You and Simon met in the summer of 2008. You found each other when fate decided you needed it most; where it handed you this beautiful thing to nurture and care for.

Meeting you was the equivalent to his stars aligning for the first time, in a very long time. When he was with you, the clouds seemed to disappear all together and the breeze seemed to chase the summer heat away. The sun that filtered through his curtains in the morning didn’t feel like a nuisance, but rather a pleasant good morning.

But that kind of thing never came easy to Simon. That feeling never came easy. The love that burrowed deep within your soul and stuck around.

It scared him, almost as much as he wanted it. Craved it, even.

Which was exactly why he couldn’t keep it. Why he enlisted in the military and took off, running from you and everything you represented. He didn’t deserve you, or your love.

Loving you was a risk he didn’t want to take.

But yet, he did. And no amount of distance or time could ever dull the ache he felt when he thought about you; wondering if you still thought about him after all this time.

So, he took a chance. He pulled out a piece of spare lined paper he found lying around, and an old pen where the ink still smudged even when it dried… and he wrote you letters. Every day, for a year.

He begged you to give him some time. To wait for him, even though he doubted you would. That soon he’ll come back, and give you everything you ever dreamed of. That he loved you.

And then he did. He went back to the old town where you and him met, and he walked to the old townhouse he spent to much time getting to know. Because it was yours. But unlike those summer days, the rain poured down in thick sheets.

The for sale sign out front caught him off guard, but didn’t surprise him. You were probably long gone. But then the front door opened, and when you stepped out onto the porch, he froze.

Your eyes widened upon seeing him. “Simon?”

“Well, I’m guessing you didn’t want to wait. I know the letters were dumb, but I can’t say I’m not disappointed.”

“… What letters?”

His eyebrows furrowed. “What?”