Arianne woke to an empty bed.
His side of the bed was cold, so he had been up for a while. Sounds carried from the kitchen. Whispering. Something clattering. A sharp "Shh!" from Lily followed by exaggerated tiptoe sounds that defeated the purpose.
She lay there and watched the gray winter light through the window. The mountains stayed white and silent.
She got up and reached for his sweater from yesterday. It was still warm, and it smelled like him. She pulled it on without thinking about it and walked out.
The cabin had changed overnight.
A handmade banner stretched across the main window. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNT ARIA" hung in Lily's careful printing. Paper snowflakes dangled from the ceiling on invisible thread, dozens of them. Some were precise and intricate, and others were crumpled from overzealous cutting. Leo's work. He had been cutting them in secret for days.
