the past.

It had been months since he had seen her.  But there she was, in the same room as him.  He hesitated to approach her-- on the outside she looked the same: bright blue eyes with a dark mess of curls-- but there was something different about her-- he just didn't know what.

She threw her head back laughing and out of the corner of her eye she saw him-- all feeling stopped-- Why was he here?-- For a minute her stomach dropped-- Should she say something? ignore him? run? -- She had moved on but she still didn't want to talk to him.  He started walking towards her--breathe-- closer..closer..closer and suddenly he was there.  

She was there, right in front of him.  Naturally he asked her how she was doing, that led to small talk, and he realized he didn't know her anymore.  She was different.. something inside of her had morphed into something completely different.   He had never seen her so happy…

Memories ran through her head- the good, the bad, the ugly-but she had moved on and just like all her memories of him, he was left in the past.  Was this life's sick joke of letting her past haunt her?
He was the same-same voice, hair, face-nothing had changed.  He hadn't grown, he was the same boy she left in her past.  And that's where she wanted him… in the past and allowing her to start a new chapter of her life.

Why was she different?  Could she have already morphed into a new person?  He was hoping she was the same--the same silly girl who spent endless amounts of time with him…the same girl who he had fallen for.  But she was different and he couldn't decide if it was good or bad.  I mean she seemed happier, but along with that she was more confident and independent-and with that came a completely different person.  Someone he didn't even recognized.  Those words ran out of his mouth uncontrolled and unstoppable.  He told her what he thought--he desperately hoped she would change back and fall for him again.

She sat there in awe-  did he just really say she had changed?  What a clique thing to say.  Of course she had changed.  That's all she wanted was to change and grow.  Yes, she had become a different person.  But that person was better than who she was before.  She had grown from that relationship but it was over and a part of her past- something that had helped her realize she needed to change. She was better than ever before and there was nothing that could drag her back.  She finally knew who she was and she was determined to continue to learn, change, and grow.

She is like me.  I don't want to remain the same person.  I want to grow and learn.  I want to keep getting better.  How boring this life would be if we didn't strive to change--if we didn't strive to shape ourselves into a better person.

So I hope I learn.
I hope I grow.
and I hope when my past finds me…
I've Changed.