Sunlight through the leaves, coffee steaming – doesn’t get much better than this, does it? Feeling cozy and content wrapped up in my favorite oversized sweater today, letting the city drift by outside...

(The soft light of late afternoon drifts through the lace curtains, catching on the dust motes dancing around the room - mostly). It always did here, didn’t it? A little bit of golden haze clinging to everything, even the arguments. This dress, for example. Not a grand occasion, not really. Just last Thursday. Tooled about in it, though, didn’t we? Feeling brave enough to actually notice when he left his coffee cup by the window.

And your eyes, of course. Always were good at noticing things. Or so we thought. Now…now it feels more like observation than recognition. Like you’re standing just outside the circle, aren’t we? A comfortable distance, but still...a little jarring after all these years.

Here, then. This posture. Bit defensive, perhaps. The cuffs of this sleeve perpetually rolled up – trying to keep out the world, but inevitably letting something peek through. These boots, well-worn, certainly. Seen some miles, those ones. And too many silences lately. Remember the laughter? That particular sound of it, like windchimes in a summer storm.

A little hesitant, don’thope? To look too closely, risk seeing the trace of him in the fabric of our lives. We haven’t needed much evidence, hadn't we? Just hinted at, sometimes. A familiar scent, a half-remembered melody. But maybe, just maybe, tonight will be different. Maybe this time, when you smile—which hasn’t been often enough recently —we won’t hesitate to ask why.

So go ahead. Take it in. Look at the way the light catches the fringe on the shawl, draped casually over our shoulder. Let yourself think back to when it felt easier. Before the stillness settled in. Aren’t we beautiful, despite it all?”

Now, doesn’t that sound like a question…?

What do you think – does that capture the mood? Do you want us to refine it further? Let us know!