Rose Wood lay stretched across her bed, the thin cotton of her summer dress wrinkling beneath her as sunlight slipped lazily through the curtains. The pale blue fabric hugged her frame softly, matching the calm she tried so hard to maintain. One knee was bent, the other leg relaxed, her hands folded loosely over her stomach as she stared up at the blank wall above her.
Her face—youthful and gentle—held a quiet beauty. Soft brown eyes framed by long lashes blinked slowly, unfocused, lost somewhere between memory and fear. Her lips, naturally pink, were pressed together in thought, while a few loose strands of chestnut hair spilled across the pillow beside her. She looked peaceful—but her mind was anything but.
Thoughts ran wild.
Plans. Goodbyes. What-ifs.
She closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply, then opened them again, fixing her gaze on a tiny crack in the wall above her bed—something she had noticed years ago and never bothered to fix. It felt fitting. Imperfect. Familiar.
Rose Wood was never the kind of girl who tried to fit in—and she never cared to. Sweet by nature, introverted by choice, she lived in her own quiet universe where opinions of others held no value. She didn't chase popularity, didn't crave approval, and she certainly didn't fear confrontation. If something felt wrong to her, she fought it—without hesitation, without apology.
Her life had never been crowded with people.
No circle of friends.
No lunch-table laughter.
No unnecessary noise.
Her world revolved around one person only.
Travis Smith.
Her childhood best friend. Her safe place. The boy she grew up playing with, arguing with, laughing with—and eventually falling in love with. They had been together for two years now, and Rose loved him with a quiet depth that never needed loud declarations.
But now… everything was changing.
School was over. That chapter closed.
And ahead waited university life—something she wasn't sure she wanted.
The admission letter lay folded on her desk, its words burned into her memory. Westbridge University, located in the distant city of Havenport. One of the best universities in the country, especially known for its computer science department—the very future Rose dreamed of.
She loved coding. Loved logic. Loved building worlds out of lines of thought.
Yet her heart remained in Elmridge, her quiet hometown. The streets she knew. The room she lay in now. And Travis.
She wasn't ready to say goodbye.
Her parents believed this was the best thing for her. Her elder brother, Steve, encouraged her constantly, reminding her that opportunities like this didn't come twice.
She wanted to believe them.
But what made everything unbearable was Travis.
Leaving Elmridge meant leaving him behind. Travis had already secured admission to the local university. Their paths were splitting—and Rose hated that truth.
Two days ago, she had finally said it out loud.
"We can try long distance," she had told him, her voice calm but her hands trembling. "If you're okay with it."
Travis had smiled. Supported her. Said, "Let's see how it goes."
Those words echoed in her mind now.
She had one week to report to the university.
One week to decide if she was strong enough to leave.
Rose exhaled slowly, eyes still fixed on the wall above her, when—
Her phone rang.
The sound cut through the silence like a warning.
Her heart skipped.
She turned her head toward the bedside table, staring at the glowing screen as it buzzed again—insistent, impatient.
For a moment, she didn't move.
Somehow, she felt it.
That call was about to change everything.
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