"She's everything that's beautiful in the world and I don't think I'll be able to be around her the way I want," Theo said to Sophie while they were having tea. It had become a ritual of sorts for them to talk about anything serious at the small table in the kitchen. "I don't have any money or anything I can give to her.

"She deserves the world and what can I provide for her? I didn't even know how to do some simple house chores before she taught me!"

It was a few days after he and Mia had taken that fateful walk home together, and when Theo realised what he was feeling for her, he panicked and hadn't offered to walk with her again.

Sophie was the only one he could talk about what he was feeling; she wasn't going to judge him for feeling this way.

"You're an idiot," Sophie said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Or maybe she was going to judge him.

"If you think for a moment that Mia cares about what you can buy her or what assets you have, you're a bigger idiot than I thought you were. And for the record, I didn't think you were an idiot until we started this pointless conversation."

Maybe Sophie had a point. Mia was living in a small town and seemed happy with her little bookshop. But he still felt like Mia deserved the world and he couldn't do anything to give it to her.

"What she wants is someone to be there for her, someone who'll like her for who she is and is content to be by her side." Sophie was staring at him over the rim of her cup and Theo felt like she could see into his soul. "Are you going to be that man for her, Theodore?"

Something flickered in the back of his mind, of a man calling him Theodore, and Theo could feel the disappointment in his tone. Sophie's, on the other hand, was warm but a little impatient.

"I want to be, but I don't know if I can," Theo answered truthfully.

Sophie nodded. "Just with this answer, I know you'll be good for her. The shop is closing in forty minutes. I suggest you go find her before she starts to wonder if she scared you away."

She went back to sipping her tea and staring at him in a way that always made him feel chastised.

Deciding to be a little brave (an extremely strange word popped into his head, but he just pushed it away, knowing there was no such word as Gryffindor), Theo stood up and left the kitchen. He could swear he saw Sophie smiling at him behind the teacup.

.:.

The walk from Sophie's house to Page Potpourri wasn't long, but with his nerves getting the best of him, Theo felt like he had walked all over Great Britain instead.

He was so pumped and ready to ask Mia out after his pep talk with Sophie, but coming near the bookshop, Theo started to lose her courage.

Watching her end her day in the shop, happy with what she was doing, was incredible. Theo couldn't help but imagine her directing that smile at him.

His daydream came to an end when he realised that, no matter what anyone said, he still couldn't be that person for Mia.

Theo was turning around and was about to walk back alone when that sweet voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Theo? Hi! I didn't expect to see you today," Mia said, approaching him.

Theo's heart almost stopped.

Her curls blew in the soft fall wind, the early moonlight glinting off the tight ringlets, and all Theo wanted to do was kiss her senseless. He shouldn't be having these types of thoughts, but the feelings were stronger than him.

"I'm glad you're here. I liked having company on the walk home." Mia came near him and Theo's mind stilted.

"Would you like to go out with me?" Theo blurted, before wincing. He didn't want to ask her like this, but it looked like his mouth had a mind of his own.

Mia was looking at him and he felt his nerves coming back. His hands were sweating and he felt sweat drip down his back.

"You want to go on a date with me?" She asked shyly, almost as if she wasn't sure about it herself.

"Very much so," Theo replied before continuing, "and I know this is probably out of the blue, but I think you're such an amazing person and I thought it would be nice. I don't know much about Castle Combe, now that I think about it, and it's probably a bad idea, right?

"I mean, you could probably have your choice of suitor and why would you choose someone like me? Someone who doesn't remember his life or even how to—"

Mia interrupted Theo, making him even more nervous. "Oh, no! I would love to go on a date with you, Theo. Why don't we have a picnic at the square, you know?

"Or maybe you'd prefer something inside? We can always get together at the shop. It's very cosy and we can just read together? It's a good idea, isn't it? Unless you want to go to my house and we could watch movies, which I read was a good idea for a date." Mia was babbling and it became too much for him.

"I'm sorry, Mia," Theo stopped her before she got even more ideas. "I can't do this."

He took a few steps back, but Mia was following him, scanning his face as if trying to understand him. Theo wished he could help, but he knew he wasn't what Mia deserved.

"I'm really sorry, Mia," Theo said, looking into her big eyes and something tugged in his heart at that scene.

Mia's eyes were still roving over his face, and she stopped his babbling enough to ask him, "What's wrong? Theo? Wh-what's going on? I don't understand…"

Theo just blurted out everything he was keeping inside of him for the past few hours. Or days, if he were being honest.

"I can't possibly give you something good because I have no money, no place to live, I don't even remember who I am or where I came from and it's embarrassing because I didn't even know how to do the dishes or mop the floor before you taught me—like, what idiot doesn't know these basics?" Theo was getting incensed by the minute, which made Mia's eyes widen. He wasn't even close to stopping his word vomit, but Mia managed to do it.

"I don't care about any of that, I already have a crush on you!" Mia blurted out before she slapped a hand over her mouth.

Theo almost fainted.