Between River and Distance. The Quiet Shape of Time Short Stories, #3

Set in rain-soaked Portland, Between River and Distance follows Clara Jennings, a quiet English teacher, and Elias Mercer, a man drifting through routine after a failed relationship. What begins as a chance meeting in a bookstore slowly grows into a deep, intimate connection shaped by shared silences, emotional distance, and the fear of permanence. As career opportunities and physical separation pull them apart, Clara and Elias must decide whether love is something that simply happens, or something people choose to keep choosing, even after loss and uncertainty.