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The snow hadn't stopped.
It blanketed the chalet in perfect silence, a hush that wrapped around the wooden beams and tall windows like a secret. The fire in the living room had long burned out, but the warmth remained upstairs, curled between two girls tangled beneath a cream knit blanket.
Adelaide stirred first.
Sunlight filtered through the frost-lined panes, casting Monet's features in golden light. Her lashes fluttered but didn't open, one arm still slung lazily over Addy's waist. Their legs had knotted sometime in the night, and neither had bothered to shift apart.
Adelaide watched her for a long, quiet moment.
She thought about how peaceful Monet looked when she slept. How rare it was to see her unguarded, lips parted slightly, brow smooth, all that fire tucked safely beneath skin and bone.
She reached out and traced her fingers along Monet's collarbone, careful not to wake her.
But Monet, of course, wasn't actually asleep.
"I can feel you staring at me."
Adelaide smirked. "Can't help it. You're kind of pretty."
Monet cracked one eye open. "Only kind of?"
"Well, you snore a little."
Monet gasped in faux offense. "Take that back, Kingsley."
"Nope." Adelaide leaned in, brushing her lips against Monet's jaw. "It's adorable. Like a spoiled cat."
Monet flipped them suddenly, rolling on top with a laugh. "Say it again. I dare you."
Adelaide grinned up at her. "You're adorable."
A pause.
Monet's expression softened.
"I love you, you know."
It was quiet. Not performative. Not a game.
Just true.
Adelaide blinked, the words slipping into her like warmth. Like sunlight through a snowstorm.
"I know," she whispered. "And I love you too."
Their kiss was slow, sleepy, full of something older than both of them. Something growing. Rooting.
They didn't move for a long time.
Downstairs, the rest of the group had begun to stir. Julien was loudly complaining about coffee. Luna was already making mimosas. Max had taken it upon himself to DJ the morning with a playlist titled Vibes & Vengeance Vol. 2.
But upstairs, in their corner of the world, time didn't press forward just yet.
