Chapter 25 Eli
Eli
The box of rare books sits unopened in my living room, exactly where I placed it a week ago. Under normal circumstances, this would be unthinkable—these volumes need proper shelving, climate control, careful handling. But nothing feels normal anymore.
"You haven't even unpacked your Whitlock collection?
" Piper's voice carries from my kitchen, where she's perched on my counter despite my many lectures about germs. She does it just to irritate me. I’m currently so far above trivial annoyances that her antics barely register.
She seems to realize this and frowns at me.
"Who are you and what have you done with my brother? "
I glance at the box, then at my sister, who's swirling a glass of wine with an expression that's far too knowing. "I've been busy."
"Busy staring at your phone waiting for Rhianna to text?"
"I do not stare at my phone." My hand stills where it’s slipped into my pocket to remove my phone. “I merely check it at regular intervals.”
Piper snorts. "Right. Because that's so much better." She takes a sip of wine, her dark eyes studying me over the rim of her glass. "You know, Brubba, for someone who just found the love of his life, you look miserable."
"I'm not miserable." The protest sounds weak even to my ears. "I'm just... adjusting."
The truth is more complicated than I can explain to Piper, even though she's been my confidante since we were children.
How do I describe the constant push and pull in my chest?
The joy that bubbles up every time my phone buzzes with a message from Rhianna, followed by the ache of not being able to see her smile in person.
The way I keep turning to share something with her—a passage in a book, a thought about Welsh mythology, even just a terrible pun—only to remember she's not here.
A week ago, I thought I'd lost her completely. I was resigned to returning to my carefully ordered life, trying to forget the way she'd turned everything upside down in the best possible way. Then Alex reminded me that promises are about the heart of them—not just the words. And suddenly, I saw it clearly. Rhianna hadn’t been asking me to leave; she’d been afraid no one would love her enough to stay.
So I did.
I ran through town like a man possessed. And when I’d found her, hair wild from the wind, eyes red from crying—I knew. I knew I would never stop choosing her. When she said she wanted to try with me, my heart soared. I’ve been floating ever since.
I’d already closed the lease on my apartment in Magnolia Cove.
I had to chase down my boxes—they were thankfully still being held on the ferry in Charleston—and I didn’t have a resident’s permit anymore.
And with Rhianna leaving on her fellowship in a matter of weeks, it made logical sense to return home for a while to the apartment I already own.
So I did the sensible thing. I went back to Misty Pines.
But nothing feels like home anymore. These rooms feel emptier than they ever did before, because now I know what it’s like to have her in a space.
Her laughter echoing off the walls. Her wild book theories mid-sentence.
The faint scent of lemon and sea breeze clinging to my clothes.
It’s already faded. I frown at the thought.
I miss her all the time.
It’s just six months, though. I’ll stick with my plan.
Teach my virtual classes. I’ll fall asleep to her voice describing the cities she’s exploring.
I'll live in this in-between space where we’re apart but still tethered.
And when she’s ready—when she’s home again—we’ll talk about what forever looks like.
"You're doing it again," Piper interrupts my thoughts. "That thing where you get lost in your head thinking about her."
She's right, of course. But how can I not? Rhianna Wilder crashed into my life like a shooting star, and now everything that once felt sufficient feels like a pale substitute for the life I could have—the life I want—with her.
I’m saved from having to explain any of this to Piper by her typical rapid-fire subject changes. She hops off the counter and starts wandering my apartment, poking at my precisely arranged belongings like she's conducting an investigation.
“Besides, what are you adjusting to? Being back in your perfectly organized apartment that you clearly don't want to be in anymore?"
I run a hand through my hair, aware that every unpacked box is only proof to her point. "It's just six months."
"And you'll spend all six of them counting the minutes until you can go back to her." She sets down her wine glass with more force than necessary. "Why did you even come back?"
"I have responsibilities, Pipes. My teaching—"
"Aren’t you still teaching virtually this year?"
"Yes, but..." I trail off.
"But what?" Piper prompts.
"But I have a job, a life here."
Piper rolls her eyes so hard I'm worried she might strain something. "A job you can currently do from anywhere, and a life you're clearly not invested in anymore. When's the last time you checked your work email?”
"Last Tuesday," I answer automatically, then wince at her triumphant expression.
"Exactly! The old Eli would never let an email go unanswered for over twenty-four hours. You're still trying to live by your old rules even though they don't fit anymore."
Her words hit me with unexpected force. I think about my inbox, filled with unanswered messages from colleagues, questions about next semester's syllabus, requests for peer reviews. A month ago, letting them sit would have felt like a personal failure. Now they seem... insignificant.
Because every morning, I wake up to a message from Rhianna.
Sometimes it's a picture of a sunrise over Magnolia Cove's harbor, sometimes it's a terrible pun about books that makes me laugh out loud in my empty apartment. Yesterday, she sent me a link to a song along with the text: Still better than Bread. I’d laughed out loud in the grocery store. People looked over at me and I didn’t care.
This lack of focus would have horrified the old Eli. He would have seen it as a disruption to carefully laid plans, a deviation from the proper path.
But I remember something Rhianna said to me once, curled up in my sweater at my apartment.
Sometimes the best stories are the ones that don't follow an outline.
She'd been talking about books, but maybe she was talking about life too.
About how the most meaningful chapters aren't the ones we carefully plot out, but the ones that surprise us.
I look around my apartment—at the neat stacks of papers, the carefully arranged books, the life I built with such precision—and realize it doesn’t fit anymore.
I’ve gone back to my old routines, but they don’t match the shape of my heart now.
With a gasp, I realize what I need to do.
"Remember when I told you about my three bold moves plan? "
Piper grins. “You mean your absolutely adorable attempt to be spontaneous that involved making a detailed list of how to be spontaneous? Yeah, that was peak you.”
"Moving to Magnolia Cove was the first one," I say, ignoring her teasing. "Signing up for Rhianna's matchmaking service was the second."
"What about skydiving?"
I shake my head. "After moving spontaneously and falling in love with a woman who has more magic in her smile than most people have in their whole being? Jumping out of a plane doesn't feel that bold anymore."
Or jumping off a moving ferry to pursue her, for that matter. Actually, it seems like I’ve been doing a whole lot of jumping since I met Rhianna Wilder. But I realize there’s one jump left.
Piper sets down her wine glass, her expression softening. "So what's the third bold move going to be?"
A smile tugs at my lips as I reach for my laptop. "I think I finally know."
"Piper, please try to contain yourself," I mutter as we approach Sinclair’s Sips & Savories. My sister practically vibrates with excitement, clutching my arm like she's afraid I might change my mind and run.
"I can't help it! I can't wait to meet her. She's going to say yes. This is perfect!"
"She might not say yes. Let's not count on that yet."
"Let's count on it!" Piper's grin is infectious. "Let's count on all of it."
The bell chimes as we walk in, and my heart pounds.
This idea is wild, completely outside my carefully constructed comfort zone.
But that's what Rhianna has taught me—sometimes the boldest moves are the ones that terrify you the most. And this move is bold. No matter what happens, I’ve fulfilled my promise to myself.
But dear god, I really hope she says yes.
The book club is gathered at their usual table, deep in what appears to be a heated debate. Tom is gesturing with biscotti, Mia is shaking her head, and Violet appears to be taking detailed notes. But my eyes find Rhianna immediately.
She laughs at something Alex says then her gaze catches mine. There’s a moment of pause before she jumps out of her seat. "Eli?"
For a moment, I forget how to breathe. She's wearing an emerald green dress that contrasts with her dark eyes, and her hair is doing that thing where it's escaping from her bun in wild, perfect curls.
A pen is stuck through the knot, because of course it is.
She's absolutely beautiful, and absolutely Rhianna.
Piper elbows me in the ribs. Right. Moving. Walking. Basic human functions.
"Hi." I cross to their table. The book club members stare at us with varying degrees of curiosity and knowing smiles. Tom's got biscotti frozen halfway to his mouth. Alex, for her part, wears the serene, self-satisfied smile of someone who knew this would happen all along.
"Hi," Rhianna echoes, then her eyes shift to Piper. "Oh! You must be the famous sister! I've heard so much about you."
"All terrible things, I hope." Piper grins and shoots me a look that clearly says get on with it already.
My hands shake slightly as I pull out the folder I've prepared. Inside is a map marked with careful annotations, a series of meticulously organized files, and more hope than I've ever dared to carry before.
“I spoke with your father,”—I begin, my voice steadier than I feel—“and he told me all the locations you're traveling to.
You'll have weekends free. I already plan to teach remotely.
" I spread the papers out across an empty table, smoothing the edges with my fingertips.
Each one represents a different adventure we could share, a different future waiting to be chosen.
"So I looked at all the details and I've made an itinerary for every weekend that will help you get the most out of your time.
And"—I swallow hard—"if you'll have me, I'd love to go with you. "
The table erupts in noise and motion. Tom whoops, Mia claps her hands together, and Violet mutters something that sounds suspiciously like "finally!"
But I only have eyes for Rhianna, whose expression has transformed from shock to something that makes my heart stop and restart all at once.
When she launches herself into my arms, the force of her embrace nearly knocks me over.
The entire restaurant breaks into applause, but I barely notice.
I'm too busy memorizing the feeling of her in my arms, the sound of her laughter against my neck.
Imagining experiencing those every day from now on.
She pulls back slightly, her eyes dancing. "Okay, not to be dramatic but I think my heart just exploded.”
I chuckle, then reach up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Rhianna Wilder, a few months ago on the beach I wanted to tell you something, but if you remember correctly, you asked me to wait. To put that conversation off until later.” Her forehead furrows, but her eyes fill with hope and maybe trust. A trust I’ll always protect.
I take a steadying breath. “I love you. I love your wild heart and your brilliant mind.
I love how you see magic in everything, how you make me brave enough to chase my own dreams. I love that you've completely destroyed my organizational system and I don't even care. I love—"
She kisses me, and the restaurant erupts in cheers again. When we break apart, she's crying and laughing at the same time. "I love you too, you ridiculous, wonderful man."
And that is how my third bold move becomes the beginning of our greatest adventure.