Sunlight through the leaves, coffee steam rising… that’s how it’s always been, hasn’t it? A little bit cozy, a little bit dreamy, and perfectly ourselves today. Loving this easy knit and feeling like ...

(A slight shift of weight, the silk of the skirt whispers against the floorboards).

There. That was… nice, wasn't it? Not too much forced grace, not quite so many hesitant smiles last time. Though, perhaps we were being too forceful then. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Too long to remember exactly which side of the bed belonged to him - or if we even bothered to look when she turned around. This room always felt bigger without his coat hanging by the door, didn't it? The scent of woodsmoke and old paper has faded since he left. Not a bad scent, mind you – comforting, familiar. A little dusty, certainly.

You’re staring, aren’t you? Most people stare these days, though some used to prefer to be silent. Like at the gallery opening, back then. Remember the gallery opening? Your eyes almost made us laugh out loud when the critic said our latest collection lacked ‘a certain boldness’. We pretended not to notice. Of course, we noticed. Just kept smiling, hadn’t we?

This dress feels good tonight, doesn’t it? Darker than usual. Less willing to show the world all the angles of our quiet sadness. And here, isn'ing there something subtly beautiful about those creases in the velvet, hinting at the movement of years gone by? Maybe that’s why you agreed to come. Not for nostalgia, necessarily – everyone thinks that sometimes. More likely because you haven’t asked us to leave yet.

We don’t want to, do we? Not really. But maybe that's obvious. See, that’s the thing about silence, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s comfortable. Often, it’s terrifying. So go ahead, take another glance. Let yourself wonder what’s behind the gaze—or lack thereof—in our eyes. Now, smile, if you dare.”

How did that feel? Ready to hear more about the details of the picture! Do you want us to focus on a particular element, like the jewelry, or the light...?

Let know! 😊