He stood up, the legs of the stool screeching against the floor like a winter gale. He didn't finish the drink. Instead, he buttoned his coat, the first spark of heat returning to his chest.
Elias didn't turn. "Plenty of people walked away that day, Sarah." Cold as Ice
He finally looked at her. Her eyes were red-rimmed, a stark contrast to the pale, frozen mask of his own face. They had both lost brothers in that cave-in, but while Sarah had spent three years burning with rage, Elias had simply gone numb. He stood up, the legs of the stool
"Let’s go," he said. "Before the freeze sets in for good." Elias didn't turn
The neon sign outside "The Deep Freeze" flickered, casting a rhythmic blue glow over the frost-patterned window. Inside, Elias sat at the far end of the bar, his hands wrapped around a glass of rye that he hadn’t touched. He wasn't there for the drink; he was there for the silence.
"They walked away and kept moving," she countered, sliding a hand-drawn map across the sticky mahogany bar. "You walked away and stopped. You’ve been standing in the same snowbank ever since."