Chapter 21: Camille - Love On Time

It’s Monday morning, and I’ve survived my first week back in reality—only five more to go. Feeling a bit lighter than I did last week, I stop at my local coffee shop to grab a vanilla iced latte before heading into work.

When I walk into my library branch, the familiar smell of old hardback books and fresh-brewed coffee greets me. I set my bag down behind my desk, fire up my laptop, and clip on my staff badge to start the day.

“Good morning, Cami,” Maggie says cheerfully, practically skipping over to my desk. “You have mail.”

My brows furrow in confusion. I look down as she hands me a thick, sealed white envelope. Written across the front is just my name. No postage stamp, no return address, and no sender name.

“Where did you get this?” I ask, inspecting the weathered envelope in my hands, thoroughly confused by what I'm holding.

“It was in our mailbox when I did my morning check.” Maggie shrugs, leaning against the desk counter. “No stamp or anything. Someone must have slid it in over the weekend.”

My fingers tremble slightly as I slide them under the seal, tearing the envelope open. I expect a single note, but instead, a thick stack of folded papers slides out onto the desk. My brows crease as I look at them. They aren't new. The edges of some are slightly worn, written on a variety of different kinds of paper. Lined notebook pages, hotel stationery, and postcards of world destinations. At the top of each page is a neatly penned date.

I pick up the first one, my eyes scanning the familiar handwriting I haven't seen in years. The date being July 27th. My nineteenth birthday.

My heart falls to my stomach. I rapidly flip through the rest of the stack, my breath catching in my throat as the dates unfold before me. There is one dated on the grim anniversary of his accident. Another from the month he found out I’d landed my job as a librarian. A postcard from Rome, just days after Cooper and Ivy set their wedding date, titled "The day I found out I’m going to see you again."

They are love letters. Dozens of them. An archive of unsent devotions he had kept hidden.

“Cami?” Maggie’s voice sounds distant, her cheerful demeanor melting into concern as she notices the tears welling in my eyes. “What is it? Are you okay?”

I can't even answer her. I just stare at the ink. Six years of silence, six years of separation, and the entire time, he had never stopped thinking about me.

November 3rd, 2021

Dear Camille,

Today marks one year since my world came crumbling down. I was injured to the point of never being able to step foot on a football field again. But, what hurts the most… It’s been a year since I broke your heart. I shut you out, I couldn't let you see how broken I was. I still am—every day is a constant reminder that you are gone, and so is the career I was betting on to support you and support my mom. I can’t do this anymore, Cami. I can't be on this campus and watch my dream continue without me. I decided to move to Colorado for a little while. My mom's sister lives there. I’m not sure what I’ll do when I get there, but it can't be any worse than how I feel being trapped here on this campus. I miss you, I miss you so much it hurts. Sometimes I listen to your voicemails just to hear your voice, even though they destroy a piece of me every time. You deserve the world; I wish I had been strong enough to give it to you. I’ll forever wonder, what if? Anyways, you will probably never read this. But it feels good to write to you, it makes me feel close to you in a way. I hope you’re well and enjoying your senior year of high school. I love you, forever.

Drew

One hand flies to my mouth, the other shaking so violently I can barely hold the paper. The tears come instantly, blurring my vision. I love you. He said it. He said I love you five years ago. For years, I forced myself to believe the lie I told myself, that he never cared, that he never loved me. I set the letter down and picked up the next.

July 27th, 2022

Dear Cami,

Happy 19th Birthday! I wonder what you are up to today. Are you at the library doing something cool with the kids? I always loved that about you, you are the coolest girl I’ve ever known! I hope you end up eating chocolate cake, I know it’s your favorite. Maybe I'll go to the store and get a cake too, in honor of your birthday. Wherever you are, I hope you are being spoiled.

Also, congratulations on graduating from high school a few months ago. I saw the picture of you with Ivy in your cap and gown. You looked beautiful and so happy. I should have texted you to congratulate you. I just didn’t want to hurt you or upset you on your big day. There have been so many times I’ve picked up my phone to text you.

Anyways, Colorado has been good for me. The mountain air is so clean and refreshing. I started hiking to help rehabilitate my knee. Every day I push myself further and further. I started journaling and taking pictures on my hikes, documenting what I see and feel. It’s been healing. I smiled the other day, for the first time in a long time. I think I’m going to start a travel blog. It’s the first time I've felt a spark since the accident, so maybe this is what I'm supposed to do with my life. Anyways, I miss you, and Happy Birthday. I love you, always.

Drew

My hands shuffle through each handwritten letter. I’ve laughed, and I've cried. I can’t believe he’s been writing to me for years. I pick up a beautiful postcard, with clear blue waters and sprawling green mountainscapes.

May 11th, 2023

Dear Cami,

Hello from Bali! It’s beautiful here, the photo on this postcard is exactly my view as I write this letter to you. A big-time travel magazine has noticed my blog. They are paying me to go on trips. Who would have thought someone would be interested in my pictures and my words? Not me! For the first time in so long, I feel like I'm finally finding myself again. I just wish you were here so I could tell you my good news. That's the only downfall: it gets so lonely, not having anyone to share this with. But no matter where I am, I like to climb on my roof and watch the stars. It makes me think of you. Do you still sit on your roof? Or did you move out on your own? I wonder where you are and what you're doing. I hope whatever it is, you are happy. I miss you, and I love you, always.

Drew

January 18th, 2025

Dear Cami,

Cooper called. He told me you just completed your Master's in Library Science and you’ve landed the head librarian position at our local library. I’m so damn proud of you, I cried when we got off the phone. My heart still aches for you, Camille. There isn't a day that goes by when you aren’t on my mind. I thought I was freeing you to live a life unburdened by my broken pieces. But I’m starting to think maybe I got it all wrong. I love you so much it makes it hard to breathe, and leaving you behind was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. I would do anything to come home, if it meant I got a redo.

Drew

A fresh sob escapes me, pressing my hand against my ribs where my heart is hammering. He had been there. Behind my greatest achievements, the man I thought had abandoned me was weeping from thousands of miles away.

February 14th, 2026

The day I found out I’m going to see you again.

Dear Cami,

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope someone is showering you with love today. Cooper and Ivy called, and it looks like the wedding is set for August. Six months. I’ll be honest, I’m terrified. I’ve pictured what it would be like to see you again, to see you as an adult now. Six years have passed between us. I’ve been a coward. I never should’ve let it go this long without talking to you, without giving you an explanation. I hope when I see you, you’ll give me a chance to explain, but if you don't, I understand. I know I don't deserve it. As always, I love you, and I miss you.

Drew

I pick up the last letter, only dated a few days before we ran into each other at the airport. My chest tightens as I unfold the paper, realizing this was the headspace he was in right before he stepped back into my life.

August 13th, 2026

Dear Cami,

My hands are shaking just writing this out. My bags are packed, and my flight leaves in forty-eight hours. I’ve kept these letters with me through all my travels for the last five years. I decided I'm going to bring them. I am terrified that when you look at me, all you’ll see is the boy who broke your heart and walked away. I’m so scared to see the hurt in your eyes. If I get the courage, I’ll give them to you. If I don't, I’ll leave them with Cooper or your Mom to give to you when I'm gone. I don't know what the wedding week will bring, Cami, but I do know one thing: my heart has belonged to you since I was sixteen, and it’s stayed with you ever since.

Drew

A shaky, breathless laugh escapes my lips through the tears. He had been just as terrified as I was. He had been carrying these love letters around the world, waiting for the right moment, only to leave them in my mom's hands when the goodbye at the airport proved too hard to bear.

I pull the entire stack of pages tightly against my chest, closing my eyes. For the first time in a week, the suffocating anxiety is completely gone. He loves me, he’s always loved me, just like I’ve never stopped loving him. It feels like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.

I carefully slide the letters back into the worn envelope and tuck it safely into my bag. Taking a deep breath to steady my shaking hands, I leave my desk and head straight to the women's restroom.

I look in the mirror. My eyes are bloodshot from the tears that just washed away the pain of my past. I turn on the faucet, splashing cold water over my face to cool my cheeks.

I pull a tube of mascara and concealer from my bag, doing my best to erase the evidence of my emotions before the guests notice. Taking one last deep exhale, I roll my shoulders back and step back out onto the library floor to face the rest of my already crazy Monday morning.

I sit at my desk, staring blankly at the glowing laptop screen, trying to focus on the work in front of me. I pull up the library’s return logs and tracking spreadsheets, but with the truth sitting just a few inches away in my bag, it’s incredibly hard to care about anything other than those letters.

My fingers hover over the keyboard, but my mind keeps straying back to his words. My heart has belonged to you since I was sixteen.

I find myself checking the clock every ten minutes, counting down the seconds until my shift ends so I can take that envelope home, pour myself a tall glass of wine, and spread six years of his heart across my bed.

Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping. My phone chimes against the wood next to me. I quickly scramble for my phone, having forgotten to set it to silent earlier. The chime echoes against the quiet library walls. Ping, ping. What the hell is going on?

I open my text messages to see my family group chat flooded with texts.

Ivy

OH MY GOD, CAMI OPEN THE LINK RIGHT NOW!!!

A novel for your next quiet moment.

Find something to read on Lokepub.

Mom

Look at the blog, sweetheart!

Dad

Congrats, kiddo!

Cooper

And so it begins…

Ivy

Oh shush babe! Let her have her moment!

Cooper

Ivy, you're sitting right next to me!

Beneath the storm of messages is a link to Drew’s travel website. My heart starts pounding against my ribs as I tap on it, the page loading agonizingly slow on the library WiFi. Finally, the article fills my screen. But the photos are not of a wildly green jungle or sprawling blue oceans. The screen fills with a montage of photos—all of me from the wedding. There’s a shot of me laughing at the rehearsal dinner, a candid of me looking out at the lake at sunset, a blurry, high-energy photo of me dancing on the dance floor, and the last one is the photo I showed Maggie, of Drew and me on the dance floor at the reception. Under the gallery is his article.

For six years, I let fear control my life. Initially, I started traveling to run away from my life, I thought I was protecting the people I loved by keeping my burdens away from them. Then, I picked up a camera and a pen, and my life started to feel a little less heavy. Traveling has healed parts of me that I didn't think would ever heal again. But one thing was always missing from my life: one person. I’m realizing now that the bravest thing you can do is stand still and fight for what matters. So, I’m done running. I’m going home.

I scroll down, my vision blurring as I read his final paragraph.

To everyone who has followed my journey across the world and through the most beautiful destinations I could have dreamed of: I have deeply loved my time traveling, and this isn't a permanent goodbye. It’s only a 'see you later.' But the next time I pack my bags, the next time I head out to explore a new corner of the globe, I won't be going alone. The next time, I'm bringing her with me.

My breath catches in my throat. A shaky, ecstatic sob escapes my lips, and the tears I just spent ten minutes concealing in the restroom are now flowing again. He isn't giving up his world for me; he’s inviting me into it. And then, my eyes find the very last line of the article:

P.S. I told her family to blow up her phone to get her attention. Cami, come outside. I'm waiting for you.

The text at the bottom of the screen blurs as adrenaline starts pumping through my veins. I don't care that I'm supposed to be running a library, I throw my phone onto the desk, push my chair back so hard it slams into the wall behind me, and bolt. My flats tap loudly against the polished floors, shattering the building's silence. I push the heavy glass double doors open, bursting out into the blinding afternoon sun.

My eyes frantically scan the parking lot, and there he is. He’s leaning against his car, looking up from his phone the second the doors swing open. The moment his eyes lock onto mine, a big smile breaks across his face, and he straightens up, opening his arms wide.

The years of silence, the agonizing doubts and what-ifs, all vanish underneath the California sun as I sprint towards him. I don’t slow down. I throw my entire weight into him, my hands flying up to wrap securely around his neck as he catches me. His arms lock around my waist, lifting my feet completely off the pavement. He holds me so tightly it knocks the breath right out of my lungs, burying his face in the crook of my neck.

“Cami,” he breathes against my skin, his voice sounds exactly how my heart feels. “I'm so sorry it took me so long.”

I can’t even form words. I just squeeze him tighter, my fingers knotting into the fabric of his shirt. The familiar scent of him—smoky vanilla and musk fills my senses. My eyes flutter shut as I melt into his arms. The phantom pain that had been sitting in my chest since the airport has finally stopped aching.

When he slides me back down, he doesn't let go. His hands reach up to cup my face, his thumbs gently wiping away the fresh tear tracks. He leans into my lips, pulling me into a long kiss that makes time stand still. Finally, the clock has stopped ticking, and there is no longer a haunting reminder of pain stretching between us.

“You read them?” he asks softly as his lips pull away, his eyes scanning my face, searching every inch.

“Every single one,” I choke out, a breathless laugh escaping me as I rest my forehead against his. “You're an idiot, Drew. Six years?”

“I know.” A small chuckle escapes his throat, a relieved smile breaking across his lips. "Let me spend forever making it up to you.”

“Deal.” I smile.

“I love you, Camille Benson.” He says, his eyes filled with tears.

“I love you too,” I choke, looking into the hazel-green eyes of the man I’ve spent my whole life loving. No matter the pain, the distance, the time, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Because Drew Carson was worthy of being loved, and he was worth every year I spent waiting for him. And the truth was, we hadn't lost those six years—we were just taking the long way home.