Mia looked up at Alexander in shock. “How did I never notice you around me all this time?”
Alexander smiled faintly. “Because I didn’t want you to. I wanted to wait until you graduated, meet you properly, and then be with you.”
He paused, his voice softening. “Back then, I was just a young college boy. I didn’t have any identity or power. I thought I needed to be more capable before I deserved you.”
A hint of regret crossed his eyes. “Now I realize I wasted so many years… when I could have built memories with you instead.”
Mia leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek.
She continued turning the pages.
There were countless photos of her—from moments she didn’t even remember being observed. Ever since that day at her grandparents’ house, he had been quietly collecting pieces of her life. Beneath every picture, he had written memories, thoughts, feelings. Longing.
Her heart felt unbearably full.
Outside, the rain continued to fall, steady and soothing. Mia smiled, laughed softly at his notes, and traced the edges of the photographs with her fingers. Every picture was perfect. Every version of her looked loved. Every photograph showed her so beautifully that it almost didn’t feel real.
As night deepened, her eyes grew heavy. Somewhere between turning pages and listening to the rain, she drifted off to sleep with the album still resting in her hands.
Alexander looked down at her fondly.
Carefully, so as not to wake her, he lifted her into his arms and carried her inside. The rain continued to fall outside as he laid her gently on the bed, pulling her close.
Later, when Mia stirred and slowly woke, she found herself wrapped in him. Alexander smiled down at her, brushing her hair back gently.
Later, when Mia finally stirred, half-asleep and breathless, she realized she was no longer alone in her dreams.
Alexander looked up at her with a smile that was both tender and dangerous. “You’re finally awake,” he murmured.
Her breath hitched.
Later that night, the rain outside drowned beneath softer, more intimate sounds.
***
They returned to their Manhattan home the next day.
Not long after, Alexander received an urgent call. A sudden meeting turned into an unavoidable business trip, and he had to leave the country for several days.
The house felt strangely quiet after he left.
Left alone, Mia curled up on the couch with the album he had given her at the mountain pavilion. She flipped through the pages slowly, smiling at his words, lingering over each photograph.
Somewhere along the way, she realized something.
Looking through this album—reading his words, seeing herself through his eyes—had quietly become her favorite thing to do.
He had even promised her that he had countless photos of her and would give her one album every month. And the thought of that made her happier than she could ever put into words.
When she reached the end of the album, she almost closed it—until her fingers froze.
The last page wasn’t a photograph of her.
It was a photograph of a wedding dress.
Mia stared at it, her breath catching.
The wedding gown had thin straps that framed the shoulders and neckline beautifully, flowing down to hug the waist before falling elegantly to the ankles. It was simple, graceful… breathtaking.
