Snowflakes and Sweethearts

❅ but though the snow is gone the romance lingers on

"When you said 'tomorrow' I assumed you meant when the sun was up, not when the moon was still out."

Lucas stared up at Max from below her bedroom window. The moon's glistening light reflected on her face, making her freckles look like twinkling stars; and her eyes like shimmering sapphires. "Couldn't wait that long," he smiled, making Max shake her head in amusement. She found humor in this, though Lucas meant it with every fiber of his being. He couldn't wait, time moved at its slowest when Lucas had to wait to see Max and when he was next to her, it sped up. There was never enough time for them to be together, not enough for him and patience was never his virtue.

"And anyway," he continued, clearing his throat, "I wanted to make sure you were okay. I know how Billy can be with you. Plus, I saw the way he was driving..." He trailed off thinking back to the way he peered from a distance as Billy barreled down the frosted road. He thought about how he couldn't indulge in the picturesque scenery as much once Max departed. He was too worried and concerned; and simply put; he missed her.

Max stiffened remembering the drive back home. It was mostly Max moping in the front seat while Billy made sharp turns and sped along the icy roads while complaining about how she had spent too much time with her friends; how he didn't have time to be waiting on a bunch of rugrats and that she shouldn't get used to him driving her around or doing anything for her at all. "He was an asshole as usual," She folded her arms and rested them on the windowsill, "but that didn't bother me. I just hated leaving early. I wanted to see more of the lights with you guys."

"Well," Lucas' eyes wandered to the homes around the neighborhood. It was his turn to be casted in the moon's light where it made his dark skin glow. Max was briefly mesmerized by the luminosity; "your neighbors have Christmas lights."

She tore her gaze away from him and observed the quiet yet incandescent homes surrounding them. "They do..."

"Maybe," He turned back to her and held his hand up towards her as if asking for her hand in marriage, "we should pick up where we left off, yeah?"

Max felt like a princess that was gazing down at her fairytale prince as he asked her to join him at the royal ball. It wasn't as extravagant as that, but she still felt her heart flutter in her chest while looking down at him. There were a thousand different things on this planet, a thousand different needs and wants and yet, the expression on Lucas' face said that he yearned for nothing more than this, for nothing more than her in this moment.

"Give me a second," she slipped away from the window and left Lucas alone. He stood in the dark letting his arm fall back to his side. In the pitch black calm of the night, Lucas could hear the echoes of dogs barking in the distance, sprinklers sputtering in front yards, and hidden crickets enthusiastically chirping.

Meanwhile in her room, Max quietly maneuvered around in search of clothes that would protect her from the twilight's crisp chill. She swapped out her plaid pink and brown pajama bottoms for dark blue sweatpants and replaced her oversized Rudolph the red nosed reindeer t-shirt with a white and blue striped sweater that once belonged to her mom. She threw on a pair of beat up converse and declared herself ready.

Max appeared once again, poking her head out the window to make sure Lucas was still there, though it wasn't like there was anywhere else for him to go. "Watch out," she tossed one leg out the window and prepared to place the other one out.

"You know, I can help you." Lucas pointed out to no avail. Max was always consistent with her need for independence. She was determined to need Lucas' assistance only if her life depended on it. Besides,  She had done this plenty of times before, climbing in and out of her bedroom window whenever she pleased. Yet, the experience meant nothing to Lucas because he insisted on helping her down every single time.

She landed safely on the ground without his help. "I got it," she smiled, satisfied with herself.

Lucas rolled his eyes, then reached out for Max's hand. Eventually, she would need his help, but for now, he needed her hand.

Lucas' favorite thing, the thing he never outright said, but he knew that Max had already figured out, was the immediate interlocking of fingers after their hands clasped together. It was practically automatic, as if he was programmed to reach for her hands and she was programmed to make sure they were locked together.

While they walked, not going in any specific direction down the street, Lucas wondered if Max felt the same twinge of electricity and warmth when they held hands.

Then he wondered if that ever went away.

Was he forever going to feel the same thrum of soft excitement when they embraced one another? Did it ever lessen? Would it ever lessen? Does it ever get old? Will it ever go away?

Max squeezed Lucas' hand softly.

There was that thrum.

It doesn't lessen. It doesn't get old. It doesn't go away.

It would never go away.