Characters

Lee is a reserved, soft-spoken bookstore owner who prefers the quiet company of literature to the chaos of the outside world. Practical, introspective, and deeply kind beneath his guarded demeanor, Lee is someone who listens more than he speaks—and often notices what others miss. Though he values order and solitude, his calm exterior hides a well of unresolved grief and quiet strength. As Isaac’s whirlwind energy crashes into his life, Lee finds himself slowly drawn out of his comfort zone… and maybe even into something like hope.

Isaac is a sharp-tongued, fiercely principled anarchist with a restless energy and a tendency to leap before he looks. Passionate about justice and allergic to authority, he's the kind of person who organizes a protest in the morning and shows up with soup for a friend that night. While he thrives on momentum and challenge, he's also deeply loyal, emotionally raw, and more vulnerable than he lets on. Beneath the brashness is someone surprisingly thoughtful—especially in quiet moments. His unexpected friendship with Lee offers him a rare sense of steadiness, even as he pulls them both outside their comfort zones.

Trish is confident, warm, and emotionally perceptive—the kind of person who makes an impression without trying to. When she and Lee meet, there’s an immediate connection: quiet, curious, and charged with the possibility of something more. She’s attentive and kind, but there’s a carefulness to the way she relates to him.

Anne is practical, opinionated, and refreshingly blunt—the kind of person who says exactly what she thinks and expects you to keep up. As Lee’s roommate, she’s both his reality check and reluctant emotional translator, often voicing what he won’t. Anne has little patience for self-pity but a surprising depth of loyalty; she may roll her eyes at Lee’s quiet spirals, but she’ll always make sure there’s tea on the table and the heat turned up. Beneath her no-nonsense exterior is someone who cares deeply—she just prefers to show it with sarcasm and grocery runs.