If Ever You Stayed

Every summer was just the same for Daisy, the sun, the salty wind drifting from the nearby ocean, and the familiar playground behind the villa where her mother worked as a maid. She always came with her mother during summer break, spending her days wandering the villa grounds and playing with the children who vacationed there. And every time, when summer ended, she said goodbye to friends she knew she'd never see again.

Until one summer, a new face appeared.

Ravi was nothing like the sun-kissed, loud boys Daisy had met before. His voice was low, his presence quiet, and his eyes, deep and unreadable, held a kind of mystery that made her forget what summer was supposed to feel like.