Lena had never been able to escape the weight of family expectations.
Her father was a good man, a strong one—always quick to offer advice, always certain about what was right. He was the kind of man who had ideas about what his children should become, who they should marry, when they should settle down. In his world, there were no pauses, no in-betweens. Life moved forward. Or it stopped.
And for as long as Lena could remember, her father's greatest wish for her was a stable marriage. Even after James died, even after Lena had made it clear that grief wasn't something you could plan around, her father had never stopped talking about it.
"I don't know why you insist on staying in this place, Lena," her father would say when he visited from the city. "You should be looking for someone new. You're still young, still beautiful. It's time to move on."
The words came too easily from his lips. A life already planned out, a future he could see but she couldn't. He'd tried to set her up with various friends of his, with men who had smiles like glass and hearts like business contracts.
"You're too good for this. You're meant for someone bigger, someone who understands what a woman like you needs," he'd say, as though Lena didn't know her own heart.
But what he didn't understand was that Lena didn't need someone who could fill the void left by James. She needed time. She needed space. And she needed someone who could see her as she was, not as a problem to be fixed.
It was the weight of those expectations that lingered when Theo kissed her in the bookstore. It was the thing that kept her awake that night, turning over what that kiss meant in the dim light of her room.
Lena rolled over in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her fingers touched her lips, tracing the ghost of the kiss. It had been slow. Beautiful. But it had also been dangerous. Because feelings like that didn't come without consequences.
She'd spent so long protecting herself, locking away everything that could hurt her. And then Theo came along, unasked-for, a reminder that the world didn't always give you what you planned for. That the heart didn't ask permission before it raced, before it fell.
Lena didn't know how to feel about him. And that scared her. Was it just a spark, a passing moment of loneliness or a sign of something more?
Her thoughts tumbled in circles until she finally decided she needed air, needed something to stop the endless churn in her mind.
---
The next morning, Theo arrived at the bookstore as usual, the scent of saltwater following him like an unspoken invitation. He smiled when he saw her at the counter, but there was something softer in his eyes today. Maybe it was the remnants of last night's kiss. Maybe it was just that same quiet way he had of being present, no questions, no rush.
Lena pushed the thought of her father aside and met his gaze. "What are you doing today?" she asked, attempting to push away the fog of uncertainty that still clung to her.
"I was thinking," Theo began, his voice casual, but there was a glint of something else behind it. "Maybe we could go to the beach. No plans. Just... walk, talk, and maybe get caught in the rain."
Lena blinked, surprised by the simplicity of the offer. But as she thought about it, the idea seemed so... perfect. Just a day where she didn't have to be anything or anyone. Just two people.
"I think I'd like that," she said quietly.
---
By midday, they were on the beach, walking slowly along the shoreline, the cold April waves lapping at their feet. The air was thick with salt and the promise of a coming storm, but neither of them seemed to mind. Lena had taken off her shoes, letting the sand slide between her toes, feeling its gritty texture remind her she was alive, here, present.
Theo walked beside her, his hands stuffed in his pockets, his camera dangling loosely at his side. He didn't push. Didn't rush. Just stayed close enough that Lena could feel the warmth of him, but not so close that it felt invasive.
They didn't talk for a while. The sound of the waves and the cry of gulls was enough. Lena felt a kind of peace she hadn't felt in years, the weight of her father's voice dimming in the background. The more time she spent with Theo, the more she realized that she didn't need a future built on someone else's dreams. She needed a future that was hers to make.
"I don't have to think so much around you," she said, her voice barely a whisper against the wind.
Theo looked over, eyes kind. "You don't have to think at all if you don't want to."
It was a quiet invitation. One that didn't need words to explain. They simply continued walking, the silence stretching between them like a bond they didn't have to name.
As the afternoon wore on, the sky darkened, clouds rolling in thick and heavy. Lena found herself drawn to him, closer than before, and she didn't stop herself when their hands brushed together. This time, neither of them pulled away.
Theo's voice broke the quiet. "You know, I think I might like staying here a little longer."
She glanced at him, startled. "Why?"
His gaze met hers, steady and clear. "Because for the first time in a while, I don't feel like I'm running away from something. I feel like I'm running toward something."
Lena's heart skipped, but she didn't pull away. She just kept walking beside him, letting the moment stretch out until the rain finally began to fall, soft at first, then hard.
Neither of them cared.
They found shelter beneath the thick branches of a nearby tree, laughing as the rain poured around them.
---