To: The Framing Nook, 47 Pine Crescent
- Reads 528
- Votes 15
- Parts 45
Complete Mon, Sep 22, 202510h 12m
This story is written and owned by Annika Dane (also posting on Royal Road)
He was supposed to leave. She wasn't supposed to matter this much. Falling in love wasn't part of the plan.
Brian's ready to disappear. Burned out, restless, and convinced he's wasting his life, he's already packed his escape plan.
No attachments, no mess.
Then there's Rebecca. Quiet, stubborn, and impossible to ignore.
What starts as a distraction turns into late-night talks, shared playlists, and a connection Brian never expected.
But opening up isn't easy when doubts and fears get in the way. Between misunderstandings, old insecurities, and the weight of everything left unsaid, they'll have to figure out how much of themselves they're willing to risk.
He reads people easily but struggles to read himself.
She keeps her feelings tucked away where no one can reach.
And somehow, in the middle of all that, something real begins to take shape.
A slow-burn college romance about messy feelings, unexpected connection, and the terrifying risk of letting someone truly see you.
All Rights Reserved
#100
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They loved hard, fought harder, and broke quietly. Ryan and Hannah were supposed to last - the kind of love that survives slammed doors, sleepless nights, and promises said in the dark. But love, as they learned, doesn't always fade in one clean motion. Sometimes it unravels, thread by thread, until you wake up beside someone you no longer recognize. After years of trying to fix what was already gone, Hannah walked away. Ryan stayed - until the silence between them became too heavy to bear. Years later, Ryan has rebuilt his world. A new home. A wife who makes him laugh. A baby boy who carries his smile. He's finally found peace in the wreckage. But when Hannah reappears one morning, holding all the words she never said, both are forced to face the truth: love doesn't die - it changes. And sometimes, the hardest part isn't losing each other. It's learning to live with what remains.
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