Page 82 of Our Little Moments

“Taking a few days to be playful, to laugh, to have fun, to be carefree . . . it’s healing so many parts of me. I never expected this to happen from Isabella and Jay’s bickering.” Adrian chuckles. “Honestly, that’s what is making me reconsider so many aspects of my life. I’m seeing my sisters heal in so many ways right before my eyes. They’re the hopeful little sisters I grew up trying to make smile and feel loved, not the scared adults who’ve been scared to reach out for so many years.”

My vision gets blurry. “You deserve the healing too, Adrian. You and your sisters have been through so much and still lead withkindness. You’re moving forward, healing and wanting to chase different goals. It’s the most beautiful part of life.”

Adrian’s eyes dive into mine and a breathtaking smile forms across his face. “You deserve the freedom to grow and be who you want to be. I can’t describe how proud I am to stand by your side and see you become a new, happier version of you. I love every version of Stella Brookstone. The messy, the organized. The lost, the determined. The goofy, the hardworking. And all the future versions that are to come to life.”

My vision blurs. “I love you, Adrian. Every part of you, even the parts of you that feel broken.”

His eyes get teary, yet he’s still smiling. “I’minlove with you, Stella Brookstone. My life wouldn’t feel the same, wouldn’t be as bright, if you weren’t in it. Even when you feel like a mess, you make everything in my life feel right.”

We both smile at each other, breathing softly. I exhale, he inhales.

Adrian nuzzles his head against mine, and my heart feels stuffed with sunshine. Gosh, I love this man.

“I just wish . . .” he says softly, “I wish I had the answers. Not knowing what to do with myself, what to do with my life, what to do with my time, makes it so easy to fall into caretaking.”

“Adrian, that’s why patterns are hard to break. I was feeling the same emotions before I came here, but I’m slowly learning to follow my heart. I’m slowly learning to listen to myself. It’s not easy to do when you have spent your life listening to what others say you have to do. My time here is bringing back the joy I felt during my childhood. It’s reminding me how important happiness is. It’s healing the parts of me that always thought I needed to be perfect and succeed at everything to be deserving of joy and love. I’m learning again what friendships can feel like.I’m realizing what love truly means because of you. I’m realizing what I truly want from life. Finding something to do with your life isn’t always easy, but you have to be strong enough to keep looking for the answers when it gets tough. You have to fight for your inner child to get the life they’ve always yearned for, even when their voice is hard to hear.”

Adrian smiles and I feel his demeanor relax. We stay in silence and I give him time to process what I said before I lean closer to him, needing the feel of his proximity. He holds me tighter and I close my eyes, feeling more content than I ever felt before.

The waves crash below us, and the birds start chirping. Everything is peaceful around me and inside me. I will spend the rest of my life making sure I feel this peace.

I’m so caught up in my thoughts and feelings that I almost miss Adrian whispering, “You remind me of the sunrise.”

I tear up. “The sunrise?”

His voice is pure sunshine as he explains, “I’m always waiting for a new beginning—for a new day to start, for my life to move forward. I was obsessed with watching the sunrise, desperately trying to remind myself that this was a new day and that I could try and move on. You are the sunrise I’ve been waiting for, Stella.” My heart squeezes as butterflies break free. “Without you, I never would have had a new start. Without you, my life would still feel like a dark night. You are my new beginning.”

As I untangle myself from him with teary eyes and gaze at him, everything feels right. I’m right where I want to be, and I want to live in this moment forever.

I sigh heavily, telling him softly, “I’m not leaving. I’m staying here and settling in for good. I won’t go back to the city.”

Adrian holds me tighter, shaking his head. “Stella, you staying here would be just as much of a mistake as your obsession with work back home. You need balance. You need to make space for all the parts of you to truly shine. Back in the city, you forced yourself into a life where you couldn’t be your playful, affectionate self. But staying here would do the exact same thing. You would dim your ambitions, dreams, and work ethics to fit in a different lifestyle. Every part of you deserves light, Stella. Find balance in yourself. I can’t bear the thought of you dimming parts of you to fit in, especially if it’s because of me. There’s nothing I want more than having you close in my life, but I want you to be happy in the long run.”

I laugh nervously. “You’re right. I don’t know why I always go from one extreme to the other. It drives me insane.”

He smiles, a hint of pride in it. “You’ll figure out how to find that balance, and peace will find its way to you.”

“I sure hope so.”

We stay in our embrace and I lose all notions of time, only for complete comfort to take its place.

Chapter 32

Stella

Our silly competition is finally over, and our team won by two points.

We spent the last two weeks playing games, and Jay’s team actually made a major comeback. However, we still managed to keep our lead and win.

Isa is still over the moon. While Isabella sees this as a celebration of our victory, I think most of us can agree that this is the end of the tension between us that lasted for the last few days.

Over the last week, we all connected in our own ways and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. Finding people that feel like home is truly one of the biggest treasures of life. Whether they come in the shapes of siblings, friends or more than that.

Layla feels like the best friend I always craved, Hazel like the soul sister I needed through every part of life and Isabella like the friend you can’t help but want to grow closer to.

And Adrian . . . God I can’t think of him anymore without smiling. The way he makes it so effortless to smile, to take upspace, to be anyone I want to be. I’m becoming obsessed with spending all my time with him.

I laugh as I think back to the competition we had in the last few days, how different it was from the ones I’m used to. Now I realize that differences can be good. Just because you’re used to something doesn’t mean another thing can’t be better. Just because the routine you built is steady doesn’t mean you can’t try something new.

---