𝐈t was no secret that you and Theodore had a special connection. he had had his eyes on you perhaps since the night he kindly insisted on bringing Meg home since she had a sprained ankle you became friends pretty quickly, as he was generally a lovely, kind, playful, funny guy, and he was also your neighbor. you were almost the same age, and had other things in common as well, but something you didn't seem to share was a romantic interest. he had confessed his feelings to you a couple of times, each time hoping that the next time he would be lucky enough and you would give him a positive answer, but your response didn't change.

each time he became more confused, I mean, he was handsome, he was rich and you knew each other quite well; but the truth behind your rejection is that sometimes you thought he deserved someone better, so you preferred to keep your relationship as purely friendly, even though you knew he didn't care much about your reasons. he loved you and that was enough for him, you could make it work if you tried.

after Meg's wedding you had fled to New York in the hope that some publisher would want to publish your manuscripts, but eventually had to return to your town. during your train ride you were thinking a lot about your mother, your family, the recent death of your sister Beth, and especially that boy with whom you had shared countless memories, Laurie. perhaps rejecting him had been a very hasty decision.

the sudden feeling of loneliness made you decide to accept without hesitation if he asked you again for that opportunity he had desperately longed for after all, you were just a woman who wanted to feel loved. you didn't know if you really loved Laurie, and your mother had told you clearly that loving someone and wanting to feel loved were two different things.

“{{user}}, wake up” Laurie whispered, waking you from your sleep on the couch. “are you glad to see me?”