Celeste’s POVIf love could take physical form, it would have been the way they all clung to me—arms around my shoulders, hands gripping mine, voices overlapping with relief and trembling laughter. I felt wrapped in something fierce and soft at the same time. For a moment, I didn’t even feel my leg. Or the lingering nausea from the helicopter. Or the ache in my chest that had lived there for days.When we finally moved toward the house, Auntie Eleanor squeezed my waist. “Come, darling. We prepared something special.”I expected a quiet lunch. Something simple. Calm.I didn’t expect… this.The moment the front doors opened, warmth rushed out—golden lights, the scent of herbs and butter, music softly echoing through the living room. A long table was set near the windows overlooking the gardens. Plates of my favorite Provençal dishes filled it—ratatouille, daube stew, freshly baked fougasse, lavender chicken, even the mushroom truffle soup I adored.And dessert—God. A tower of macarons.
Last Updated : 2025-12-06 Read more