Ariel left her small town chasing dreams she wasn't even sure she believed in. Ziggy stayed behind, steady and full of mischief, sketching moments into memory—especially the ones with her.

Now, years later, when Ariel returns to pick up the pieces of her life, she finds the one person who never moved on. Ziggy, her childhood friend, the boy with paint on his fingers and kindness in his eyes, is still there... waiting.

But the path to his heart isn't simple.
There are old wounds, unsaid words, and a love that never dared to ask for anything in return.
Can she learn what it means to stay—and what it truly means to love Ziggy?

A heartfelt, emotional friends-to-lovers story about second chances, staying soft in a hard world, and choosing love even when it's scary.