Winter Break (12)

All good things must eventually come to an end.

My winter break with the four girls had been more than just a vacation—it had been a revelation. Days filled with laughter, quiet conversations that stretched into early morning hours, brief moments of connection that somehow felt more significant than they should have. The time had passed in a blur of shared meals, casual outings, and increasingly comfortable silences where words became unnecessary.

It had clarified something I'd been reluctant to fully acknowledge: I loved them. Not as abstract concepts or characters from a story I once read, but as the complex, flawed, extraordinary women they had become in my eyes.

I loved Cecilia's fierce pride and unexpected vulnerability, the way her crimson eyes sparked with challenge one moment and softened with genuine affection the next.