John spends his days travelling from town to town, a lonely trader who's accepted his loneliness and expects nothing more from life. Then one day he meets an odd, sweet man wandering the lane, a man who's forgotten who he is but who loves books as much as John. John knows it's a bad idea to get involved, but the gentle, clever man is nearly irresistible—and Harris is attracted to John, too. Soon it doesn't matter who he used to be, or what happened in his past, as long as it can't take Harris away from him.

10,570 words