You OweMeFiveYears

Five years ago, Daniel left their small town to chase his artistic dreams in Atlanta, leaving Jessie behind with nothing but a note: “Don’t look for me.” Jessie never did. He stayed, opened an auto repair shop, raised a dog, and saw a therapist every week, quietly waiting for the man he never stopped loving. When Daniel returns home after five years, hoping they can start over, he moves back into Jessie’s house—only to discover that Jessie disappears every Thursday afternoon. Suspicious, Daniel secretly follows him, expecting to uncover a new romance. Instead, outside a clinic, he discovers the heartbreaking truth: Jessie has spent the past five years battling trauma and insomnia, seeking therapy for the wounds Daniel left behind. And through it all, he has never locked his front door, still hoping Daniel might come home. As they slowly find their way back to each other, four seasons pass between their reunion and their engagement. But when Daniel reveals he must return to Knoxville for three days every month for the next year—the same road he took when he left—old fears resurface. Afraid Daniel might be staying out of guilt rather than love, Jessie must confront the possibility of losing him all over again. This time, Daniel finally admits how much he missed Jessie, promising never to leave him behind again. And Jessie, who has spent five years learning how to live with the absence, must decide whether he can trust the man he never stopped waiting for.