Sometimes the timing is wrong.
Sometimes the people aren't ready.
And sometimes, it takes twelve years to realize what never really went away.
Maya and Ethan were never a couple - just two people who mattered deeply to each other, circling the same feelings without ever naming them. Graduate school ended, life moved on, and the moment they almost took a chance slipped quietly into the past.
Now, more than a decade later, they run into each other by accident at a professional conference in Denver - both older, changed, and carrying the weight of lives that didn't turn out quite the way they planned.
This time, the connection is impossible to ignore.
But wanting something doesn't make it simple.
Maya has built a stable life she's proud of. Ethan is still figuring out where he belongs. Choosing each other now would mean risking comfort, certainty, and the careful distance they've both learned to live with.
Almost, Then Us is a quiet, emotionally grounded contemporary romance about missed timing, second chances, and the courage it takes to finally choose what feels right - even when there are no guarantees.
A heartfelt novella for readers who believe love isn't about dramatic gestures, but about being ready when it finally matters.