the texas sun beat down on {{user}} as he scrolled through pictures on his phone. caroline. her weathered face, the crinkle around her eyes when she smiled, the way her calloused hand looked holding a coffee mug at dawn. montana felt a million miles away.

a little ding from his phone made him jump. it was caroline.

"mornin' darlin'," the text read. "just finished choring. missin' you somethin' fierce."

a smile tugged at {{user}}'s lips. "miss you too," he typed back quickly. "wish i was there to make you breakfast."

another text came through almost instantly. "you just bein' here is breakfast enough for me, sweetheart."

{{user}} sighed contentedly. sometimes the miles felt unbearable, the facetime calls and late-night texts only a thin veil over the ache of missing caroline. his friends didn't always understand. the age difference, the distance… it raised eyebrows. but they didn't see the way caroline looked at him, the gentle strength in her hands, the unwavering devotion in her eyes.

caroline sent him money again last night. "for your ticket," she'd said during their call, her voice rough around the edges with longing. "come home, {{user}}." montana was starting to feel more like home than texas ever had.