Embers of Us

Strangers At The Stoplight

The sun beat down on the quiet streets of Larkspur Hollow, casting a golden sheen over the afternoon traffic. In the passenger seat of a dark sedan, Lexi hummed along to the tune playing softly in the background, her fingers tapping lightly against her thigh. Next to her, Aaron drove with one hand draped lazily over the wheel, his eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. The air inside the car was filled with a light, almost carefree energy—a stark contrast to the storm brewing just beyond.

"Remember that time I taught you how to fix that junker?" Aaron asked, amusement lacing his voice.

Lexi laughed, rolling her eyes. "More like you laughed at me while I figured it out myself."

"You did fine," he replied, shooting her that knowing smile. "You always do."

Lexi shook her head, leaning back into her seat. The windows were down, letting the wind tousle her hair as they idled at a stoplight. It was one of those rare moments of peace, where nothing else mattered but the simple joy of existing. But then, something caught her eye.

To their right, a sleek, modified Honda pulled up to the light, its low, steady purr disrupting the calmness inside Aaron's car. The car gleamed under the sun, an untamed beast barely held in check. Lexi's gaze slid over the vehicle, curiosity piqued. It wasn't the type you saw around Larkspur often, built more for racing through city streets than cruising through small-town traffic. She squinted slightly, trying to make out the faces inside.

And then she saw him.

The man in the passenger seat sat with one arm draped over the open window, his profile turned toward her. Something in the way he held himself, the casual confidence in the set of his shoulders, stirred a memory deep within her. Lexi felt her breath hitch as she tried to place him. It was like a word on the tip of her tongue—familiar, maddeningly out of reach.

Her eyes darted to his face, catching the sharp line of his jaw, the way his lips curved into an almost smirk as he glanced back at her. Recognition flashed in her mind, a ghost from the past. Ethan Monroe.

Her heart stumbled in its rhythm. Ethan. She hadn't seen him in years, hadn't even thought of him in so long that it felt like he belonged to another lifetime. A lifetime filled with woodshop classes, arguments, and stolen glances that said more than words ever could. He looked different now—older, rougher around the edges, but there was no mistaking that it was him.

For a moment, everything else faded. The music, the hum of the car engine, even Aaron's presence beside her. It was just her and Ethan, two people staring at each other across the chasm of years and untold stories.

Ethan's eyes locked onto hers, the intensity in them making her stomach twist. Lexi could feel her chest tightening, her mind racing to pull together the pieces of her fractured memory. What had they been? Friends? Something more? The details eluded her, but the pull between them was as real as the sunlight warming her skin.

Then, suddenly, Ethan laughed.

The sound burst out of him, loud and raw, shattering the tension like a rock through glass. It wasn't the laugh of a stranger; it was the laugh of a man who knew her, who had once understood her better than anyone else. And that startled Lexi more than anything else. She jerked back in her seat, her heart pounding in her ears.

"What the hell...?" she muttered, more to herself than to Aaron.

Aaron turned his head, following her gaze. A slow, amused smile spread across his lips. "Ah, Monroe," he said smoothly, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Didn't think you'd forget him so easily."

Lexi blinked, her confusion deepening. "Ethan?" she breathed, the name rolling off her tongue like a relic from the past. It didn't fit into her world now, didn't belong in the careful life she had built since returning to this town. And yet, here he was, laughing in that way he used to—unrestrained, unapologetic.

In the Honda, Ethan leaned back, the grin still etched across his face. His heart raced with adrenaline, a wild thrill rushing through his veins at the sight of her. Lexi Hart, here in Larkspur Hollow. After all these years. After he had spent so much time wondering, regretting, and imagining what might have been.

Without breaking eye contact, Ethan nudged Tyler, who sat behind the wheel. "Let's go," he murmured, his voice tight with the effort of keeping his emotions in check.

Tyler, oblivious to the gravity of the moment, shrugged and revved the engine. The Honda roared, the sound tearing through the air as they sped forward, tires screeching against the asphalt. They drifted sharply around the corner, the car moving with the reckless grace of someone who lived for moments like these.

Lexi watched in stunned silence as the car disappeared down the road, a cold wave washing over her. Her fingers curled into the seatbelt strap, nails digging into the fabric as her mind raced. That look in his eyes, the laugh that had echoed through her—the echoes of the past were louder than she had expected. She turned to Aaron, searching his expression for answers.

"He's been asking about you for years," Aaron said casually, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. His voice was calm, but Lexi didn't miss the subtle tension in his words.

"What?" She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "Why?"

Aaron shrugged, his lips curling into that small, enigmatic smile she knew all too well. "Maybe he remembers things differently," he replied, his tone dismissive yet somehow suggestive, leaving her with more questions than answers.

The light changed, and Aaron's car eased forward. The music continued to play softly in the background, but the lightness was gone. It had been replaced by a new kind of energy—one that was sharp, heated, and unsettling. Lexi glanced in the side mirror, catching a glimpse of the empty stretch of road behind them, where Ethan's car had vanished.

Her heart was still racing, her mind a whirlwind of fragmented thoughts and emotions. Ethan Monroe. She had buried him in the past, along with everything else she didn't want to think about. But now, he was back, and something told her that this was just the beginning.