Love Admits Deceit

Beneath The Surface

As Emma stood in the diner, her mind reeled. Jake—the boy from her past, her "J.J."—was now standing in front of her. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t recognized him. The guilt clung to her, but there was no sense of excitement, just a strange hollowness.

Her mom continued talking, reminiscing about their childhood, but Emma barely listened. She couldn’t shake the feeling that everything had changed too much. Jake was different. She was different. And the connection they once had seemed so distant, like it belonged to someone else entirely.

Jake tried to smile through the awkwardness, but the guilt in his eyes was clear. Emma gave him a small nod, acknowledging the weight of it all, but it didn’t make her feel any better.

As the conversation dragged on, Emma's mom kept recounting stories from the past—how Emma had cried for days after Jake left, how they'd spent countless summers together. But none of it felt real to Emma anymore. It felt like those memories belonged to another version of her, one that had been buried under the weight of everything life had thrown at her since then.

Jake stood there, still smiling, though it was strained now. His eyes flickered between Emma and her mom, the guilt weighing heavier on him with every passing second. He hadn’t meant to leave her behind without a word, but life had swept him away, and now, standing here, he could sense the distance between them. The boy Emma once knew was gone, replaced by someone she barely recognized.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Emma’s mom excused herself to the back of the diner, leaving them alone. Emma and Jake stood there, the warmth of the diner contrasting sharply with the coldness that seemed to hang between them. The snow outside continued to fall gently, covering the world in a soft blanket, but inside, everything felt tense, suspended.

Emma finally spoke, her voice soft. “Why didn’t you say anything? All this time… and you never told me.”

Jake rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to explain. “I didn’t know how. I guess I thought… maybe you forgot. Maybe it didn’t matter anymore.”

Emma swallowed, the familiar numbness settling back over her. “I didn’t forget… I just didn’t recognize you. You’re… different now.”

Jake nodded. “Yeah, I guess I am. And so are you.”

There was nothing left to say after that, at least nothing Emma could find words for. She had spent so long trying to piece her life together, to find some sense of normalcy, that the sudden reappearance of Jake felt like more of a disruption than a reunion.

She looked away, toward the window where the snowflakes continued to fall. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

Jake hesitated before replying. “It’s okay. We’ve both changed.”

Emma didn’t respond, and the silence stretched on between them, heavy and unresolved. She knew things wouldn’t be the same again, no matter how hard they tried. Too much had changed, and the past, once lost, couldn’t be easily reclaimed.

Jake shifted uncomfortably, sensing the growing distance between them. He hadn’t expected this reunion to feel so... hollow. The warmth he thought he’d feel being back in Emma’s life was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a wall—an invisible barrier that kept them from truly connecting, and it wasn’t just because of the years apart.

"I never thought it would be like this," Jake admitted, his voice low. "I thought maybe… ."

Emma didn’t turn to face him. Her eyes stayed on the falling snow outside the window. She felt a flicker of guilt, but it was buried beneath layers of fatigue. Life had drained her of the energy to dwell on what could have been.