Despite the cold, Alexis felt snug and content in the room.
Evelyn then eagerly descended the stairs to join her little brother and friends for some fun.
Alexis opted to stay in her room, watching the fireworks quietly from the French window.
Childhood memories flooded back to her.
âLeonel, this oneâs perfect.
Letâs put it up first.
â
âBut we have to be sneaky.
Canât let my dad catch us.
â
âLeonel, Look at thisâ¦â
With her slender finger, Alexis etched a name onto the glass-Cordelia Fowler.
She had this feeling that it was a girl, and if it really was, this would be the babyâs name!
Her phone rang out of the blue.
Initially, Alexis ignored it, but the persistent ringing drew her closer.
She approached and saw an unfamiliar number flashing on the screen.
Suspecting it might be Leonel, she opted not to answer.
Moments later, a text message popped up.
âHappy New Year, Alexis.
â
After a brief pause, Alexis deleted it.
Returning to the French window, she spotted Leonel standing in the yard.
He was in black, and something about him immediately caught her eye.
In the distance, she watched as Leonel bent down to light the fireworks.
It had always been Alexisâ favorite childhood activity.
As the fireworks burst into the night sky, Leonel turned to look at Alexis in silence.
They were from far from each other now.
This glass window and a deep distance separated them.
Neither spoke, simply gazing at each other quietly.
If only they had another chance, things would never have ended this way.
The night shimmered with the glow of fireworks, while gray smoke hung in the air.
From afar, Alexis saw Leonel mouth, âHappy New Year!â
Tears welled up in Alexisâ eyes.
Unable to hold back any longer, she turned away abruptly.
Then she drew the curtain shut.
Shortly after, another text arrived from the same number.
âDonât cry!â
Pausing briefly, Alexis replied, âNever return here again.
â
Leonel stared at the screen, grappling with her words.