Forgotten Password

A heartfelt short story of love, longing and the choices that change everything.

It started with a failed login.

Sarah had not touched her old college email in
years. But in a rush to retrieve old transcripts,
she found herself staring at a screen that asked
for a password she had long forgotten. After five
failed attempts and a security question about
her first pet's name, she was in.

The inbox was a time capsule.

Job alerts from 2018. Group assignments.
Spotify trial emails. And then- there it was.

From: Liam J. Okello
Subject: I know You Won't See This (But I Hope
You Do)

Her heart paused. Liam.

They had met during their final year. Study
buddies turned lovers. The kind of connection
that moved too fast and burned too bright. When
graduation came,so did the silence. Life had
pulled them in different directions and neither
reached back.

She clicked.

*"Hi Sarah.
I don't expect you to read this. Honestly, I
don't even know if this email still works. But
writing it makes me feel like you're still
somewhere I can reach."*

"I saw your favorite cafe closed. I thought
about how you used to always order lemon
cake but never finish it. You'd make me eat the
rest and then complain I was stealing your
dessert."

"I'm not writing to ask anything of you. Just to
say I miss you. Not in a 'let's start over' kind of
way. More in a 'you mattered' kind of way."

*"If you ever read this, I hope you're doing
okay. And if you're not, I hope you get there
soon.
-L"*

Sarah stared at the screen, unsure whether to
laugh, cry or respond. She had moved on, or
told herself she had. But something about the
quiet sincerity in his words felt like finding an
old song you did not know you missed.

She hit Reply.

*"Hey Liam,
Funny thing- I forgot the password to this
email until today. But I guess the universe
has perfect timing, doesn't it?"*