5. Rafe

My eyes opened wider as I entered Harmony Gardens, driving through the wrought iron entrance gates. It was a former country estate, now a public park, donated by one of Blue Harbor"s founding families, and the blossoms of late spring exploded in every direction. A kaleidoscope of colors stretched before me.

I"d read online about the gardens before moving to Blue Harbor, but this was my first visit. I already knew it would be a place I"d visit repeatedly.

I parked my car and spotted Theo waiting for me near the visitors" center. He was checking out climbing ivy slowly taking over a brick wall. He waved and smiled as I approached.

"Rafe! Great to see you." We shared a quick hug.

"I"ve read so much about this place. Thanks for suggesting it. It"s my first time here, and Sarah told me this is the best time of year to visit."

"She"s right, of course. Dawson and I had our prom pictures taken here. We wore blue in a sea of yellow daffodils."

"So handsome." I grinned.

Theo took my hand and tugged lightly. "Come on, let me show you around."

We headed out onto the winding paths, gravel crunching under our feet. The air was fragrant, hyacinths blending with the sweet scent of crabapple trees and many others. The heady perfume made me feel a little giddy as we stepped into a wonderland of flowers.

"Look at those tulips!" I pointed at a hillside of vibrant red and orange blooms.

Theo crouched and lightly touched the petals of a particularly vibrant red tulip. "Did you know tulips are native to Central Asia? The Turks in the Ottoman Empire first cultivated them, and then they moved across Europe, and now… here they are."

I smiled and shook my head. "What an amazing fact. I had no idea. I thought I came a long way to land here in Blue Harbor."

While we continued our walk, Theo pointed out more flowers that thrived in the moderate climate made possible by being so close to the lakeshore. The perfume of a massive hyacinth bed was almost overwhelming.

Theo chuckled softly. "I remember one time when I was a kid, Mom cut some hyacinths from outside and brought them in for a kitchen table centerpiece. When Dad got home from work, he"d barely stepped inside when he bellowed, "What is that?"

We both laughed. When we turned the next corner, I gasped and saw stunning flowers I didn"t recognize. "Do you know what these are, Theo?"

He grinned. "I do, and I couldn"t wait for you to see them. They"re Himalayan blue poppies. They have a reputation for being incredibly difficult to grow, but the gardeners here never seem to have a problem."

I knelt beside them and looked closely at the delicate, paper-thin petals. They were a breathtaking shade of sky blue. "They almost don"t look real. I imagine Prince Charming bringing Sleeping Beauty a bouquet of these."

Theo sighed audibly. "You are a dreamer. I like that about you."

We lingered for a moment longer. I found it hard to leave the stunning flowers. I understood why they were so hard to grow. Something so rare and precious couldn"t be easy.

As I reluctantly moved on with Theo at my side, he brushed his hand against mine. "Isn"t it incredible how such beauty can exist in nature? Every time I think a bit too highly of my abilities with paint, I come to a place like this, and I"m fully humbled."

I chuckled. "You do create beautiful paintings. Don"t sell yourself short. What happens with me is when I think about the places that were the original homes for these flowers, it reminds me how much I want to see the world."

Theo wove his fingers together with mine. "Where would you go if you could travel anywhere?"

I sighed deeply. "Anywhere? Money"s no object?"

"Only your imagination is the limit."

"I"d go everywhere and anywhere. I want to see it all. Whenever I look at pictures, the Incan ruins at Machu Picchu are amazing. I"ve always wanted to travel to Tahiti and lay back in a beach bungalow, letting the world go by. Then there"s Iceland with the glaciers, volcanoes, and geysers."

Theo"s eyes glistened. "All exciting places. What"s stopped you from going?"

My shoulders slumped. "Growing up, my family didn"t have much money. Dad made barely enough for us to get by. Trips were a luxury. We were lucky when we got to go on a weekend camping trip in the Adirondacks, a couple of hours away. When my class visited the library in elementary school, I"d grab an encyclopedia and read about faraway countries, dreaming about when I"d see them in person.

"That must have been tough." Theo turned to look into my eyes. "It"s hard when circumstances beyond our control get in the way of following our dreams."

I shrugged. "That wasn"t so bad. I knew plenty of other kids in the same situation, but then, as an adult, my ex shot down my travel ideas when it was possible to go. He said they were too impractical or expensive, but I proposed modest ideas. They wouldn"t have broken the bank."

Theo clenched his teeth, and his brow furrowed. "There"s no reason to crush someone"s ideas like that. Your ideas are valid."

A wave of emotions washed over me while I listened to the words of support. "Thank you. I"m so lucky to have you here, supporting me now."

We walked a short distance further in silence. The only sounds were birds chirping and the gurgle of a distant water fountain.

I decided to share more of myself. "Even though I couldn"t travel, I found one way to feed my wanderlust. It"s my approach to exploring the world on the cheap."

"Oh? How"s that? I"m curious."

I felt a little vulnerable as I talked about my hobby. My ex constantly derided it as a ridiculously nerdy pastime, and perhaps it was. "Postcards. I collect vintage postcards from all over the world. It started when I was nine, and my grandmother sent a postcard from her first trip to the Florida Keys."

I remembered the slogan across the front: Greetings from the Sunshine State! "She went back and eventually moved there after Grandpa died. I loved all the images of palm trees and turquoise water. I thought about what it would be like lounging on the beach and driving across the Seven Mile Bridge."

Theo didn"t disdain my hobby. He embraced it. "I"ve never thought about that, but it"s a brilliant way to travel without leaving home. Are they postcards someone sent in the mail or unused ones?"

"I have both, but I prefer ones that somebody sent. One of my favorites was sent by somebody visiting Rome back to the U.S. in 1910. It said, "The Vatican is a sight to behold, though the Pope seemed preoccupied when I attempted a friendly wave. Perhaps he was envious of my new straw hat?""

"That"s hilarious." We both laughed.

"I have quite the collection now—Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, Marrakesh, and many more."

Theo leaned against my shoulder. "I"d love to see your collection sometime. The messages would be a fascinating look into the lives of people in the past, too. So, continuing with this theme, where would you go first if you could leave tomorrow?"

"That"s easy." I answered the question without hesitating. "I"d go to the Florida Keys. Grandma still lives there. She doesn"t get around as much now, but I"m sure she"d be happy for me to drive her around. She loves to tell stories."

A wistful expression appeared on Theo"s face. "Dawson and I had grand plans for traveling. We wanted to see the polar bears in Manitoba and sail the Greek islands…"

His voice caught in his throat before he could finish his thought. I squeezed his hand. "Those would be fantastic adventures. Maybe someday, we could…" I trailed off, realizing the implication of my words.

Theo smiled and squeezed my hand back. We started walking again, and he shared more specifics about his travel dreams. "I guess I like events, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities like seeing a full solar eclipse or the Kentucky Derby."

While he shared his ideas, I thought about us traveling together, exploring exotic locations, and cheering on the baseball teams in the World Series. His phone rang, interrupting our conversation. He glanced at the screen. "Sorry, it"s Mom. Do you mind if I take this? I won"t be long."

I gestured for him to go ahead. "Not at all. Take your time."

He moved a few steps away to answer the call. I did my best not to eavesdrop and instead focus on a nearby bed of daffodils with pink trumpets. I wasn"t entirely successful as snippets of the conversation drifted toward me.

"…at Harmony Gardens with a friend… His name is Rafe."

There was a long pause, and I assumed Theo"s mom was speaking on the other end.

When he spoke again, his voice sounded tense. "Mom, please don"t… I get your concern… not rushing ahead."

It sounded like she had concerns about Theo moving forward with me. I found a plaque with information on the history of the gardens, and I busied myself reading it.

Theo"s voice was softer, but the words were still clear: "…appreciate your concern… I"m happy when I"m with him." After another pause, he added "miss him, too… I will forever."

My heart ached for Theo. Nobody expected to lose a spouse so young. It was horrible to imagine.

After another minute or two, the call ended, and he returned to me. The sparkle had disappeared from his eyes.

I reached for his hand again. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it"s just… well, family stuff."

"We all have that. My sister helped me so much in escaping my ex, but I still haven"t figured out a way to tell my parents what happened."

Theo stopped and shared some background context for the call. "My dad passed a year before Dawson. It was long-term heart disease. He battled hard. It wasn"t really a surprise when he died, but that was still tough."

Thinking about the grief he was forced to endure, I wanted to cry to show my empathy for Theo. "That sounds so hard," I whispered.

He looked far ahead, down the path ahead of us. "After Dad passed, Mom clung to Dawson and me. I don"t think she believed he could actually die from the cancer until the morning he didn"t wake up. She told everyone we were all she had left, and then there was only me."

His voice trailed off, and I offered a hug.

We held each other close. "I think now she"s afraid of losing me," Theo continued. "She means well by keeping a close eye on what I do, but I worry that she wants to freeze my life and not have me move on."

He turned away from the main path, and I followed. After about a hundred yards, we found ourselves in a secluded corner of the garden, standing under an aging arbor attached to a shed. It held the delicate, trailing blooms of a massive wisteria vine.

We sat on a nearby bench. The fragrant blossoms perfumed the air, and petals gently fell around us.

Theo placed a hand on my thigh. "Rafe, I want you to know how much today has meant to me. Being here and sharing these moments… it makes me happy in a way I haven"t experienced for a very long time."

"That"s great because I feel the same way. I knew the garden would be spectacular, but it"s the company I"ll remember. When I"m with you, it"s like I"ve found a missing piece from my personal puzzle. I wasn"t even looking for it, but there it was.

A soft smile tugged at the corners of Theo"s mouth. "At the worst moments with Dawson, I didn"t think I would ever feel like this again. He wanted me to find someone after he was gone, but I didn"t believe I could. You"ve already shown me it"s possible to open my heart again."

"You"re incredible. You"ve been through so much but still have love to give. That"s the definition of resilience."

I covered his hand with mine. He turned to gaze into my eyes. "And you… your story tells me how brave you are. Courageously chasing a better life on your own and fearlessly moving halfway across the country. You"re an inspiration."

We sat in silence for a few moments, our hands intertwined and our faces just inches apart. The air between us practically crackled with an energy that had been building all day.

And then, as if a magnetic force was pushing us together, we leaned in closer. Our noses brushed, and I felt Theo"s breath on my chin as he exhaled.

The rest of the world fell away. I didn"t hear the chirping birds or rustling leaves anymore. It was only Theo and me, and then our lips met.

At first, it was a soft, gentle kiss, a tentative step into unexplored territory. Seconds later, it grew more urgent and passionate. Theo raked his fingers into my hair and pulled me closer. I wrapped an arm around his waist, tugging until our chests touched, and we started to melt into each other.

Our tongues tangled in a fiery dance, and Theo lightly bit my lower lip. A sizzling impulse raced up my spine. I couldn"t get enough. I sucked on his tongue and then licked his upper lip. He let out a soft moan in the throes of passionate exploration.

When we finally pulled apart, both breathless with flushed cheeks, I saw a new light in Theo"s eyes. It was like my kiss had lit a candle there.

"Wow," he whispered as he reached up to touch my cheek. "That was…"

"Incredible." I finished his thought and then laughed softly. "I"ve been dreaming about that from the moment we nearly knocked the raspberry jam off the shelf."

Theo traced my jawline with a fingertip. "And now, it"s a dream come true."

We sat for a long time, wrapped in each other"s arms, the wisteria blossoms swaying in a light breeze. Occasionally, petals fell on us like vibrant purple snow. "Who knew this was possible? That someone like you could appear?"

"Do you believe in fate?" I asked.

"It"s my only explanation for something like this."

We both chuckled.

We finally untangled ourselves and walked hand-in-hand back to the garden"s entrance. The flowers glowed in a different way in the late afternoon sun.

At the entry gate, we paused. I sensed that neither of us wanted the moment to end. Theo pulled me into another hug. "If we could freeze time, I"d do it right now."

"But then you couldn"t find out what happens next. I always want to know what happens next."

Theo traced my lower lip with his index finger, and we kissed again. It was less intense than under the wisteria, but the affection was clear.

"I"ll call you tomorrow," Theo promised as he squeezed my hand again. "Sweet dreams when you head to bed later tonight. I hope I"m in them."

"Sweet dreams, Theo." I watched as he turned and walked toward his car.

When I climbed behind my own wheel, I gently touched my lower lip with my tongue, exploring the lingering taste of our kiss. My life had taken an incredible turn, and it was almost impossible to believe. A few short weeks ago, I was still lost. I lived alone in a Blue Harbor apartment like a sailor lost on an isolated island. Now, with Theo at my side, I"d found a safe space.

As I turned onto the road, I glanced in my rearview mirror to see the gardens slowly receding in the distance. I sensed that a significant change had occurred in my life"s direction. A new door was now wide open, and I could see a path to a bright future.

My heart felt whole for the first time in ages, or maybe ever. I thought it was impossible, but Theo showed me that so many of my assumptions could be wrong.

While I drove, I daydreamed about the future and the countless possible adventures that awaited us. I pictured Theo and me walking along the beaches in the Florida Keys, digging our toes into the sand and picking up seashells washed ashore. We"d visit Grandma and listen to her vivid stories about her neighbors and friends.

Beyond that special trip, I envisioned a life full of love, laughter, and unwavering support. We"d guard each other"s dreams, embracing them as goals, steps to climb, that we could reach together.