the snow melts (10)

It’s the kind of tiredness that comes from too much thinking, from carrying the weight of too many unspoken questions. She wonders if Noah feels it too, or if he’s content to let the days pass as they always have, one blending seamlessly into the next.

When he joins her by the fire, she shifts to make room for him on the couch. They sit in comfortable silence, the only sounds the crackle of the fire and the occasional groan of the wind against the windows. Outside, the snow continues its slow retreat, the world inching closer to spring with each passing moment.

Olivia takes a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the flames. “The snow melts,” she says softly, more to herself than to him. Noah glances at her, his expression unreadable. “Yeah,” he says after a moment. “It always does.” And somehow, that feels like both a comfort and a loss.