Ella sat on the garden bench, staring at William, her heart aching in a way she couldn't quite explain. The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm golden glow across the garden. It was one of those perfect afternoons where the world seemed quiet and still, as if time itself had paused to give them these last few precious moments together. But for Ella, the stillness only heightened the ache in her chest, knowing that soon, everything would change.
She hadn't meant to fall in love with William. When she first stumbled upon the diary and discovered its magic, it had felt like an adventure, an escape from the mundane world she lived in. But what had started as a curious journey into the past had transformed into something much deeper. William had become her anchor in this world, her reason for coming back again and again. But now, she knew she couldn't stay. Not this time.
"I don't know how to say goodbye," she whispered, her voice breaking. The words felt like shards of glass in her throat.
William's expression softened as he reached for her hand, his fingers threading through hers with a tenderness that made her chest tighten even more. His eyes, those deep brown eyes she had come to love so much, were filled with sadness, but also a quiet understanding. He had known from the beginning that their time was limited, that her place wasn't here, and yet they had both chosen to ignore it.
"You don't have to say goodbye," he said softly, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. "You can stay."
Ella's heart twisted at the offer. It was the same every time—they both knew what was coming, and yet they both wished they could somehow stop it, freeze this moment and never let it slip away. But that wasn't how life worked. Not in 1965, and not in her time, either.
"I can't," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "I have to go back."
The words felt like a betrayal. She didn't want to leave him, not now, not ever. But her life in the present still called to her, no matter how much her heart was rooted in the past. Her family, her friends—they were waiting for her, and she couldn't just vanish from their lives without a trace.
"I know." William's voice was steady, but the pain in his eyes betrayed him. He pulled her closer, his arms wrapping around her as if he could somehow shield her from the reality of their situation. "But it doesn't make it any easier."
Ella closed her eyes and leaned into his embrace, breathing in the familiar scent of him. She wanted to memorize this moment, to lock it away in her mind so she could carry it with her when she was gone. His arms felt safe, like home, and the thought of leaving them felt like losing a part of herself.
For a long moment, they just sat there, wrapped in each other's arms, the world around them fading away. But no matter how hard Ella tried to cling to the present, she could feel time slipping through her fingers, like sand through an hourglass. The diary was calling to her, tugging her back to the present, back to a world where William didn't exist.
"I wish things were different," she said finally, her voice shaking. "I wish I could stay with you."
William pulled back slightly, just enough to cup her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing away the tears that had begun to spill down her cheeks. "Ella, listen to me," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "I love you. That's not going to change, no matter where you are. But you have to go back. Your family needs you."
Ella's chest tightened at his words. It was the truth, and yet it didn't make leaving him any easier. How could she walk away from the man she loved, knowing that she might never see him again? The thought of it was unbearable.
"Please, don't make me go," she whispered, her voice breaking.
William's grip on her tightened, and for a moment, she thought he might give in, that he might ask her to stay with him. But instead, he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and pulled her even closer.
"If I could keep you here with me forever, I would," he said softly, his breath warm against her skin. "But that wouldn't be fair to you, or to the people who love you in your time. You have a life there, Ella. A life that you need to live."
Ella buried her face in his chest, her tears soaking into the fabric of his shirt. She hated that he was right. She hated that no matter how much she wanted to stay, she couldn't. Not yet, at least. But the idea of leaving him behind, of stepping back into a world where he didn't exist, felt like ripping her heart in two.
"I'll come back," she promised, her voice barely a whisper.
William smiled sadly, brushing a kiss against the top of her head. "I know you will."
They stayed like that for what felt like hours, wrapped in each other's arms, the world around them fading away. But eventually, the sky began to darken, and Ella knew her time was running out. She couldn't stay here forever, no matter how much she wanted to.
Reluctantly, she pulled away from him, her heart aching as she did. William's hand lingered on hers for just a moment longer before he let her go, his eyes filled with a mixture of love and sorrow.
"I'll be waiting for you," he said softly.
Ella nodded, her throat too tight to speak. She gave him one last, lingering look before turning away, her heart breaking with each step she took. The weight of their separation pressed down on her, and it took everything in her not to turn back, to run into his arms and never let go.
But she couldn't.
The diary was waiting for her, pulling her back to the present. She could feel its magic humming in the air, growing stronger with each passing second. With a trembling hand, she opened the book and watched as the familiar glow surrounded her, the world around her beginning to blur and fade.
And just like that, she was gone.
The first thing Ella noticed when she returned to the present was how wrong everything felt. The familiar hum of the modern world surrounded her—the distant sound of cars, the faint buzz of electricity, the steady rhythm of life moving on. But none of it felt right. None of it felt like home.
She sat down heavily on the edge of her bed, the diary still clutched in her hands. It felt cold now, its magic spent, leaving her with nothing but the overwhelming emptiness inside her. She had left William behind, and with him, a part of her heart.
The silence of her apartment was suffocating. She had grown so used to the sounds of the past—the rustle of the trees in the garden, the distant chatter of people passing by, the soft murmur of William's voice in her ear. But here, everything was too loud and yet too quiet at the same time. It was all wrong.
Ella lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling as tears slid down her cheeks. She had thought that returning to the present would bring her some sense of relief, that being back in her own time would help her regain her footing. But instead, it only made the ache in her chest worse.
Nothing felt right anymore. Not without William.
She closed her eyes and let the tears fall freely, her chest heaving with silent sobs. The pain of their separation was unbearable, and she didn't know how she was supposed to move forward. How could she go on with her life, knowing that he was out there, waiting for her?
"I'll find a way," she whispered to herself, her voice shaky but determined. "I'll find a way to be with him."
Ella didn't know how, but she knew one thing for certain—she couldn't live without him. Not anymore. Whether it meant giving up her life in the present or finding some other way to bridge the gap between their worlds, she would do whatever it took.
Because William wasn't just a part of her past.
He was her future.