SET APART WEB NOVEL

JEREMIAH

“Hey, cuz! Do you want to visit one of the new coffee shops here?” Genesis asked me. I said yes. I remember the coffee places I visited in Seattle and how cozy they were when it rained. I could relax for a couple of hours and enjoy my days off reading a book. Too soon to feel nostalgic. Genesis and I decided to meet in the afternoon after Sunday service at the Church. I attend a Church near Seaside, while Genesis lives in Miami, so I’m far from him. Saying yes to his coffee invitation meant a week’s sleepover at his house. I haven’t started working yet and just manage my parents’ business here in Seaside. We have hired workers who help in the restaurant, so leaving Seaside for a week is fine.

I found myself tempted to call Mr. Jose Ferrer, just to see how he’s doing. He had invited me to join him for a Bible study once I arrived in Florida, and now the idea keeps echoing in my mind. Am I truly prepared for this? I remember that quiet moment by the seashore, when I poured my heart out to God and asked for clarity. The Holy Spirit moved me to consider baptism, and again, the same question lingers: Am I ready for this step? The steady drumming of rain on the roof makes me long for Seattle, the place that feels like home. A wave of homesickness washes over me. Then there’s Abrielle—I still can’t believe she likes me.

Honestly, I’m uncertain if I like her. We aren’t friends, and we don’t talk, yet her encouragement about God deeply moved me to learn more about Jesus. I admire her not out of romantic interest, but because she seems a beautiful child of God. There’s a glow about Abrielle I still can’t quite define. As the rain continues, I try to set these thoughts aside, reminding myself I need to get going. The drive ahead is long, and I’m eager to visit Genesis and hang out with him again. I miss my time in Seattle—just relaxing in a cozy coffee shop with a book. Wanting to avoid driving in the rain, I decide to wait a bit longer and message Mr. Jose Ferrer.

I asked him how he was doing, and he quickly asked me the same. I had a feeling he would bring up an online Bible study. I told him I could set up a video chat in two weeks because I’m still sorting out a lot of things here in Seaside. Mr. Jose Ferrer then shared another Bible verse from Luke 12:6-7: “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So, don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” I understood what Mr. Jose Ferrer was trying to say.

God sees every corner of my life. He understands my deepest desires, my hidden pain, and the direction I am meant to go. He knows exactly how to fill the longing in every living heart. Though the chapters of my story are still unfolding, each line is already inscribed in His hand. My journey in Seaside remains uncertain, but Mr. Jose Ferrer’s message arrived as a gentle nudge from above. The Lord calls me to trust Him completely, for He alone will guide my steps while I am here. My future may be a mystery to me, but it is already beautifully arranged by the One who knows it all.

ABRIELLE

Five long years had slipped away… Jeremiah, where are you? The silence is deafening, and hope feels like a fading echo…

So much has unfolded since Jeremiah left Seattle. These five years have vanished in a blur. Looking back, I thank God for the ways He has transformed me, especially my heart. My heart has its own tangled stories, but that is for another time. What still puzzles me about God’s plan is how, after all this time, Jeremiah remains in my thoughts every single day. All I can do is pray for him. Some days, I realize I am being selfish. My heart aches to pray for him, while my mind resists. The battle between my heart and mind is the deepest contradiction I have ever faced.

Thinking about Jeremiah, I am reminded of the verse from Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Maybe the connection I felt with Jeremiah was just a mirage. Was it genuine affection, or simply loneliness in disguise? So often, we chase after love in the wrong places and at the wrong moments, only to turn our disappointment toward God. As Song of Songs 8:4 says, “Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, not to awaken love until the time is right.” When we insist on following our own desires instead of God’s guidance, we risk stepping outside His plan. Isaiah 60:22 reminds us, “At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.” And Isaiah 43:18 urges us, “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.”

Most days, my heart is a compass spun by emotion, rarely pointing to truth. For years, God’s Word has been my anchor, wrapping me in comfort. Still, there’s a part of me that longs to let go of Jeremiah—perhaps the Lord does too. I’m weary of wandering blindfolded by my own feelings. Maybe Jeremiah is thriving, building a family, weaving a new life with someone. I can only hope his story is blessed and Christ-centered. Meanwhile, I walk the path of truth, yet these restless feelings keep returning like shadows at dusk. But Isaiah 43:19 whispers hope: “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

What once looked like a wilderness and a dry wasteland can become a valley where wildflowers bloom. God promised to make something new and open a way forward. With so much happening in my life, thoughts of Jeremiah have faded into the background. My heart is full—family, work, unfulfilled dreams the Lord gave but that still wait quietly, and lingering feelings for Jeremiah that have overstayed their welcome. The list is long and begs to be released. Instead of tending to old wounds and replaying unmet expectations, I want to invite God to bring healing and choose to walk in truth rather than in feeling.

I realize these feelings will not fade quietly, yet I long to truly understand why they still echo within me. Immersed in heartfelt prayer, I seek the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and reassurance. Then, out of nowhere, memories of an old friend drift into my mind—a silent longing that has slept in my heart for ten years.

“I will write a book.”

I will set aside my blog for now. Instead, I will pour my heart into a story that frees the burdens I carry. A story meant to honor the Lord. A story so extraordinary that only God and I will truly know the depths of its truth.

I’ll write a story about my life and Jeremiah.