Everything was quiet, a strange sort of quiet that felt like an unfinished sentence.

He reached out and pushed some hair behind her ears. The gesture was tender, but it hit her with an unexpected force, like when you're in the ocean and a wave hits you. It's so soft and coll that it surprised you that it has such strength.

He didn't think he belonged here, so she was making him face some uncomfortable facts. People adapt. People change. You can grow where you're planted.

When she looked in the mirror these days, she saw someone she didn't recognize...She saw an old woman trying to be beautiful, her skin dry and her wrinkles like cracks. She looked like a very well-dressed winter apple.

That, they knew, was true friendship. And they knew, if you're lucky enough to find it, you hold on to it.

You can't change where you come from, but you can change where you go from here. Just like a book. If you don't like the ending, you make up a new one.

First frost meant letting go, so it was always reason to celebrate.