When We Meet Again Part 2: A Bedtime Story

Hello, beloveds.

They were sixteen when they first fell in love — a fleeting summer of laughter beneath the old oak tree. But when James’s family moved across the ocean, their story was cut short, leaving only letters never written and a space in their hearts that no one else could fill.
Ten years later, fate intervenes. In a rain-soaked London café, Sarah and James see each other again. This is their story.

This is part two of a three-part story.

I hope you sleep well, dear ones.

Music is generously provided by Nature's Eye.

Transcript

Hello dear ones and welcome to tonight's reading part two of when we meet again just taking a few moments now to arrive in the space maybe taking some longer inhales and exhales if you're in bed maybe stretching out your body and snuggling down into your duvet just taking some moments to fully arrive here and when you're ready beloved we will begin the morning after james left the world felt hollow sarah woke to silence she sat on the edge of her bed his letter clutched to her chest the scent of summer rain drifting in through the half-open window it was impossible to believe that only hours before his lips had been on hers that he had whispered promises in the dark now there was only absence the park looked the same oak tree pond ducks drifting lazily across the water but it wasn't she sat under their tree sketchbook open waiting for footsteps that never came a pencil hovered uselessly over the page without him the world's colors had dimmed days passed then weeks her friends at school teased her for being distracted her parents sensing something asked if she was all right she smiled nodded lied inside she felt as though she'd been cut in half at night she read his letter again and again i'll write i'll think of you every day don't forget me sarah she whispered back to the empty room never time softened the sharpest edges of grief but it didn't erase them sarah finished school went to university studied art the days filled with classes and assignments messy studios that smelled of turpentine late nights drinking cheap wine with her flatmates she laughed she learned she grew but always there was a hollow space she dated once or twice boys who were kind boys who were clever but when they leaned in to kiss her something inside her recoiled they weren't james they didn't look at her like she was rare like she mattered one boy peter lasted nearly a year he was gentle patient and he adored her but when he told her he loved her she couldn't say it back not truly she wanted to she tried but in the quiet moments she found herself sketching james's face from memory the curve of his jaw the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed in the end she let peter go he deserved someone whole after graduation she traveled for a summer paris florence barcelona she sketched bridges museums crowded streets people told her how lucky she was how brave she smiled but loneliness walked beside her in the cafes she half expected to look up and see james with his guitar smiling that crooked smile he never was in canada james's life was louder bigger but also lonelier the city was strange at first harsh winters endless skyscrapers streets that smelled of exhaust fumes and snow he threw himself into music because music was the only part of him that felt the same he studied chords until his fingers ached he joined small bands played in bars sticky with spilled beer for a while he thought the noise would drown out the ache of leaving sarah but it never did his bandmates laughed at his quiet moods called him an old soul he dated two girls who loved his music girls who kissed him in the dark corners of clubs but always something was missing he wrote songs that began strong but collapsed in the middle unfinished he didn't tell anyone that he was chasing a memory the sound of sarah's laugh the way her hand had fit into his one night in a cramped apartment he wrote lyrics he couldn't bring himself to sing aloud i left my heart by the pond in summer where the girl with the sketchbook waiting i swore i'd return but promises can't cross oceans he crumpled the paper but the words stayed years passed he played bigger shows toured across provinces even dipped back into the states once or twice people clapped cheered asked for autographs but after the stage lights dimmed he always felt the same emptiness he wondered sometimes if she still thought of him if she had moved on if she was happy and then he'd pick up his guitar and play the melody he'd once strummed under an oak tree because it was the only thing that still felt like home

Reviews

Oh no 😟. That’s not the last chapter is it?❤️
Oh, I just read there is one more part.