I swallow hard, blinking fast to keep tears at bay. His words feel truer than anything I've ever heard.
I met Callum, and I’ve forgotten what it was like not to know him. He’s woven himself into me so tightly it feels like he’s always been there. Maybe he has.
Maybe the universe writes these people into our stories from the very beginning, destined to meet us, and we just haven't reached that part of the book yet. Cosmically fated to cross paths.
Or perhaps the more beautiful truth is that love isn't fate, it'schoice.
Sometimes, we meet these people—by accident or by chance—and we choose to return to them. Over and over again. Knowing that there are objectively more beautiful people out there, moreconvenient people, safer paths, and easier experiences that we could seek to find.
But why would we search for that when we've already found the one we want?
The person who feels like home in a way no one else can ever hope to replicate. The person who quiets the storms inside of us, and when they look at us, we actually feel seen. They don't complete our lives—they add more brightness, beauty, hope, and magic to them.
I can't help but think of that scene inThe Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy steps from sepia into Technicolor. That's what this feels like. I was living in sepia before, content and happy, but this...
Callum turned my world into Technicolor.
The wind picks up slightly, and I shiver, not only from the cold but from the emotional storm swirling inside of me. Callum instinctively shifts closer, his arm tightening around my shoulders and his hand rubbing my arm to warm me.
How special it is to be chosen, not because you're perfect, but because you'reyou.
So, I don't know if it's fate or choice, but the outcome remains the same.
"I might be dying, Callum," I tell him, stressing my words. Callum flinches slightly, his brow furrowing, and I feel a slight regret at causing him any discomfort, but I need him to understand. "All this treatment could be for nothing. My body could just... give up and give out. I don't want you to get hurt. Not again. You're too important to me."
Callum swallows hard, his gaze slipping away from mine and on the horizon. He drops his hand from my face, and I immediately miss the contact. His posture is tense, as if he's working through his own storm in his mind.
"Do you think I don't think about that?" He asks, his voice low but steady. His eyes finally find mine again, and the intensity inthem causes my heart to pound. "It's kind of all I can think about sometimes. And yeah, I'm scared—God, Sophie, I'mso damn scared—but I'm not going to let fear drag me away from you. It'syou."
"Callum—"
He gently cuts me off, bending so we're eye level, and I feel his warm breath across my lips. "You're too precious to me to just walk away from. I don't even think I could at this point. I don’t want to. You've dug yourself in too deep, sweet girl."
My nose stings, and the tear comes fast, slipping down my cheeks. Callum's thumb is already brushing it away, and his eyes drop to my mouth before they flicker to my eyes again. The pressure builds until it reaches a boiling point.
"You're all I've ever wanted," he says, his voice breaking just slightly on the wordever. Another tear slips down my cheek, and I see his eyes become bright with unshed tears. "Maybe the universe has a funny sense of humor, putting you in my path while you're fighting the hardest battle of your life. But I want to be a part of your life. I want to be with you through this battle and whatever comes after. I want you, Sophie."
"I want you too," I sob, feeling like I can't catch my breath.
"I don't have that much experience in relationships, Sophie. I'm worried that I won't measure up to what you need."
"Callum," I start to protest, how could he ever think that? He's already been so wonderful, and we've only been friends for a short time. He shakes his head, thumb brushing over my lips in a gentle plea of silence.
"Let me just get this out," he says, and I immediately nod, knowing how difficult it is to be vulnerable.
"Sometimes I wonder if I'm too set in my own ways, or if I'll overlook something important and let you down. You've already been so hurt, I couldn't stand it if I was the one to cause youpain..." His words trail off before he takes a deep cleansing breath.
"I've dated, and I've had girlfriends before, but they've never really lasted. Not because of their faults, or mine, really. Our paths just never matched up. I've never felt—" He falters for a moment, his entire body visibly relaxes, and he exhales in what sounds like relief. "I've never felt like this before. Not until you."
I nod in agreement, like he pulled the words from my own brain.
"You just get me. You understand me. You understand my mom is important to me. Some girls I talked to or dated thought it was odd. Like I'm Norman Bates or something—"
"I don't think that, Callum," I shake my head immediately, and it causes him to smile. “I love your mom.”
His arm still around my shoulders pulls me even closer, and his thumb keeps its ministrations on my cheek, soothing and so lovely. His eyes drop once more to my lips, his pupils dilating slightly. Warmth pools in my belly, my pulse spiking in response to the heat in his gaze.
"I know," he says, sounding simultaneously relieved and delighted. "Before my dad died, I was living in this little studio in town. I wanted to feel independent, so I moved out. Mom and Dad had encouraged me to, but I felt so guilty that I wasn't there when he passed. I just thought I couldn't do it a second time. God forbid, she dies, and she's alone, I would never forgive myself..."
