That whole summer, when I didn't know where you guys were, when you just disappeared off the face of the earth, I heard that song.

Everywhere.

When I let my guard down.

When my guard was up.

When I had just started relaxing at a party, three beers into the evening.

When he told me he loved me for the first time.

When I found myself aching inside so much that it felt like the grief would claw its way out of my heart.

That song kept me hoping. It kept me trying. It kept me going on.
It became a friend, a confidant, and no matter where I went that summer, it was never far from me. So, I wasn't really alone.

I made myself believe that every single time I heard it, it was a note from you, telling me not to stop believing. It was you reaching out, the breeze blowing my hair away from my face, telling me that you were alive, even though nobody had heard from you.

It was the lifeline I clung to.

And it brought you home.