Thirteen hours beforethey boarded a plane bound for London, April led Daphne deep into the snowy Clover Lake woods.
It was late, nearly midnight, and a fresh layer of snow crunched under their boots. In addition to her mint-green peacoat and matching hat, a lavender scarf Ramona had knitted her for Christmas, and a pair of vegan leather mittens, Daphne also wore a blindfold.
“Don’t let me fall,” she said.
“I promise,” April said, her arm looped through Daphne’s, her own puffy black coat and dark purple knit hat keeping her moderately warm. Her teeth chattered a little, but she felt a giddiness in her chest as they walked, the light of the silvery full moon so bright on the path that she hadn’t even needed to use her phone to see.
She knew this trail like the back of her hand.
Daphne’s feet tangled with a root, and she and April broke into laughter as April struggled to hold them both upright.
“Are we in the woods?” Daphne asked.
“Nah,” April said as she guided Daphne over a log that hadfallen across the trail, probably during the last heavier snow. “We’re in the middle of downtown.”
“Very funny,” Daphne said.
April laughed, loving every minute of this.
Since LA, she and Daphne had been traveling between Chicago and New York City and even Boston, all cities where Daphne’s new agent had set up meetings for her with galleries to discuss showings and commissions. As a result, Daphne had at least a year’s worth of work ahead of her, as well as a contract with the Devon as their artist-in-residence.
Tomorrow, she’d be heading back to London, and April was going with her, along with Bob and Bianca.
Permanently.
She and Daphne had signed a lease on a tiny, pet-friendly flat in Soho that Nicola had helped them find. April already had an interview set up next week with a queer-owned tattoo shop called Medusa, and she’d just sent a fresh batch of query emails to agents who represented illustrators.
April couldn’t wait to get settled in London. The transient nature of her life for the last five months had ignited in her a passion for travel and discovering new places, but it had also cemented her desire for a home.
A new home.
She loved Clover Lake. She always would, and she’d probably miss it more than she could imagine right now, but she was ready for something new.
She was ready for a life she chose with her whole heart.
Despite her readiness, she and Daphne had spent the last two weeks staying with Ramona and Dylan in Clover Lake. The time had been bittersweet, soul filling and heart healing, but tinged with the weight of the extra miles April and Ramona were about to put between them.
But it was right.
They both knew it, and they could celebrate that.
Earlier that day, April and Daphne had had a perfectly civil lunch with April’s parents, followed by a much more raucous dinner at Mr.Riley’s house, which included Olive and her girlfriend, Marley. It had felt like old times, but better with Ramona’s wife and April’s partner by their sides, as well as Bob and Bianca. Bob, of course, attached himself to Daphne the moment he saw her and threw a fit if she so much as went to the bathroom.
April smiled to herself now, squeezing Daphne closer and glancing up at the starry night as they approached their destination.
“You’re looking at the sky, aren’t you?” Daphne asked.
April laughed. “How did you know?”
“You went all quiet and contemplative.”
“You know me too well.”
“Okay, that’s sweet and all, but I’d rather you look straight ahead when I can’t see a damn thing.”
April laughed harder. “That’s fair, but we’re almost there and I don’t see a single obstacle in our path.”
“And where might that be?”
