Chapter 1: The Night He Didn't Come Back

The summer air hung thick and sweet with the scent of honeysuckle as laughter drifted across the Vance family's backyard. String lights twinkled overhead like captured stars, casting a warm glow over the farewell party that felt more like a beginning than an ending. Elara Vance stood at the edge of the patio, her fingers wrapped around a red solo cup she'd barely touched, watching her friends celebrate her acceptance to the prestigious architecture program at Northwestern.

Tomorrow, she would leave Northwood Creek forever.

The thought should have filled her with excitement—it had for months. But tonight, all she could think about was the way Liam Blackwood kept stealing glances at her from across the yard, his intense blue eyes finding hers in the crowd with a magnetism that made her pulse race.

"Earth to Elara!" Her best friend Madison appeared at her elbow, following her gaze to where Liam stood with her brother Leo near the fire pit. "You're practically burning holes in that poor boy with your stare."

"I am not staring," Elara protested, heat climbing her neck. At eighteen, she thought she was sophisticated enough to hide her feelings, but apparently not from Madison's knowing smirk.

"Honey, you've been pining after your brother's best friend since you were fifteen. Everyone knows it except maybe Leo—and thank God for that." Madison nudged her shoulder. "So what are you going to do about it? This is your last night."

Elara's stomach fluttered with nervous energy. She'd been asking herself the same question all week. For three years, she'd nursed this impossible crush, content to admire Liam from afar while he treated her like Leo's annoying little sister. But lately—especially tonight—something had shifted. The way he looked at her felt different. Heavier. Like he was seeing her as a woman instead of just a kid.

"I don't know," she admitted, smoothing her hands over the sundress she'd chosen with unusual care. The soft yellow fabric brought out the gold flecks in her hazel eyes, and she'd caught Liam looking more than once. "What if I'm imagining things?"

"Girl, the tension between you two could power this whole town." Madison shook her head. "Trust me, you're not imagining anything."

As if summoned by their conversation, Leo jogged over, his easy grin lighting up his face. Even at nineteen, her brother had that golden boy charm that made everyone gravitate toward him. "Hey, El. Great party, right? Mom and Dad really went all out."

"It's perfect," Elara agreed, though she'd barely noticed the decorations or the food. Her attention kept drifting to the tall, dark-haired figure by the fire who seemed to be having trouble staying in one place.

"Liam keeps asking about you," Leo said casually, and Elara's heart skipped. "I think he wants to talk to you before you leave."

Madison made a small sound of vindication, but Elara barely heard her over the sudden rushing in her ears. "He does?"

"Yeah. He's been weird all week, actually. More brooding than usual, if that's possible." Leo's expression grew thoughtful. "You know how he gets when he's thinking too hard about something."

Elara knew exactly how Liam got. She'd spent years cataloging his moods, learning to read the subtle shifts in his expression that most people missed. When he was troubled, he got quieter, more intense. His hands would flex restlessly at his sides, and he'd run them through his dark hair until it stuck up at odd angles.

Right now, across the yard, he was doing exactly that.

"I should go help Mom with the dishes," Leo announced, already backing away. "But you two should catch up before it gets too late."

Elara watched her brother disappear into the house, leaving her alone with Madison, who was practically vibrating with excitement.

"This is it," Madison hissed. "This is your moment. Go talk to him."

But before Elara could move, Liam was walking toward them, his stride purposeful despite the casual way he'd shoved his hands into his pockets. He wore a simple black t-shirt and jeans, but somehow he made the combination look devastating. At nineteen, he already had the build of a man who worked with his hands, broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, and those incredible blue eyes that seemed to see straight through her.

"Madison," he nodded politely when he reached them, but his gaze was fixed on Elara. "Mind if I steal the guest of honor for a minute?"

"She's all yours," Madison said with barely concealed glee, melting away into the crowd before Elara could protest.

Suddenly, they were alone in the middle of the party, surrounded by people but somehow isolated in their own bubble of tension. Elara's mouth went dry as Liam stepped closer, near enough that she could smell his cologne mixed with something uniquely him—sawdust and summer heat and possibility.

"Walk with me?" he asked, his voice lower than usual.

Elara nodded, not trusting herself to speak. They moved away from the party, past the pool where a few of her classmates were still splashing around, toward the quiet corner of the yard where her mother's garden bloomed wild and fragrant in the darkness.

"So," Liam said when they stopped beside the old oak tree that had held her childhood swing. "Tomorrow, huh?"

"Tomorrow," she echoed, hyperaware of how close they were standing. She could see the faint scar through his left eyebrow, a souvenir from a bike accident when he was sixteen. She'd been there that day, had watched in horror as he'd gone flying over the handlebars, and later helped her mother clean the blood from his face while he sat stoically in their kitchen.

"You're really doing it. Getting out of this place." There was something in his voice she couldn't identify—pride, maybe, or regret.

"The architecture program at Northwestern is everything I've dreamed of," she said, the words coming out more defensive than she'd intended. "Chicago has some of the most beautiful buildings in the world."

"I know." His smile was soft, almost sad. "You've been talking about it since you were fifteen, sketching those buildings in your notebook instead of paying attention in math class."

Elara's cheeks heated. She hadn't realized he'd noticed her architectural doodles, or that he'd been paying attention to her dreams at all.

"You'll be amazing," he continued, his voice rough with sincerity. "You'll design incredible things, Elara. Change skylines. Make people stop and stare at the beauty you've created."

The way he said her name, like it meant something precious, made her breath catch. "Liam—"

"I need to tell you something." He stepped closer, and she could see her own reflection in his eyes. "Before you go, before you start your new life, I need you to know—"

"Know what?" The question came out as barely a whisper.

His hand lifted, fingers barely grazing her cheek, and she felt like she might faint from the simple contact. "That I see you, Elara. Not as Leo's little sister, not as the smart girl with big dreams. I see you."

The world seemed to tilt on its axis. This was everything she'd hoped for, dreamed of, in her most secret moments. "I see you too," she managed.

"Do you?" His thumb traced along her cheekbone, and she leaned into the touch helplessly. "Because sometimes I think I'm going crazy, the way I—" He stopped, jaw working like he was fighting some internal battle.

"The way you what?"

Instead of answering, he lowered his head until their foreheads touched, his breath warm against her lips. "God, Elara. You have no idea what you do to me."

Her heart was beating so hard she was sure he could hear it. "Then show me."

For a moment that stretched like eternity, they stood frozen on the precipice of everything changing. His eyes searched hers, dark and intense and full of want that made her knees weak. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, could count his eyelashes, could almost taste the promise hanging between them.

He was going to kiss her. Finally, after years of watching and wanting and hoping, Liam Blackwood was going to kiss her.

But just as his lips brushed hers—the barest whisper of contact that sent electricity shooting through her entire body—he pulled back sharply, as if he'd been burned.

"I can't." The words came out harsh, tortured. "Not like this."

Elara blinked, disoriented by the sudden distance between them. "What?"

"This isn't right." He scrubbed a hand through his hair, the gesture sharp with frustration. "You deserve better than some impulsive moment in your backyard."

"Liam, I don't understand—"

"You deserve to be courted properly. To have someone ask permission, do things the right way." His jaw was set with determination that looked almost painful. "You deserve respect."

"Whose permission?" But even as she asked, she knew. Her stomach dropped as understanding dawned. "Leo."

"He's your brother. My best friend. This affects him too." Liam's hands clenched at his sides. "I should have talked to him first, should have—"

"I'm eighteen years old," Elara said, anger beginning to burn through the confusion and hurt. "I don't need anyone's permission to be kissed."

"It's not about permission, it's about doing right by you. By him. By all of us."

She stared at him, this man she'd thought she knew, wondering when he'd become so concerned with propriety. The Liam she'd fallen for was rough around the edges, someone who'd grown up on the wrong side of town and never worried much about proper protocol.

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I want to do this right." His voice gentled, and he reached out as if to touch her again before dropping his hand. "Let me talk to Leo. Let me explain how I feel, get his blessing. You leave tomorrow, but you'll be back for Thanksgiving, right?"

Elara nodded mutely.

"Then we'll have time to figure this out properly. To see if what's between us is real, or if it's just—"

"Just what?"

"Timing. You leaving, me staying. Sometimes that makes people feel things that aren't really there."

The words hit her like a slap. "You think this isn't real?"

"I think you're about to start the most important chapter of your life, and I don't want to be the reason you look back with regret."

"And I don't get a say in that?"

"Of course you do. But I need to know I'm approaching this honorably, Elara. That I'm not taking advantage of—"

"Of what? My feelings?" The hurt was transforming into something sharper, more dangerous. "God, Liam. I thought you were different."

"I am different. That's why I need to do this right."

She wanted to argue, to tell him that right didn't always mean following some antiquated rules about brothers and permissions and proper courtship. Right meant listening to her heart, which was screaming that this moment, this feeling, was worth more than any protocol.

But the set of his shoulders told her his mind was made up.

"Fine," she said, the word coming out colder than she'd intended. "Talk to Leo. Do whatever you need to do."

Relief flickered across his features. "Thank you. I promise, Elara, I'll make this worth the wait."

He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, the contact so tender it made her eyes burn with unshed tears. "I'll go find him now, okay? And then tomorrow, before you leave, we'll talk about what comes next."

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Wait for me?" The question held a vulnerability that cracked something open in her chest.

"Okay."

He smiled then, the first real smile she'd seen from him all night, and her heart skipped despite everything. Maybe he was right. Maybe this was better, more meaningful. Maybe when he came back, they could start something real and lasting and—

"I'll be right back," he promised, already walking toward the house.

Elara watched him go, her fingers pressed to her lips where she could still feel the ghost of his almost-kiss. Around her, the party continued, but she felt separate from it all, wrapped in the warm glow of possibility and the sweet ache of anticipation.

She waited by the oak tree, replaying every word, every touch, every heated look. In her mind, she practiced what she'd say when he returned with Leo's blessing. How she'd tell him that she'd been in love with him for years, that she was willing to try long distance, that some things were worth fighting for.

Minutes passed. Then an hour.

The party began to wind down around her. Friends came to say goodbye, to hug her and promise to keep in touch. Her parents emerged from the house to start cleaning up, her mother shooting her concerned looks that Elara deflected with brittle smiles.

But Liam didn't come back.

At midnight, Leo wandered over, looking confused. "Hey, El. Have you seen Liam? His truck's gone, but he didn't say goodbye."

The words hit her like ice water. "His truck's gone?"

"Yeah. Maybe he had to get home to deal with his dad again. You know how that goes."

But Elara didn't know, because Liam had never told her about his father, had never shared the parts of his life that hurt. She'd thought they were closer than that. She'd thought—

"Did he talk to you tonight?" she asked, her voice carefully controlled. "About anything important?"

Leo's brow furrowed. "No. Why? Was he supposed to?"

The humiliation crashed over her in waves. She stood there in her carefully chosen yellow dress, surrounded by the remnants of her farewell party, and felt like the naive little girl she'd apparently always been.

He'd left. Without a word, without an explanation, without the conversation he'd promised. He'd asked her to wait, had looked her in the eyes and made her believe that something beautiful was beginning.

And then he'd disappeared into the night like she meant nothing at all.

"Elara?" Leo's voice seemed to come from very far away. "Are you okay?"

She wasn't okay. She might never be okay again. But she lifted her chin and forced a smile that felt like it might crack her face in half.

"I'm fine. Just tired. Big day tomorrow."

As she walked toward the house on unsteady legs, she made herself a promise. She would go to Chicago, she would build her new life, and she would never again wait for Liam Blackwood to come back.

Some promises, she would learn, were easier to make than to keep.