“Coming home was the easy part. Facing her again is the war I wasn’t ready for.”

After six years overseas, Caleb Martell finally returns home to Milwaukee. The city is familiar yet foreign — the same neighborhoods, the same families, the same best friend he left behind: Skylar Hayes. But time has a way of changing everything.

Caleb carries the scars of war and the weight of silence, having disappeared into special forces with only vague letters to prove he was alive. Skylar carries her own wounds, shaped by years of uncertainty and a relationship that left her cautious and guarded. Together, their history lingers like smoke — prom-night confessions, the sting of avoidance, and all the unspoken words that built a wall between them.

Now, back in the heart of their intertwined families and tight-knit community, every encounter crackles with tension. Barbecues, late-night drives, and campus run-ins aren’t just ordinary moments — they’re sparks that could either rebuild trust or burn what little remains. Caleb must navigate the pull between past and present, soldier and civilian, loyalty and longing.

Just a side note but Minstral seems to be the best model for the slowburn.

Between Then and Now