The rain slowed to a fine mist. Somewhere down the street, a car passed, but Elara heard nothing but the beat of her own heart and the quiet rhythm of his breathing. After years of waiting, of quiet pining and silent what-ifs, the distance between them was finally gone. Tonight, the past melted away, and all that remained was the two of them, under the bookstore awning, finding their way back to each other at last.