Theo had always been a man of few words when it came to his past. His camera had been his closest companion for years, capturing moments that were easier to immortalize in still frames than in conversation. But there were pieces of his history—fragments of his life before Brindle Bay—that Lena had only seen in glimpses, through the quiet weight of his silences.
It was a Tuesday afternoon when Lena finally found the courage to ask about it. They were in the back corner of the bookstore, the place where old, dusty novels lived, and the sunlight filtered in just enough to illuminate the shelves in a soft, golden glow.
"Tell me about your past," Lena said, the words tentative, but clear. "I feel like I only know parts of you. The photographer, the traveler. But not... the man."
Theo was sitting across from her at the small table, his fingers tracing the edge of his camera, eyes distant. He hadn't expected her question, but the truth was, she had been right—he hadn't let her see the whole picture. And maybe, just maybe, he was ready to share it.
Theo took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, meeting her gaze. "I wasn't always the quiet guy with a camera," he began, his voice low. "I used to have a different life. A different purpose."
Lena sat up, intrigued. She had always known there was more to Theo than what he showed, but hearing him speak of it made her heart tighten with something she couldn't name.
"I grew up in a small town in Montana," he continued, his tone soft but steady. "My family owned a cattle ranch, and I was supposed to take over one day. That was the plan. But I wasn't cut out for it. I was always more interested in the stories behind the landscapes than the land itself."
He paused, as if weighing his next words carefully.
"When I was eighteen, I left. I wanted to see the world. I went to New York, then to Paris, then all over. I worked odd jobs, photographed whatever I could, and slowly started to make a name for myself as a freelance photographer. But... it wasn't enough. I was always running. Running from the life my family expected me to have, running from the things I thought would make me happy."
Lena listened quietly, her heart aching for the boy he had been, the man he had become. She didn't interrupt, just let the story unfold like a delicate thread weaving through the spaces between them.
"And then there was Eliza," Theo said, his voice growing quieter. "She was everything I thought I needed. She was ambitious, driven—wanted the world, just like me. But somewhere along the way, I realized that we were both just chasing things that didn't make us happy. We were always looking for something that wasn't there."
Lena felt a flicker of understanding. "You lost her."
He nodded, his gaze distant, his jaw tight. "It wasn't just her, though. It was everything. I lost myself too. And when she left, I felt... empty. I started drifting again. And then, eventually, I found my way here."
There was a long silence. Lena felt as though she were seeing Theo for the first time, understanding the deep ache he carried. He wasn't just a man who moved from place to place; he was someone who had been searching, always searching, for something he hadn't yet found.
"Why here?" Lena asked, her voice softer now, a quiet curiosity threading through her words.
Theo finally met her gaze, his eyes filled with something she hadn't seen before—a vulnerability he didn't often let show. "Because it felt like a place where I could stop running. Where I could just be. And maybe... maybe find something that mattered."
Lena's heart thudded in her chest. She didn't know what she expected, but she hadn't expected this. The weight of his words, the way they settled between them like an unspoken promise. She didn't need him to explain more. She could see the truth in his eyes. Theo had found something here. Someone.
And that someone... was her.
---
The next few days were a blur. Lena tried to focus on the routine of the bookstore, but her mind kept drifting back to Theo. To his past. To his vulnerability. To the quiet moments they shared.
And then, just when she thought things were starting to settle into something normal, something stable, Theo showed up at the bookstore one evening, a letter in his hands. His face was unreadable, his usual calm demeanor faltering just slightly.
Lena looked up, sensing the shift. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice tight with the sudden sense of foreboding.
Theo hesitated, then walked over to her. He handed her the letter.
"It's an offer," he said, his voice low. "I've been offered an assignment. A major one. Abroad. They want me to go to Europe for a few months... maybe longer. It's everything I've been working for."
Lena took the letter from him, reading the words, but they felt blurry. Her heart seemed to stop beating as the weight of his words sank in.
"I... I don't know what to say," she whispered, her voice thick.
Theo looked at her, his gaze dark with conflict. "I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to leave you like this. But the opportunity's too big to pass up. I've always wanted to do something like this."
Lena's chest tightened. She felt a lump form in her throat, but she forced herself to swallow it down. "You should go," she said, the words heavy and final. "You deserve it. You've worked for it."
Theo ran a hand through his hair, clearly torn. "But Lena..."
She met his gaze, trying to steady her racing heart. "You don't have to explain it. You've worked so hard for this. You have to take the chance."
There was a long pause. Theo stepped closer, his breath shaky.
"I don't want to leave you," he said, almost too quietly. "Not now. Not when I'm starting to care about you more than I should."
Lena's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't expected him to say that. She hadn't expected any of this.
"I... I'm already in love with you," she whispered, her voice breaking.
Theo's face softened, but the sorrow in his eyes was unmistakable. "I don't know what to do with that, Lena. I'm scared of losing you. I'm scared that if I leave... it won't be the same when I come back."
Lena didn't know how to respond. She didn't know how to promise him that it would be okay. But she did know one thing—that her love for him was already a part of her, no matter what distance might come between them.
"I'll wait for you," she said, her voice firm. "If you come back."
Theo looked at her for a long moment, and in his eyes, she saw the fear, the longing, and something else—hope.
"I'll come back," he said softly.
And though the future was uncertain, in that moment, it felt like the only thing that mattered was the promise they had just made.
---