Clara stepped off the creaking ferry, her boots sinking into the damp sand as the tide whispered against the shore. The lighthouse stood behind her, its white tower weathered by years of salt and wind, its beam sweeping the horizon…
The salt air stank of brine and diesel as Clara stepped off the ferry, her boots crunching over gravel. The dock creaked under her weight, a sound that seemed to echo through the quiet harbor. She pulled her coat tighter,…
The first time she saw him, the sea was bleeding. A storm had rolled in overnight, turning the harbor into a cauldron of gray waves that crashed against the docks with relentless fury. Clara stood at the edge of the…
The first time Clara saw Daniel since the summer of 2012, he was kneeling in the sand, tracing letters into the damp earth with a stick. The air smelled like salt and burnt sugar from the carnival rides across the…
The first time she saw him, the sky was bleeding orange through the storm clouds. Lila had been running for miles, her boots slapping against the wet pavement, when she stumbled into the shelter of a flickering streetlamp. The air…
The air smelled of pine resin and rain as Clara stepped off the bus, her boots crunching on gravel. The town of Silver Hollow hadn’t changed—same crooked sidewalks, same flickering streetlamp casting long shadows across the diner’s parking lot. She’d…
The first time Clara saw the lighthouse, it was shrouded in fog, its white tower bleeding into the gray sky like a ghost. She stood at the edge of the dock, her boots soaked from the tide, and felt the…
The first time she saw him again, the sea was a blade of glass beneath the sun. Mira stood at the edge of the dock, her boots sinking into the wet wood as the wind tugged at her coat. The…
The first time Clara saw Daniel since the breakup, the café was thick with the scent of burnt coffee and unresolved tension. He stood near the counter, his leather jacket creaking as he leaned against the register, watching her with…
The first time she saw him, Clara was kneading dough in the bakery’s early morning hush, the scent of yeast thick in the air like a promise. The bell above the door jingled, and she turned, flour still clinging to…
Clara’s days began with the scent of salt and the crash of waves against the rocks. She stood at the edge of the cliff, her boots sinking into the damp earth as she adjusted the lantern’s wick. The lighthouse had…
The storm broke at dawn, splitting the sky into jagged fragments of gray and blue. Clara stood at the edge of the cliff, her boots sinking into the damp earth as she watched the waves claw at the rocks below.…
The first time she saw him, Mara was kneading dough in the dim light of the bakery’s early morning hours. The scent of rosemary and warm flour clung to the air, mingling with the distant hum of a guitar drifting…
Clara stepped off the ferry, the salt-heavy air stinging her cheeks as she pulled her coat tighter. The dock creaked under her boots, a sound she hadn’t heard in ten years but recognized instantly. The town hadn’t changed—same weathered planks,…
The salt-kissed air tasted of brine and memory as Clara stepped off the weathered dock, her boots sinking into the damp planks. The harbor smelled of oil and decay, but she inhaled it like a prayer, fingers curling around the…