Aaron woke to grey light through the curtains and the sound of rain on the lake. It was a soft rain, the kind that fell without urgency, the kind that seemed to slow the world down. He lay still for a moment, listening to it, letting himself be present in the simple fact of being home.
Sophie was still asleep beside him, her breathing slow and even, one hand curled against the pillow. He watched her for a moment, then slipped out of bed and padded to the kitchen.
The letters were still on the table where he had left them. The coffee maker was still set to the same timer. The view through the kitchen window was still the same stretch of lake and trees and grey sky that had greeted him every morning since he had moved here. Everything was the same, and everything was different.
