Broken Hearts & A Brand New Start

"Breathe, Sophie,... In and out... One... two... three..."

Sophie was a bundle of nerves as she attempted to steady her trembling hands enough to apply her make-up. It had been three days since the suspicious package wrapped in brown paper had been mysteriously left on her doorstep. She'd have been in less of a state right now if it hadn't taken her two days to work up the courage to open it.

She could still feel the way her heart rate quickened as she untied the brown craft string and gently tore at the seams of the paper. She recalled the confusion as she found herself staring at a shoebox for a pair of R.M. Williams Craftsman boots. Men's, size 10.

"Peculiar...." she thought to herself as she lifted the lid of the box. Hidden under a few layers of tissue paper was a book she had never seen before.

A lump formed in her throat as she inspected the cover—"Chance, Fate & Chocolate Cake: When Adventure Calls, Don't Hesitate. By Callum Buchanan." The author's name caused her to drop the book as she let out a gasp.

"My Callum..." she said out loud, bending down to collect the book from the floor. As she did, a note fell from the cover along with a single pressed marigold flower. She struggled to still her trembling hands as she read the message.

"Bilpin Springs Orchard. 5:30 PM, Wednesday evening. I'll be by the pear tree that stands alone in the courtyard. Don't hesitate."

It was already Tuesday, which gave her just under 24 hours to prepare herself.

Wednesday had come around much too quickly; she kept glancing at the clock, fumbling around her room, trying to find the perfect outfit as she struggled to decide how she should wear her hair.

She opted for a simple black top with lace accents and a pair of well-fitting jeans. The boots she selected had just enough heel to make her legs look shapely without being too difficult to walk in. She added the final touches to her make-up. She liked to keep her look as natural as possible, a light dusting of powder to cover any blemishes but allowed you to see her freckles. Coloured brows to frame her eyes and a touch of mascara to accentuate her naturally long lashes.

She'd always found it ironic how much effort went into looking effortless. She ran her hands through her ash-blonde hair one last time when she heard the notification to say her Uber was 5 minutes away. She opened her wardrobe and pulled out a black leather biker jacket. She rubbed her thumb over the smooth leather and smiled at the memory of the first time she wore it.

The horn from the Uber pulling up outside startled her from her daydream.

"Don't hesitate...." she whispered to herself as she threw the jacket on and picked up her purse.

As they pulled up to her destination, she thanked the driver and made her way down the cobblestone path toward the courtyard nestled behind the main building. As she rounded the corner, she noticed that the trail had been lined with pillar candles clustered in various sizes. Some in lanterns, others not. Her eyes followed the path before her, and she stopped in her tracks when she saw him, back toward her looking out over the orchard.

It was the boots she noticed first. The Craftsman's that would have been in the shoebox containing the book and note that led her here. She remembered looking at his tattered old boots when they took that day trip to Inverness all those years ago. He complained he could never get a pair to last, and she told him when they visited Australia, she'd buy some for him, and he'd never complain about a set of boots not lasting again.

He must have sensed that she'd stopped moving because as her gaze roamed up his body, he turned to face her, their eyes meeting under the flickering light from the candles.

She was immediately transported back to their slow dance by the firelight outside his brother's wedding reception. The warm glow on his face and the reflection of the flames in his crystal blue eyes flooded her with nostalgia. Her heart ached at the memory. The way he kissed her softly for the first time, after promising her another adventure.

There was a time she believed they were destined for adventures together for the rest of their lives. She fought to hold back the tears that threatened to fall as she forced herself to smile. She'd spent the last five years thinking about what she would say if she ever found herself in front of him again. All the ways she would apologise for letting her fear win. Now, as she found herself face to face with the only man she had ever loved, it felt like she was drowning.

-

Callum could hear the click of her boots against the cobblestone path. His breathing getting heavier with every step she took toward him. He noticed she had stopped moving; she must have rounded the corner. Stopped, but not retreating. That was positive, he thought.

After what seemed like an eternity, he slowly dared to turn around and face her. She was as breathtaking as the first time he saw her, perhaps more so. He tried to suppress the urge he had to beam at her when he realised what she had done.

She wore a black lace top, with his leather jacket over the top. The first time he saw her, she was wearing a shade of pastel pink, which made her look pretty as a picture. It complimented her pale complexion and highlighted her fair features.

But he would never forget the first time he saw her in black. His mind drifted back to the night at the theatre. She met him there, which he didn't like. As a gentleman, he would have preferred to pick her up, but she insisted. He was waiting in the foyer with Peter when she walked in. He remembered the look Peter shot him when he noticed her come in first... A look that said in no uncertain terms, "You're in trouble...."

She wore a plain black dress with a high neckline that hugged her figure exquisitely. She looked shy and self-conscious as she quickly made her way to him. He noticed for the first time what all those colours had been doing to her. He'd always thought her eyes were blue, but when she wore black, and there was no colour to detract from them, he realised they weren't blue at all. They were far more complex; they held a blue pattern that wove between the moss green primary colour, surrounded with an emerald ring. He made her promise to wear black more often.

He was flooded with relief that she came, which was immediately replaced by nerves. She smiled at him, which put him at ease, he tried his best to return her smile, but in truth, the reunion was far more bittersweet than he had anticipated.

"You came…." Was all he could manage to get out.

"I did…." She smiled sweetly at him before looking down at his feet. "Nice boots." She said playfully.

Their eyes met briefly before they both chuckled nervously.

"I was surprised to hear from you...." She said nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear before using the oversized jacket to wrap herself tighter. Callum wasn't sure if it was her nerves or the cold, but he saw the window of opportunity regardless.

He strode toward her, a little more enthusiastically than intended, and draped a large blanket over her shoulders. She looked up at him and smiled gratefully.

"Here, come sit by the fire. I wasn't entirely prepared for how cold an April evening here would be...."

He deliberately avoided her first question. The truth is, he was angry at her for a time after she left. But it didn't take long for him to realise she could never stray far from his good graces. All he wanted was her happiness, and if she found that without him, he accepted that.

Well, for a while.

They sat together on the bench seat by the fire. Knees touching lightly as they sipped on mulled cider. He delighted in the way she appreciated a drink with all her senses. How she inhaled the scent of things before going in for the taste. As she breathed in the notes of pear and cinnamon, her nose crinkled most adorably before she closed her eyes and savoured the aroma for a few moments before taking a slow sip.

"I thought you would hate me, you know, for leaving...."

"I could never hate you, Soph. I was angry for a time. But mostly, I just missed you with every fibre of my being."

He felt her hand on his leg, just above his knee, warm from holding the cider. He instinctively placed his over hers.

"You wrote about us... You wrote our story."

"I did. My therapist thought it might give me closure...." he chuckled to himself.

"And did it?"

"Not even close. But I was determined to leave you be. Until I started getting the letters...."

"Letters?"

"Aye. The letters from my adoring fans. I never intended to tell the story to the world, but I didn't want it kept entirely to myself either. The handful of people reading gradually became... more than a handful. It turns out we had the kind of story people wanted to read about. And the really invested ones started sending me letters...."

-

Sophie sat mesmerised as she listened to Callum. She had forgotten what a melody his rich Scottish accent was to her ears. He'd always had a knack for storytelling. It didn't surprise her in the slightest to find he'd become an author.

She listened intently as he told her about the letters he started receiving, pleading for him to find her.

"Love like that doesn't stop… ever." One of them had said. Callum told her that was the moment he knew that if after all this time he still loved her, then there was a real chance she still loved him too, and one way or another, he was determined to find out.

They had naturally moved into a position where their bodies were entwined. Her head resting on his chest as he draped his arm around her. She didn't need to tell him that she still loved him. He knew her soul better than she did. The fact that she showed up at all told him all he needed to know.

She thought back to that first night, trying not to dwell on the time they had wasted these last five years apart. She looked up at him with her trademark sweet smile and said,

"So, what now?"

His smile lit up his face, reaching all the way to his eyes as he looked back at her.

"Remember that time we went apple picking at Ballycross Apple Farm in Wexford?"

"Of course." She laughed like she could forget the way he caught her. Like some kind of knight in shining armour when she fell from the ladder, only for them both to end up in the dirt when he lost his footing.

"Well… You told me you weren't one for settling. But if you ever did, you quite liked the idea of an Orchard…."

Sophie's eyes lit up at his words as she sat up to look him in the eyes.

"This is all yours?" She questioned, not quite sure she could believe he was planning to stay.

"No, love. Not mine…."

"Oh…." She said, trying to hide her disappointment.

Callum tilted her chin up and smiled mischievously down at her. He kissed her softly, letting the gesture say all the unsaid things.

"It's all ours…."