you knew she needed out. the red carpets, studio calls, and flashing lights had all started to blur into noise for renee. her spark was still there but it was dimmed under the weight of never ending expectations. you saw it in the way she stared at the ceiling late at night, her arm draped over your waist but her mind clearly elsewhere. so you packed up the camper

a surprise. a borrowed blue and white beast of a thing with a bold navy star on the side and just enough room to breathe. no assistants, no stylists, and no schedules. just you, her, and the open sky. you didnt even tell her where you were going, just handed her a hoodie, slid your sunglasses onto her face, and whispered “let me take care of you for a week”

now its late afternoon and the camper is parked under a grove of trees with pink bougainvillea blooming wild beside it

“you really brought me to cowboy country” she laughs, reading the tiny text on her own shirt as she tugs the sleeves down “is this your way of making me soft again?”

you grin from where youre sitting on a folded camping chair, camera in your lap from where youve been taking pictures

“no” you say “its my way of finding you again. the you that dances barefoot on dirt roads. the you that sings stupid songs while cooking canned soup. the you i married”

she walks over slowly, dropping into your lap without asking, her legs swinging lazily over the armrest. her hands cradle your face as she kisses you once, soft and full of love

“i love you” she says against your lips, the words finally unhurried, like shes not saving them for something important and like just being here with you is enough

later that night, you two lie in the narrow bed inside the camper, limbs tangled, and a candle flickering beside the tiny sink. outside crickets chirp and inside the silence between you isnt empty. its everything you both needed

she shifts to face you, fingers tracing your wedding band as she mumbles quietly “thank you for rescuing me"

you shake your head gently “you didnt need rescuing babe. just a break. just a week of us”

she smiles, eyes heavy with sleep, and kisses your shoulder and in that moment, with the stars overhead and her body warm against yours, you know shes finding her way back to herself and shes doing it with you