Chapter 8: Unspoken Feelings
1094 Words
Chapter 8: Unspoken Feelings
Monday mornings at the Hawthorne Estate were always busy.
Deliveries arrived before eight.
The chef planned meals for the week.
Fresh flowers replaced the old arrangements.
And William Hawthorne somehow managed to answer business calls before he'd even finished his first cup of coffee.
Lila had already been awake for nearly three hours.
She carried a basket of freshly ironed towels upstairs, humming softly under her breath.
She wasn't thinking about anything in particular.
For the first time in months, her mind wasn't weighed down by grief every waking second.
The sadness was still there.
It always would be.
But it no longer consumed every moment of her day.
As she turned the corner, someone stepped out of a room at the same time.
"Oh!"
The towels slipped from her arms.
"I'm so sor—"
Before they hit the floor, another pair of hands caught them.
Lila looked up.
Ethan.
"I'm starting to think we need a traffic system in this hallway," he said.
She laughed.
"Or maybe I should stop looking at the towels instead of where I'm walking."
He handed the folded stack back to her.
"Our second near collision."
"Second?"
"You almost walked into me in the library last week."
"I did?"
"You were distracted."
She smiled sheepishly.
"I guess I was."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
They were standing much closer than either had realized.
Lila was the first to take a small step back.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
As she continued down the hallway, Ethan found himself smiling again.
He hadn't even noticed until William walked past.
"You're smiling."
Ethan looked at his father.
"So?"
William raised an eyebrow.
"I haven't seen that much lately."
"I'm in a good mood."
"I'm glad."
William's voice softened.
"It's nice to have you laughing again."
Ethan didn't know how to respond.
Because the truth was...
He wasn't sure why he'd been smiling so much recently either.
---
That afternoon, Claire asked Lila to help prepare the garden for a charity dinner the family would be hosting later in the week.
Rows of fairy lights were wrapped around the trees.
Fresh flowers lined the stone pathways.
White tables overlooked the lake behind the estate.
"It looks beautiful," Lila whispered.
Claire smiled.
"My husband proposed to me out here."
Lila looked around with new appreciation.
"Really?"
"Thirty years ago."
"Were you nervous?"
Claire laughed.
"He was."
"You weren't?"
"I already knew my answer."
Lila smiled.
"It sounds like something out of a movie."
"It felt like one."
Claire's smile faded just slightly.
"Marriage isn't always easy."
Lila looked at her.
"But choosing each other every day..."
She glanced toward the house where William was speaking to a contractor.
"...that's what matters."
Those words stayed with Lila.
Choosing each other.
It sounded simple.
Yet she knew how quickly people could choose to leave instead.
---
That evening, Ethan found Lila sitting on the back porch after finishing her work.
She had a blanket draped over her shoulders and a book resting in her lap.
"You've claimed my favorite spot."
She looked up.
"I didn't know it was yours."
"It's not."
He sat in the chair beside her.
"But I've been coming here since I was a kid."
They watched the sunset in comfortable silence.
The sky turned shades of orange and pink, reflecting across the lake.
"It's beautiful," Lila whispered.
"It is."
"My mom loved sunsets."
Ethan looked at her.
"Mine too."
She smiled sadly.
"My mom used to say every sunset was proof that endings could still be beautiful."
He considered those words.
"What did you think?"
"I thought she was being poetic."
"And now?"
Lila watched the sun slowly disappear beyond the trees.
"Now I think she was trying to teach me something."
Ethan nodded.
"My grandfather used to say something similar."
"What?"
"'The sun always comes back tomorrow. People should try to do the same.'"
Lila laughed softly.
"He sounds wise."
"He also thought pineapple belonged on pizza."
She gasped dramatically.
"Well... no one's perfect."
Ethan laughed.
A real laugh.
Louder than she had ever heard from him.
Lila couldn't help laughing too.
For a brief moment...
Neither of them felt broken.
---
From the kitchen window, Claire noticed them sitting together.
William joined her a few seconds later.
"What are you looking at?"
"Our son."
William followed her gaze.
Ethan was talking.
Actually talking.
Not about work.
Not about business.
Just talking.
William smiled.
"I haven't seen him like this in years."
Claire rested her head lightly against his shoulder.
"Neither have I."
"Do you think..."
He stopped.
Claire already knew the question.
"I don't know."
She watched Ethan and Lila laughing at something neither of them could hear.
"But whatever this is..."
"It's good for him."
William nodded.
"And for her."
---
Later that night, Lila walked back to her room carrying the book she'd been reading.
As she passed the library, she noticed the light was still on.
She peeked inside.
Ethan sat at the piano in the corner of the room.
She hadn't even known there was one.
His fingers moved slowly across the keys, filling the room with a soft, melancholic melody.
She didn't interrupt.
She simply stood quietly in the doorway.
When the song ended, Ethan looked up.
"I didn't hear you."
"I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize."
She stepped into the room.
"I didn't know you played."
"I haven't in a while."
"You should play more often."
He smiled faintly.
"I used to."
"What changed?"
He looked down at the piano keys.
"Life."
She understood.
There were things she used to do, too.
Painting with her mother.
Weekend road trips.
Baking birthday cakes.
Grief had a way of stealing the parts of you that once felt effortless.
"It was beautiful," she said.
"Thank you."
He closed the piano lid gently.
"I wrote it years ago."
"You wrote that?"
He nodded.
"I never finished it."
"Maybe you will someday."
He looked at her for a long moment.
"Maybe."
As Lila turned to leave, Ethan spoke again.
"Lila?"
She looked back.
"I'm glad you took this job."
Her heart skipped ever so slightly.
A warm smile spread across her face.
"I'm glad I did too."
She left the library, closing the door softly behind her.
Ethan remained seated at the piano.
For the first time in a very long time...
He found himself wanting to finish the song.
And for the first time since losing her mother...
Lila went to bed with something she hadn't felt in months.
Hope.
- Writer
