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As she recounted the argument, her voice trembled with distress. The pain of their disagreement was still fresh, and the weight of her guilt hung heavily in the air.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up," Darcy reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We can't know everything about the people we love. And you were just trying to do something thoughtful for him."
"I know, but it's hard not to feel responsible," Ariel admitted, her eyes brimming with tears. "I've always been so afraid of making a mistake, of hurting someone I care about. And now I've done exactly that."
The kitchen seemed to close in around her, the warmth suddenly oppressive, as she grappled with the realization that she had unknowingly brought up one of Miles's most painful memories. Despite the comfort of her surroundings, she felt untethered, adrift in a sea of doubt and confusion.
Darcy squeezed her shoulder gently. "It'll be okay, Ariel. You two will get through this. Just give it some time."
"Thank you, Darcy," she whispered, wiping away a stray tear. "I hope you're right. I just feel like I’m messing so much up. Katie’s annoyed with me that I’m on the fence about her going to this summer art thing. The wedding is days away. I’m a hot mess.”
“Maybe we should make that the special for tonight. What do you say? We’ll make creamed chipped beef on garlic toast, home fries, and sweet corn with browned butter. We’ll call it the Hot Mess.”
Ariel laughed through her tears. “That actually sounds great. We do have that leftover corned beef.” She sniffled. “Now, what do you have to fix a grumpy teenager?”
He started to reply, but then they both turned at the sound of the front door creaking open, and Ariel's breath caught in her throat. Miles stood in the doorway, flakes of snow clinging to his coat and the stormy sea of his eyes reflecting his inner turmoil. He closed the door behind him with a soft click, and for a moment, they simply stood there, their eyes locked in a silent acknowledgment of the storm that had been brewing between them.
Miles's hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket, his shoulders hunched as if bearing the weight of the revelation he was about to share. His eyes held a mixture of pain and determination, as though bracing himself to face whatever might come.
"Hi." The word came out fragile, almost lost amidst the quiet of the room.
"Hey," Miles replied, closing the door behind him and stomping the snow off his boots.
Darcy murmured that he was going to the chest freezer in the basement to gather ingredients, and then slipped away to give them privacy.
"Can we talk?" Ariel asked, her voice wavering slightly. "I want to apologize for what happened."
"Apologize?" Miles rubbed a hand over his face, weary and frustrated. "Ariel, you didn't just make a mistake. You dredged up something so painful that I've spent years trying to forget it."
"I know," she whispered, her regret washing over her like a tidal wave. "And I'm so sorry, Miles. I never meant to hurt you."
"I know you didn’t," he said, his voice breaking. "But when I saw him… after everything he did to me… I felt like my past had come back to haunt me."
Ariel wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to hold herself together. "I understand now, Miles. I didn't know the whole story, and I should have talked to you before I did anything."
"Maybe," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But it's done, Ariel. We can't change the past. We can only try to move forward."
"Can we?" she asked, her eyes searching his for any sign of hope.
Miles hesitated, his gaze locked on hers. The silence stretched between them, heavy with the weight of unspoken words and lingering doubts. Finally, he let out a long, slow breath. “Of course. I love you. I’m just shaken up by all of this.”
The tension in the room seemed to ease ever so slightly, like the first rays of sunlight breaking through storm clouds. And as the snow continued to fall outside, blanketing the world in a layer of pure white, Ariel clung to the fragile hope that they might yet find a way to heal their wounds and rebuild the trust that had been shattered by the ghosts of their pasts.
She wanted to run to him, but she held back.
"Look, Ariel," he began, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know you didn't mean any harm, but I need you to understand something."
"Of course, Miles," she said softly, her stomach tightening with apprehension.
"Remember when my first business went under, and I told you it was because someone I trusted betrayed me?" he asked, his voice heavy with emotion.
"Yes, I remember," Ariel murmured, her mind racing to piece together what he was trying to say.
"Well, Dale was the one who embezzled funds and ruined everything I'd worked so hard for…" His jaw clenched, and for a moment, it seemed as though the words were too painful to speak. But then, with a deep breath, he continued. “And what I said was true—it wasn't just my business that he destroyed, Ariel. My marriage to Emily fell apart because of it. I lost everything."
"Please, Miles, believe me when I say I never meant for this to happen," she pleaded, tears glistening in her eyes. "I just wanted to give you something special for Christmas."
"I know," he sighed, the anger in his voice softened by a note of weary resignation. "But sometimes, even with the best intentions, we mess up."
