Work Text:
"Wilson!"
Am I daydreaming again?
"Wilson!"
Oh. She is real.
"Finally, it's been a while!" Millie said smilingly.
There she is, running again, ice cream at hand, always trying to catch up to me. But instead of the noisy and chaotic campus in the background, the sound of wooden planks of the boardwalk, gentle waves of the sea, and the squawks of nearby birds echoes in my ear.
I was snapped back to reality, "Millie! How have you been?" How can a person get even more beautiful?
"It's been years! Do you have time? Let's catch up a bit!" She asked.
"Yeah, I just got off from work."
We sat on the benches near the sea wall, and we began to talk about everything just like before.
Her eyes sparkle every time she talks about something she is passionate about. Her pile of stories I haven't heard won't stop flowing. I knew I was staring and do not plan on stopping because even vivid memories cannot compare to the real you.
However, the ice cream she held started dripping as the sky turned orange. Then I realized, things have changed.
Before, Millie would always choose cookies and cream to tempt me to eat ice cream too, since it was my favorite.
"Strawberry huh," I did not intend to, but words just slipped out of my mouth.
"Yeah, it is really creamy! I only have one, so I cannot offer this, but you can try it at 123store. It is cheap but so good!" she proudly recommended it.
"I'll go try it sometime," I answered.
"Shit, not the ring, not the ring. Do you have a tissue?" She panicking said. So, it was true. She is already married.
"Oh-ah, I don't, but you can have this. It is unused." I replied, offering my handkerchief.
"My gosh, thanks, Wilson. Speaking of, I got married." Millie happily said, showing me the ring after thoroughly wiping off her hand. Those eyes and smile are still the same, but even better than I remembered.
"I heard from the others, congratulations, Millie. With the way you are, I knew one day you would find the one." Maybe you would have found him years ago if I weren't such a coward. And if he had only tried to face his feelings much earlier and stopped you from fading away.
"Woah in the year 2025? Wilson finally admits he is a firm believer of mine," she teased. I loved you for years, dumbass.
"Shut up, Millie. After all this time, it is still you." I missed this. I missed you.
Millie only laughed and playfully slapped my arm.
"Fuck, I just remembered, I have to prepare dinner! I need to go now!" She frantically said.
As she got up, I realized I needed to get these words out of my chest. And for the first time and the last time, I reached for her hand.
"Congratulations once again, you deserve all the love and happiness in the world. No, scratch that, of the whole universe. Thank you for everything, Millie. I am grateful to you, I really do." Again, I can't. I'm too late.
"Thank you. It means a lot coming from you, Wilson. See you around!" Millie happily disappeared on the horizon.
Despite everything, she is the same as ever. However, not to me anymore.
Back then, Millie always looked back whenever we said goodbye,
But this time I knew she wouldn't,
And she didn't.