Every weekend growing up, I would go to my tia's house in Georgetown. It was my second home. The neighborhood was full of memories, cousins, and friends I'd known forever. But after not visiting for almost two years, I wasn't sure anything would feel the same.

Then June 6th changed everything.

The moment I got there, I saw all my old friends again. We laughed like no time had passed. But then, across the street, I locked eyes with someone I never truly forgot.

Evan.

The same Evan I'd secretly liked for years.

The second I saw him, my stomach filled with butterflies. I tried to act normal, but inside I was freaking out. Seeing him again brought back every crush I'd ever had on him.

After that weekend, I suddenly had every reason to keep going back to Georgetown. Every single weekend, I found myself counting down the days until I could see him again.

Then one day, my phone lit up.

Evan had found all my socials.

I later found out he had asked my sister for them.

I couldn't stop smiling.

It got even funnier when we realized we had the same last name.

From that day on, we texted every single day.

Sometimes we'd stay up talking about absolutely nothing. Pizza, music, random jokes, things that happened during the day. It didn't matter. Talking to him was easy.

Before I even realized it, I liked him all over again.

Then Kaiden, his cousin, told me something I'd been dreaming of hearing.

"Evan likes you. Like... a lot."

I was so happy I thought my heart was going to explode.

Apparently, Evan even talked about me to his dad.

That had to mean something.

Then one day, he asked me if I wanted to go to the movies.

A date.

An actual date.

I was so sure this was finally going to happen.

I even started telling some of my family about him because, for the first time, I could actually picture us together.

Then June 20th happened.

A day I'll never forget.

I had just arrived in Georgetown, excited to finally spend the weekend with him.

Instead, I got a message from Kaiden.

"Evan asked someone else out... and forgot about it."

Forgot?

How do you forget asking someone out?

Her name was London.

I felt my whole world fall apart.

I cried so hard I could barely see.

I kept asking myself the same questions.

What did she have that I didn't?

Why wasn't I enough?

How did he let me go so easily?

Even though I felt completely broken, I forced myself to act normal.

I hung out with everyone like nothing was wrong.

Then Evan showed up.

The second I saw him, the sadness turned into disappointment.

He didn't explain anything.

He didn't apologize.

He didn't even mention London.

The next day, he talked to me like nothing had happened.

Like he hadn't shattered my heart.

And somehow...

I talked back.

I laughed.

I smiled.

I never asked him about any of it.

Maybe I was scared of the answer.

Before the weekend ended, we took a bunch of pictures together.

I'd spent all week making him a gift.

A bedazzled pizza magnet.

It sounded silly, but I made it because he loved pizza, especially Domino's.

For a second, I wondered if I should even give it to him anymore.

I decided to anyway.

When I handed it to him, his face lit up.

"I love it. Thank you so much."

Hearing those words somehow made everything hurt even more.

I had another gift waiting for him back home.

It never got the chance to be given.

That night, around eleven, my siblings and I went to Skyla's house. My best friends, JJ and Caeden, came too.

Skyla and I were making bracelets when someone knocked on the door.

It was Evan.

I joked, "Can he leave me alone?"

But secretly...

I was glad he came.

The three of us sat at the dining table talking.

I asked if he wanted another bracelet.

He smiled and said yes.

So I made him one.

Light blue.

Teal.

Black.

A simple rubber-band bracelet.

The funny part was that he was already wearing another bracelet I had made him weeks before.

Ever since I gave it to him, he had never taken it off.

That tiny detail meant everything to me.

Later that night, I won one of those reversible octopus plushies at a game.

The happy-and-angry kind.

For some reason, it reminded me of him.

Eventually, Evan finally explained everything.

Kaiden had told him that I didn't like him anymore.

That I liked Kaiden instead.

It wasn't true.

Not even a little.

Somewhere between rumors and misunderstandings, everything had fallen apart before either of us had a chance to tell the truth.

Still, there was one thing that confused me.

Even while he was dating London...

He FaceTimed me countless times.

Sometimes just to talk.

Sometimes for no reason at all.

I never understood why.

If he had chosen someone else...

Why was he still calling me?

The next morning was Father's Day.

It was also my last day in Georgetown.

My sister, Emerald, woke me up.

"Um... Evan's outside."

"He wants you."

I grabbed the octopus plush before walking outside.

Before giving it to him, I secretly sprayed it with my favorite perfume.

I handed it to him.

Without saying much, he pulled me into a hug.

It was warm.

Comforting.

The kind of hug you don't want to end.

As he turned to leave, Emerald smiled.

"So... does it smell good?"

Evan lifted the octopus to his face.

He smiled.

"Yeah."

"It smells like her."

Then I left Georgetown.

I thought we'd keep talking.

I thought we'd figure everything out.

Instead...

Silence.

Days turned into weeks.

Weeks turned into months.

No texts.

No FaceTimes.

Nothing.

Then one day, I realized he had blocked me.

I stared at my phone, hoping it was some kind of a mistake.

It wasn't.

That hurt almost as much as hearing about London.

I had no explanation.

No goodbye.

No closure.

Eventually, I stopped checking.

I told myself I had to move on.

But every time someone mentioned Georgetown, every memory came rushing back.

The bracelets.

The pizza magnet.

The octopus.

His hug.

The way he smiled when he said, "It smells like her."

Almost a year later, I went back to Georgetown.

I wasn't expecting anything.

I just wanted to see everyone again.

As I walked down the same familiar street, I heard someone quietly say my name.

I turned around.

It was Evan.

For a second, neither of us moved.

Then he slowly walked over.

"I wasn't sure you'd come back."

"I almost didn't."

He looked down at his hands.

"I owe you an apology."

I stayed quiet.

"I blocked you because I thought it would be easier."

"Easier for who?"

"For me."

He looked up, his eyes filled with regret.

"I liked you more than I wanted to admit. After everything got so confusing, I thought the only way to get over you was to cut you out of my life."

"Did it work?"

He laughed sadly.

"Not even a little."

He reached into his hoodie pocket.

The faded blue, teal, and black bracelet slipped onto his wrist.

"I never stopped wearing it."

I couldn't believe it.

"You still have it?"

"I still have everything."

"The pizza magnet."

"The octopus."

"The bracelet."

"And every picture we took together."

I felt tears filling my eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "You deserved an explanation. Instead, I disappeared."

"You hurt me."

"I know."

"And if I could change it, I would."

For a long moment, neither of us spoke.

Finally, he smiled nervously.

"I don't want rumors making decisions for us anymore."

"Neither do I."

"So... can I ask you something?"

I laughed softly.

"You always ask."

He smiled.

"Would you go to the movies with me?"

"The date we never got to have."

I pretended to think about it.

"Hmm..."

He groaned.

"You're making me nervous."

I couldn't help smiling.

"So? Yes."

His face lit up exactly the way it had the first summer.

He stepped closer.

"So... are we finally doing this?"

I nodded.

"I think we should've done this a long time ago."

He reached for my hand, giving me every chance to pull away.

Instead, I laced my fingers through his.

This time, there were no rumors.

No misunderstandings.

No waiting.

Just honesty.

That movie date turned into another.

Then another.

Soon, every weekend in Georgetown became our weekend.

He met my family the right way this time.

I met his.

The bracelet stayed on his wrist.

The pizza magnet stayed on his refrigerator.

The octopus stayed on his bed.

And every now and then, he'd still pick it up, smile, and say, "It still smells like you."

Looking back, I realized our story was never perfect.

It was messy.

Confusing.

Heartbreaking.

But sometimes love isn't about never losing each other.

Sometimes it's about finding your way back after you've both grown enough to choose each other for real.

In the end, Georgetown didn't just give me my favorite childhood memories.

It gave me my first love...

...and, after a long road apart, the person I finally got to call mine.