Sunlight through the leaves, coffee steam and cozy knits – doesn’t get much better than this, right? Feeling that perfect autumn chill today, wrapped up in our favorite things. A little bit of quiet c...

(The wool scarf feels scratchy tonight, doesn’t it?) It always does when it’s not our wool. Not that he wouldn’t have given us something decent, Mark would have. A perfectly reasonable merino, probably, with a touch of cashmere for extra indulgence. This one was on sale, of course. Always on sale after...well, after everything.

See how you’re standing there, then? Slightly hesitant. Like you were expecting a bit more resistance, maybe. Or perhaps less. We haven’t exactly been throwing ourselves at your feet lately, have we? More often than not, just sitting here, draped across the sofa cushions, drinking lukewarm tea and remembering. The way his coffee used to smell – strong, slightly burnt around the edges, much like everything else back then.

That flicker in your eye last week, though. When the light caught the dust motes dancing above the fireplace – did you see it? A memory, quick and bright, of laughter echoing off those same walls. Before the quietness. Before the acceptance that maybe, just maybe, things weren't meant to be soed every time.

It wasn’t fault, of course. Just circumstance. And a rather stubborn refusal to admit anything ever really went wrong. Except, perhaps, the feeling that sometimes, we needed a little too much reassurance. Now look at us, all turned out, sleeves rolled up (slightly), ready to face another evening.

And you, still wondering if we noticed. If we truly did. Well, didn’—t we? That gaze, a little wary, certainly. Now, don’t stand there staring. Are you going to smile?”

What do you think? How well did it capture the mood? Let us know! Would you like us to tweak it, or try again?