An Unlikely Connection: Part 3

Chapter 1: All Is Well

Another year was around the corner. Like most of my New Year's Eve holidays, I spent them by myself or with my family if their work didn't call them. Luckily for me, I didn't have to spend it alone. My girlfriend, Yosefin, had a special day planned for us. She didn't have to convince me to come see what it was but warned me to wear warm clothing.

I came to her house with enough clothing to keep me warm in the frigid weather. The second Yosefin's father opened the door, Yosefin came charging around the corner from the hallway where her room was. The sound of her bare feet slapping the tile floor made me realize how hard she was running. Her black hoodie flopped all over the place. With every step she took, her hoodie lifted over her short shorts. She hit the brakes before ramming into me.

"Joshy!" Yosefin said when she hugged me.

"Yo – Yosefin?! Where's your pants?" Mr. B said. He stood off to my right while I held her as tightly as she was. "You're legs will get cold." He shut the door before I could turn around to do it myself. "She was worried about you."

"About what?" I said after glancing at her beautiful smile.

"She kept asking if you were okay since it took you some time to get here." I looked at her to judge if that was the case. She didn't deny it or say anything. All I got was a light giggle out from her nose. "Anyways." He handed her a pair of keys I hadn't seen before. "Make sure you put it on snow mode."

"Come on, Josh," she said and took me by the hand. We went to her room. She walked me in and closed the door behind me. The door didn't close all the way. I had to press my finger into it to shut. "Don't lock it," she said as I was about to lock it. "All I need to do is put some pants on." She took off her shorts to put on insolated leggings before wearing thick winter pants. "Kay! I'm good to go!"

"Awesome!" I went to reach for the door but she grabbed my hand. She placed it on her cheek to snuggle with it. It was warm and soft. "What are you doing?" I said out of curiosity.

"I just wanted to feel you."

"Feel?"

"Yes," she said then curled my hand around the side of her neck. "It's been days since we were together." She moved my thumb on her Adam's apple. The lack of one reminded me how special she was. I soothed it, causing her to giggle.

"Did you miss me?"

"Very much," she said in a gentle voice. Her voice gave me a gentle tingle that spread across my chest. "I can't stop thinking about that night."

"Sounds like you might be thinking more about it than me."

"Probably," she said, snickering alongside me. "I think I've gone crazy. It feels like it happened hours ago."

"Are we... overdued?" It took her a second to figure out what I meant. She turned her head away but kept her eyes on me. When I saw it click in her head, her eyes popped open.

"We are," she said, snickering again. "But I need to get that off my mind right now."

"Good thing you called me for whatever you are planning. It could be a nice distraction."

"Oh! Yeah! Let's head out! We don't want to be late for the parade!"

"A parade?"

"Yup! Isn't this exciting?" I didn't know what to say. I had never been to one yet they always looked interesting to me.

"Yeah," I said not thinking of what to say. "Are you comfortable driving in snow?"

"Let me show you."

We headed through the garage to get to the truck. It was running when I got in. The inside was toasty. I got hot after a minute of sitting.

"I'm gonna break a sweat!" I said. Once the truck's engine kicked on after she pressed the start button, the climate gauge didn't have a number. It read, "hi" in all caps.