Lily Lou - With The House To Ourselves -01.13.22- Guide

She was already barefoot, padding across the living room rug like she’d lived here forever. Her laugh came easy—low and warm—as she spun a slow circle, arms out, testing the silence. “All ours,” she whispered, and the words landed somewhere soft in my chest.

And for a few perfect hours, with the house to ourselves, nothing in the world was missing.

The front door clicked shut, and just like that, the world outside dissolved. No parents. No roommates. No errands or interruptions. Just the hum of the refrigerator, the soft slant of winter light through the kitchen blinds, and Lily Lou. Lily Lou - With the House to Ourselves -01.13.22-

By 5 p.m., we were tangled on the couch under a blanket that smelled like laundry and her shampoo. Snow started falling outside—small, unhurried. I remember thinking: This is the kind of day you don’t realize you’ll miss until it’s already a memory.

We made tea that neither of us finished. Put on an old record that crackled before it sang. The afternoon stretched long and generous, the kind that forgets to turn into evening until the room goes gold around the edges. She was already barefoot, padding across the living

Lily sat on the counter—against every rule I’d grown up with—and I leaned in close just to hear her talk about nothing much. The way she said my name, unguarded and plain, made the ordinary feel sacred.

Here’s a short piece inspired by the title and mood of — treating it like a memory, a journal entry, or a quiet moment captured in time. Title: With the House to Ourselves January 13, 2022 And for a few perfect hours, with the

Lily Lou fell asleep with her head on my shoulder. The record had stopped. The tea went cold.