IGNITE

forty-six.

‹ 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 ›

Snow fell softly, covering the bustling streets of New York as I carefully maneuvered Piper's car through the throngs of traffic. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of an early snowfall—specifically the smile that said snowfall would bring to Piper's face.

I would give anything to see her smile.

Snow in November wasn't exactly common, and I had grown accustomed to the streets staying bare until the days leading up to Christmas, but it seemed as though fate had decided to gift my girl with an early, surprise snowfall—and, of course, the car that I had accidentally wrecked and then maybe spent extra time repairing because I didn't want her to stop riding on my bike with me.

I was a selfish man.

Pulling into the driveway, my heart beat wildly, a stutter in my chest that had been all too familiar since the moment I first laid eyes on her. I grabbed the bouquet of sunflowers and a small gift-bag with a sweater in my size folded neatly inside of it and made my way into the house, kicking the snow off of my boots before slipping them off and crossing the kitchen.

Piper sat on the couch between Ryan and Kai, her laughs bouncing off of the walls as Kai beat the shit out of Ryan in some first person shooter game. Her eyes were glued to the screen, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth in concentration, and it was impossible to not watch her for a moment, my chest warming at the sight. Her eyes met mine, the green in her eyes melting like pools of liquid emerald, and the corners of her lips turned up.

"Hi!" She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me on top of her, and I dropped the flowers and gift bag, holding myself up so as not to crush her. "How was your day?" She pressed a kiss to my cheek, and I leaned down, capturing her lips with mine.

Ryan and Kai groaned in unison, and I flipped them off. "I'll beat the shit out of both of you." My fingers intertwined with Piper's and I pulled her from the couch, leading her into the kitchen and handing her the flowers. "I got these for you, Firelight."

Her mouth dropped open, and she threw her arms around my neck, holding the flowers above our heads so that they wouldn't get squished. "Greyson, you didn't have to get me flowers."

"I did," I kissed her gently, "because you deserve them. And, I got you this—now you don't have to hoard half of my closet."

Piper smiled as she set the flowers on the counter, picking up the small bag and pulling out the sweater. "Greyson, you big dummy. I like your sweaters because they smell like you, so now all I'll have is a sweater that smells like nothing." She teased, her eyes glimmering with adoration.

"I'll spray it with my cologne?"

"Fine." She stuck her tongue out at me, and I leaned in, biting it. She squealed, her eyes wide, and slapped me in the chest. "Ryan and Kai are going to throw a fit if you can't learn to dial it back, Sunshine."

"True!" Ryan called, his voice floating through the doorway, "I have been traumatized enough in the last day."

Piper rolled her eyes, turning away from me and pulling a vase out from one of the cabinets. She filled it with water before putting the flowers inside and placing them in the center of the table. "Thank you for the gifts, no one has ever bought me flowers before."

"Of course," I ran a hand down her back, and her eyes fluttered shut. "There's actually something I wanted to show you."

Her eyes cracked open. "Oh?"

"Yes," I grabbed her hands, leading her to the door. "Put your boots on, please."

"Yes, sir."

It was still snowing, but the wind had died down, the flurries drifting slowly from the sky as I opened the front door, stepping outside and pulling Piper behind me. The grass was covered in a blanket of white, and the trees were bare, their leaves littering the ground. Piper gasped at the snow, her hands covering her mouth as she jumped up and down. "Oh my god, it's snowing!"