Chapter TWENTY ONE

Ariel hurried through the first floor of the BB, poking her head into the empty dining room and vacant sitting areas as she called out, "Jessica? Jess, are you down here?" Her voice echoed off the walls, unanswered. Ariel quickened her pace, her heels clicking against the hardwood floors as she made her way to the kitchen. "Jessica, it"s Ariel. Are you in here?" she asked hopefully, but was met with only silence.

With a frustrated huff, Ariel spun on her heel and headed back towards the foyer. She had to find Jessica before the girl did something reckless. As Ariel approached the large staircase, her ears perked at the sound of muffled voices drifting down from the second floor. She paused, straining to make out the words, but they were too indistinct. Ariel placed her hand on the smooth banister, her brow furrowing with concern. She hesitated only a moment before starting up the stairs, her heart beginning to pound. Who could be up there with Jessica? Ariel quickened her pace, her mind racing through possibilities, each one more troubling than the last. She had to get to Jessica before something bad happened. Ariel reached the top landing and paused, honing in on the hushed voices coming from behind one of the closed bedroom doors. She steadied herself with a deep breath before striding purposefully down the hall, determined to ensure Jessica"s safety, no matter what she found inside.

Ariel stopped outside the closed door, her hand hovering uncertainly over the brass handle. She strained to make out the muffled voices from within, but they were too low to decipher.

Steeling her nerves, Ariel grasped the cool metal handle. She hesitated only a moment, uncertainty and fear causing her to falter. But concern for Jessica propelled her forward. With a deep, shaky breath, Ariel turned the handle and pushed open the door.

The room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn. At first Ariel saw nothing amiss, just an unoccupied bedroom. Then her eyes fell on a silhouette in the far corner, partially obscured by shadow. Ariel blinked, struggling to make out the scene before her. As her eyes adjusted, the shapes came into focus. Two figures, locked in a passionate embrace. For a moment, Ariel stood frozen, unsure what to make of the intimate scene. Then, as the pair shifted slightly, a beam of light fell across their faces. Ariel stifled a gasp, recognition dawning. It was Katie and Ethan, clutched in a fervent kiss.

Ariel stepped back, shock rooting her in place. Her mind reeled, struggling to process this surprising turn of events. Ariel stood frozen in the doorway, stunned into silence. Her daughter, her little girl, wrapped in the arms of a boy, kissing with a passion Ariel hadn"t witnessed since her own youth. It was jarring, like stepping into another reality.

Ariel was frozen. Then, she tried to scramble back—but it was too late. The pair sprang apart, faces flushed. Katie"s eyes went wide with panic as she took in her mother"s presence.

"Mom! What...how...?" Katie sputtered, her words tangling together in embarrassment.

Ethan looked equally mortified, his face burning crimson. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Katie buried her face in her hands. "Oh my god, this is so embarrassing," she moaned. "Wh-what are you doing here?" she finally stammered, her gaze flickering between Ariel and Ethan as if searching for an escape route.

Ariel"s chest tightened, a thousand thoughts racing through her mind as she tried to find the words to express her turbulent emotions. "I was looking for Jessica," she managed to say, her tone wavering despite her best efforts to remain calm. "I didn"t mean to intrude."

Ethan, who had remained silent until now, spoke up, his voice soft and slightly apologetic. "We didn"t hear you coming, Ariel. We were just... caught up in the moment."

"Clearly," Ariel replied, arching an eyebrow as she surveyed the scene before her. The flickering firelight cast an intimate glow over the room, illuminating the tangled mess of blankets on the bed and the half-empty glasses of wine on the nightstand. It was evident that her daughter and her new boyfriend had been lost in their own world, one where the storm outside – and Ariel"s own concerns – held no sway.

"You can't just barge in like this!" Katie yelled.

"Katie, honey," Ariel began, her tone softening as she looked into her daughter"s eyes. "I didn"t mean to ruin your moment, but I needed to find Jessica, and I heard voices... I"m sorry."

"Sorry?" Katie scoffed, folding her arms across her chest defensively. "You"ve completely ruined our first kiss and invaded our privacy! What gives you the right?"

Ethan, still standing nearby, looked both uncomfortable and unsure of how to react. His gaze flitted between Ariel and Katie, his lips pressed together in a thin line as he silently bore witness to their confrontation.

"I understand that you"re upset," Ariel said, her heart aching at the hurt in her daughter"s eyes. "But this my house, and this"—she gestured to Ethan and the wine—"is worrisome."

"Maybe you should worry about yourself and leave us alone!" Katie snapped, tears welling up in her eyes as she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, leaving Ariel and Ethan standing in the aftermath of her outburst.

Ariel watched her daughter"s retreating form, her chest tightening with a combination of guilt and frustration. She had only wanted to protect Katie, but it seemed that she had done more harm than good by interfering in their moment of intimacy. As the door slammed shut behind Katie, the silence in the room was deafening, a stark contrast to the muffled voices that had drawn Ariel here moments ago.

For a moment, Ariel simply stood there, her heart pounding in her chest as she stared at the empty doorway. The aftermath of their confrontation lay heavy on her soul, like the heavy snowfall outside. She hesitated, then closed the door with a soft click before making her way back downstairs. Her footsteps seemed unbearably loud as they echoed through the hushed BB, each step sending tremors of unease through her heart.

Descending the stairs, Ariel felt the weight of the night"s events bearing down on her. The tension in the air was palpable, a thick cloud of unspoken words and emotions swirling around her. As she reached the bottom of the staircase, she spotted Miles in the kitchen, his back to her as he attempted to clean up after dinner. She paused at the doorway, watching him for a moment.

The clinking of dishes and the running water created a mundane soundtrack to the chaos of the evening. Ariel stepped into the kitchen, her presence unnoticed by Miles, who was deeply engrossed in his task. She cleared her throat softly, causing him to turn around.

Miles" face, usually so calm and reassuring, now looked tired and drawn. "Hey," he said softly, wiping his hands on a dish towel. "Everyone bailed. How did it go upstairs?"

Ariel"s frustration, compounded by the evening"s events, suddenly found an outlet. "I can"t find Jessica anywhere," she said, her voice rising with each word. "And I just caught Ethan and Katie kissing. It"s like everything is falling apart!"

Miles stepped towards her, concern etching his features. "Ariel, I"m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Her eyes meeting Miles"s. The storm of emotions swirling within her finally boiled over, and she could no longer bite her tongue. "Why aren't you doing anything for us for Valentine"s Day, Miles?" she asked, her voice quivering with frustration.

"Wha-what?" he stammered, taken aback by her sudden outburst.

"Valentine"s Day was supposed to be special," she continued, her voice rising. "But it feels like you didn"t even care! Like I don"t matter enough for you to make an effort!"

"Ariel, that"s not true," Miles protested, his eyes wide with surprise. "I had something planned, I swear. But with everything going on..." He gestured helplessly towards the window, where the storm raged on, the wind howling and snow piling up outside.

"Something planned?" she scoffed, shaking her head. "Miles, I"ve felt so unimportant lately. With this BB, these guests and their family issues, and now Katie..." Her voice trailed off, the pain evident in her eyes.

"Hey, look at me," Miles said softly, lifting her chin with a gentle finger. "You are the most important person in my life, Ariel. You know that. It"s just...with the storm and all the chaos, when would we have time?"

"Time? Really? Was there no other way to show me that I still mattered to you?" Ariel questioned, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions.

"I will, Ariel. I promise. Once this storm passes and things settle down, I"ll give you the most amazing Valentine"s Day you"ve ever had – even if it"s a little late."

"Maybe it will be too late," she clipped back.

He looked at her, eyes wide.

"Maybe we should just... get some sleep," Ariel suggested, her voice heavy with the weight of her unresolved emotions. "I'm going upstairs."

"Okay," Miles agreed quietly.

She made quick work of the stairs and was under the covers in record time. Lying in bed, Ariel stared at the ceiling, her mind a tumult of emotions. The day"s events replayed in her head like a chaotic movie, each scene adding to her sense of frustration and disappointment. She heard Miles enter the room, the soft sound of his footsteps a stark contrast to the storm of thoughts raging inside her.

Ariel felt the bed dip as Miles got in beside her, but she didn"t turn to face him. She lay still, wrapped in her own turmoil, the space between them feeling like a chasm. The silence was oppressive, filled with all the words they hadn"t said, the reassurances they hadn"t given. She sensed Miles reaching out towards her, a tentative, almost hesitant gesture. Ariel wanted to respond, to turn and bridge the gap, to find solace in his embrace. But her heart was heavy, weighed down by unmet expectations and unspoken fears. The disappointment of the day, culminating in the absence of a Valentine"s gesture from Miles, sat like a stone in her stomach.

He moved to the other side of the bed, the distance between them feeling like a chasm filled with all the unspoken words and lingering regrets. As Ariel lay on her side, facing away from Miles, she couldn"t help but feel the cold emptiness that seemed to have settled between them. She longed for the tender moments they"d once shared – the laughter, the whispered secrets, the warm embraces that made her feel so cherished and loved.

But tonight, with the storm raging outside and the storm of their own emotions churning within, it felt as though those times were but a distant memory. And as her eyes filled with tears, Ariel couldn"t help but wonder if they"d ever find their way back to the love and connection they once shared.

The shadows cast by the sleet and snow streaking down the window danced across the bedroom walls, a silent symphony accompanying the storm outside. The wind howled, its mournful cry echoing Ariel"s own sense of loss and longing. Underneath the covers, her hands clenched and unclenched, mirroring the turmoil in her heart.

"Maybe... maybe we should talk about this," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the sound of the rain drumming against the roof.

"Tomorrow," Miles murmured, his back to her. "We"ll talk tomorrow."

Ariel closed her eyes, but peace eluded her. Instead, her thoughts swirled like the storm outside – anger at herself for letting things go unsaid for so long, sadness for the love they once shared that now seemed as though it was slipping through her fingers, and a deep yearning for the connection she and Miles once had.

"Remember our first Valentine"s Day?" she said suddenly, needing to fill the silence with something other than the cacophony of her own emotions. "You surprised me with that picnic at the beach. It was freezing, but you"d brought hot cocoa and blankets, and we sat there for hours, watching the waves crash against the shore..."

Miles shifted slightly, his body tensing. "Yes, I remember," he replied, his voice strained.

It wasn"t the response she"d hoped for. She wanted him to laugh, to reminisce, to share the warmth of their memories. Instead, his words felt cold, distant – much like the space between them in the bed. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"Did we really drift apart so much so quickly?" she asked, her voice cracking. "I don't want to stop trying."

"We haven't," Miles said quietly, his own pain evident in his words. "We"ve both been so busy... we just lost sight of what"s important."

"Us," Ariel breathed out, the weight of their situation pressing down upon her chest. "We"re important, Miles. We can"t let this go."

"I know," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I"m sorry."

"Me too," she replied, but it felt like an empty echo in the darkness.

As the storm continued to rage outside, exhaustion slowly began to take hold. Ariel"s thoughts drifted, her mind conjuring up images of missed opportunities and unfulfilled expectations. The wind"s howl seemed to mimic Ariel"s own anguish, ripping through the trees and battering the old BB relentlessly. The storm outside was a reflection of the turmoil within her heart as she lay in bed next to Miles. Though their bodies were close enough for her to feel the warmth radiating from his skin, there was an ocean of distance between their hearts.

"Can we fix this?" Ariel whispered into the darkness. Her voice trembled with vulnerability, barely audible over the sound of the raging storm outside.

"Yes," Miles replied, his own voice filled with uncertainty and regret. "I"ll do anything to make things right again."

Ariel shifted closer to him, seeking solace in his familiar embrace. She wrapped her arms around him, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to become lost in the sensation of his touch, trying to remember the love that had once been so powerful between them.

As the storm continued its relentless assault on the world outside, Ariel and Miles lay wrapped in each other"s arms, their bodies close but their hearts still feeling distant. The weight of their unspoken pain lingered in the air like a ghost, haunting the edges of the room.