Aurora 2025 with cover

Justin Sullins

before the accident.

They agreed to meet in town at the diner next to the movie theater. They had spent many nights in the downtown square, and not much had changed. The theater parking lot was still almost empty, and the parking lot had cracks and potholes in it. The diner was an all-American restaurant. It had a sit-down bar with circular seats, where old men would sit and chat over coffee. To the side was an area where people ate dinner and dessert. It was the same restaurant that’s in every small-town movie. Paul sat down in the booth next to the window and ordered a coffee from the waitress. It had stopped raining and clouds still hovered over the sky. He could tell that she had gotten older through the years, but still, something about her had stayed the same. She held on to that childlike ambition he always liked about her. The reason he had not messaged her back was because he missed her too much. His other relationships had all fallen short of this one. All the girls in New York were too fast-paced and boring. They were all concerned with making it in the big city, and he missed all the time he spent with her in the small town. He knew that he shouldn’t respond to her because she was in a serious relationship, and couldn’t come to accept that. He didn’t want to be the ex boyfriend, wondering if her husband would ask about him. He thought about what his life would have been like if she had settled down with him but knew it was better they separated. They were too much alike and argued all the time. He remembers having to leave prom because she was mad about him talking to another girl. He wasn’t even flirting with her. She was always worried about him cheating on her. He had to leave early and drive her home in the middle of the prom. After they broke up, she couldn’t handle his rejection. She messaged him while she was at school, reminding him of all the fun they had together. She told him that once she moved on, he would look for his chance. Paul

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