.
I took another sip of coffee and looked back at the neighboring house.
Thatcher was still washing his black sport bike.
Then his eyes lifted.
And met mine.
Only for a second.
Then he looked away.
But it was enough.
Enough for me to wonder if he remembered me.
Or if he was just wondering who I was.