Let it Snow!

❄Twenty-Seven❄

Nora went to bed utterly confused that night. Too many things were happening in her new life, and she felt helpless as if she was slipping on ice and falling... falling fast for Martin. She sighed as she snuggled under her blankets, finally admitting it to herself, and allowing her mind to fantasise about how it would feel, having him next to her now, his arms holding her close...

Stop! she ordered herself, setting her alarm and pushing her phone, set into sleep mode, as far on the bedside table as it would go before she would be tempted to text him. Switching off the light, she turned around, shutting her eyes tightly, ordering herself to sleep.

That kiss... was unexpected and wonderful... But there was still something lurking in Martin's shadow; she could sense that he wasn't telling her everything yet. And seeing how he had let her find out about Daniel, she knew that he would not tell her until she discovered it and came to terms with it herself.

Nora wasn't sure if it was something concerning Victoria, Daniel's mother, or something else entirely, but until she found out, she would try to not let their friendship-- if what was between them could still be called so after tonight-- slip towards a more intimate relationship. Whatever it was that Martin was not telling her was an inseparable part of himself, she was sure, just like his son. She would have to accept it as such, or let them both go... and only the thought of losing Daniel, let alone never seeing Martin again, was making her heart clench.

Finally, after a long while of sorting through her emotions, Nora started to drift off, her unfocused thoughts straying back to Martin's tower in the castle. It was such a beautiful place, quite worthy of the owner of the castle. He must really be a close friend of the Count... or maybe he was the Count... It would be great if he was. He loved the castle so much... she mused, her last thoughts morphing into first dreams.

In the morning, Nora tried in vain to remember her thoughts from the previous night. The only thing that she could think of clearly was the kiss on the porch.

Groaning, she pressed the pillow to her face, wishing to vanish from the world. How on Earth was she supposed to behave when she met him today?! However, Nora had no time to despair. She sprang to her feet bravely when the alarm rang. It was Tuesday; she needed to take Daniel to school. Seeing the amount of snow fallen the day before, it would take her a long time to walk to the castle and then the town.

It would not make sense coming home before picking him up again, she mused as she got dressed, shivering in her cold cottage, remembering the pleasant heat of Martin's flat. She would spend the morning with Clelia... No, she would try to find Magdalena's shop and have a chat with her new-found old friend, Nora decided as she drained her coffee, the hot, bitter liquid finally restarting her brain properly, while its warmth spread throughout her body. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her teeth and gathered her hair into a ponytail. See, you can do this, just don't think about him. Her smile wavered even as she thought of him, of him kissing her, and the memory of how much she had wanted that kiss to last longer and become... more.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to abandon those thoughts, walk down the stairs, collect all the things she might need during the day and dump them into her handbag, then put her shoes and coat on. There's no avoiding meeting him at some point today, so you better stop thinking about that, she told herself firmly, unless you want to blush every time he looks at you. Gosh, you really need to get a grip. You'll be thirty in a few days, and you're acting like a teenager...

Shrugging and sighing again, she descended the five porch steps into the winter morning's darkness-- four actually, as the last one was buried under snow. She would simply wait and see how things would evolve, she resolved, taking a step into the white fluff, sinking nearly knee-deep, feeling happy that she had worn her boots.