The letter arrived on a Tuesday morning.
Elena had just opened The Coastal Brew. The familiar hum of the espresso machine filled the quiet cafe. Outside, the sky was a pale gray, signaling that rain was on its way. She was halfway through wiping down the counter when the doorbell rang, not a usual customer, but the postman, his raincoat soaked with sea mist.
"Delivery for Ms. Ramirez," he said, handing her a cream-colored envelope sealed with a military mark.
Her fingers froze. The world felt like it had stopped.
It wasn't unusual for her to get letters. Adrian sent them when he could, but this one felt different. The return address wasn't in his handwriting. The seal, the thick paper, the precise font, it all felt formal.
She signed the receipt, thanked the postman with a voice that barely came out, and retreated behind the counter. For a long time, she stared at the envelope, the smell of coffee and salt hanging in the silence.
Finally, she tore it open.
---
To: Ms. Elena Ramirez
Subject: Change of Deployment Schedule
This letter is to inform you that Sergeant Vale's scheduled leave has been shortened due to immediate redeployment orders.
He is expected to report to base within the next seventy-two hours.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support of his service.
Office of Military Personnel
---
Elena's breath caught in her throat. Her vision blurred. Seventy-two hours. He hadn't even gotten home yet, and already, time was slipping away again. By the time she reached her apartment, it was raining. The rain was heavy and relentless, tapping against the glass like a rhythm of anxiety. She paced by the window, clutching the letter so tightly that the edges crumpled.
Then her phone buzzed.
She didn't need to check the screen. She already knew.
"Elena," Adrian's voice came through, low and breathless. "You got the letter, didn't you?"
Her throat tightened. "Yeah. I just... I just read it."
A pause. Then she heard his sigh, weary and filled with apology. "I was going to tell you in person. I wanted to explain first."
"When were you going to tell me, Adrian? When you were already gone again?" Her voice cracked, sharper than she intended.
He didn't answer right away. Only static and his quiet breathing filled the space.
Finally, he said, "They moved the operation earlier. My unit's being called up early. I fought it, I swear, but..."
"But you're still leaving."
"I don't have a choice, Elena."
Those words hit her harder than she expected. She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead against the cool glass of the window. "You always say that," she whispered. "And every time, I'm left waiting, wondering if you'll come back."
"I know," he said softly. "And every time, I promise I'll come home."
She wanted to believe him. She really did. But belief felt fragile when every goodbye could be the last.
"When can I see you?" she finally asked.
"Tonight,"he said. "I'll be at the cafe after your shift ends."
That evening, The Coastal Brew was nearly empty. The smell of roasted beans hung heavy in the air, mixed with the faint sound of rain tapping against the windows.
Elena stood behind the counter, pretending to clean, but her hands trembled too much to hold anything steady.
Then the door opened.
Adrian stepped in, soaked from the rain but smiling faintly, that same tired, gentle smile she'd missed for months. His uniform clung to him, rain dripping from his sleeves, and his duffel bag hung loosely from his shoulder.
He looked exhausted, yet when he saw her, his expression softened.
"You're really here," she whispered.
"I told you I'd make it," he said, his voice quiet but sure.
She walked around the counter, meeting him halfway. For a long moment, they didn't speak. They just stood there, two hearts colliding in silence. Then she moved closer, wrapping her arms around him.
He held her like a man trying to memorize the feeling of home.
"You're early," she murmured into his chest.
"I wanted to see you before they took that chance away again."
She smiled against him, tears burning her eyes. "I hate that it always has to be like this."
He brushed a hand through her hair. "So do I."
They sat by the window, the lights dim and the rain softening to a drizzle. Steam rose from their untouched mugs of coffee.
"I saw your painting," he said after a long pause. "Captain Liam sent me a photo."
Her eyes widened. "He showed you?"
Adrian nodded. "He said he met you at the gallery. He also said you mentioned something about the stars falling."
Elena laughed quietly, embarrassed. "Yeah. I said they fell... and landed here."
Adrian smiled. "That sounds like you."
They talked for a while about small things, her new sketches, his stories from the field, and how the stars looked different where he was stationed. But beneath it all, the ticking clock of their remaining time grew louder.
Finally, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"I wrote this a few weeks ago," he said, sliding it toward her. "It's not a letter. It's a promise."
She frowned, opening it slowly. Inside was a rough pencil sketch of her, standing under the stars, the same image from Where the Stars Fall. But next to her was a second figure. Him.
At the bottom, he'd written: Someday, I'll stand beside you again. Not in dreams. Not in sketches. But under the same light.
Elena's tears slipped silently down her cheeks. "You kept drawing," she whispered.
"Because you kept painting," he replied.
She reached across the table, taking his hand. "Three days," she said softly. "That's all we get."
"Then we make it count," Adrian said.
The next few days blurred together, like a slow-moving film reel, moments threaded with laughter and silence, love and ache.
They walked along the shore, shoes in hand, waves brushing against their ankles. They cooked breakfast together in her small kitchen, burning toast and laughing at nothing. They fell asleep on the couch, his hand always finding hers in the dark.
Every hour felt like borrowed time.
On the last morning, Elena woke to the sound of rain. Adrian was already awake, wearing his uniform and holding a cup of coffee as he stood by the window.
He looked calm, but she could see the sadness in his eyes, the kind of look someone has when they've learned how to say goodbye too many times.
"What time?" she asked softly.
He turned. "They're picking me up in an hour."
She nodded, her throat tightening.
He crossed the room and held her close. "Don't wait for the world to be kind before you chase your dreams," he murmured. "Go to that art school. Paint everything you feel. Promise me that."
She nodded, tears blurring her vision. "Only if you promise to come back safely."
He smiled. "I always do."
They walked together to the pier. The sea was restless, waves rising and falling like a heartbeat.
When the military jeep arrived, Adrian turned to her one last time.
"I'll write to you," he said. "And when I come back..." He paused, then smiled. "Maybe we'll finally stop counting the days."
Elena swallowed hard. "You'd better make sure of that."
He leaned in and kissed her, softly, desperately, full of everything they couldn't say. Then he turned and climbed into the jeep.
As it drove away, Elena stood there, the wind whipping her hair, her heart heavy and alive all at once.
She watched until he disappeared, until the horizon swallowed him whole. Then she whispered to the waves, "Come back to me, Adrian Vale."
The sea roared in reply, endless and uncertain.
But somewhere beyond that horizon, under the same gray sky, he whispered her name back, carried by wind, by memory, by love that refused to fade.