Sing to me

First snow

      They had been dating with Henry for several months already. Tomorrow was supposed to be Ellie's birthday, and today in London, the first snowfall occurred. The girl sat on the brick balcony of her apartment in a comfortable and soft chair, tucking her feet underneath herself. Wrapped in a woolen blanket, she drank hot tea and watched as the hesitant first snow slowly fell on the city, trying to cover it with its whiteness.       There were many thoughts swirling in her head, and all of them were directed towards Henry. Who would have thought that a well-known British actor would pay attention to an ordinary makeup artist in a regular theater where world-class performances were never staged? Nevertheless, fate brought them together six months ago, and a month later, they started dating. Henry was simply magnificent in every way: he knew and loved to cook, he was romantic and tender, and in bed, passionate. The man had an incredible sense of humor and a stunning smile that could melt even the coldest heart. But Henry had one downside—his job. Somehow, when Ellie was in ecstasy over her favorite actor becoming not only her favorite actor but also her boyfriend, she completely forgot that people like him have a very busy schedule.       The first snow was falling, and tomorrow was supposed to be Ellie's birthday, but Henry was on set, working, filming in another movie. Ellie had no intention of blaming the man for not being able to fly to London to be with her on this day due to work. But as she watched the little white flakes slowly descend to the ground, coloring everything around in white, the girl felt melancholic. Not just that: she listlessly spun the cup of hot tea in her hands and sighed sadly.       Perhaps if her parents had not died so early, Ellie would not perceive Henry's absence as a small tragedy somewhere in her own world, but the reality was as it was. She hadn't celebrated her birthday with important people for too long. Despite having friends, many friends, and colleagues she always enjoyed spending time with, Ellie had only one true friend, and she lived in another country and couldn't always visit Ellie on her birthday. Of course, when Kristin learned that Henry couldn't take time off work to celebrate Ellie's twenty-sixth birthday, Kristin wanted to buy tickets, ask for urgent leave from her job, and fly to her native London, knowing Ellie's attitude toward this day. However, Ellie, insisting that everything would be fine and Kristin didn't need to come, was adamant. The girl didn't like causing inconvenience, especially to people she cherished. Life had taught her early on to appreciate the good moments spent with loved ones, and to some extent, she was afraid of being a burden on her friends' shoulders.       Snowflakes were slowly descending onto the brick floor of the balcony, lightly dusting it with the white layer of the first snow. Ellie sighed and glanced at her wristwatch, inherited from her mother. Noon was approaching, and that meant the delivery of alcohol and various decorations for her birthday would soon arrive. Tomorrow, she would take them to work since birthdays were celebrated loudly and at the expense of the celebrants in the theater.       A cool breeze blew, causing Ellie to shiver. The woolen blanket and the hot cup of tea had ceased to warm her as effectively. Placing her bare feet on the snow-covered floor, Ellie involuntarily shuddered from the cold and smiled. She always liked winter. In her childhood, every time she saw the first snow, she would kick off her shoes with socks and joyfully run into the yard of their family home to feel the arrival of the long-awaited winter. Her father would join her, laughing merrily, while her mother, through pursed lips, tried to hide her smile, always lamenting the reckless behavior of her husband and beloved daughter, fearing they might catch a cold.       The ring of her mobile phone distracted Ellie from her memories. Realizing that she was still standing barefoot in the snow, she rushed into the apartment and answered the call without looking.       “Hello.” a hoarse greeting came from the other end.       “Hi, Henry.” the girl smiled and, closing the balcony door, headed to the bedroom. “How are you? How are the shootings?”       “Everything's as usual, deadly boredom, except for the moments when I can eat and call you to hear your voice.”       Feeling the blush rise to her face, Ellie shyly grinned and, grabbing the warm socks lying on the chair, started putting them on.       “That's too romantic.” she replied to Henry, with undisguised joy in her voice.       “But you love romantic movies.” The man responded cheerfully. “Any plans for tomorrow? Have you decided how you'll celebrate your birthday?”       “I'll go to work, see how my colleagues will drink on my behalf, and then back home. I thought I don't want to gather with anyone, I...”       The doorbell interrupted her.       “Someone's at the door,” she said, continuing, and, getting up from the bed, headed to the corridor. “It's probably the delivery. I'll be right there.”       Tossing her phone onto the nightstand by the entrance, she opened the door, expecting to see the courier. But on the threshold stood Henry, with red ears and nose from the cold, holding the phone he had just spoken to Ellie on. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and a wide smile indicated how pleased he was with himself for surprising her on her birthday in the form of himself.       Ellie threw herself into the man's arms, barely holding back her tears.       “Thank you,” she whispered, “you have no idea how important this was to me. That you came.”       Somewhere beyond the warm brick building in the center of London, the first snow was falling. People, completely oblivious to the pure white flakes descending from the sky, hurried about their business, forgetting in the hustle and bustle about the most important thing—love. But not Henry Cavill. Even without knowing Ellie's attitude towards her celebration, he sensed notes of sadness in her voice when they spoke on the phone about her upcoming twenty-sixth birthday. Immediately after the conversation, Henry bought the nearest tickets to London and, putting his superiors in the face of the fact of his unplanned leave, set out to pack his suitcase and head back home. To the place where Ellie awaited him, even more than he suspected.