Snowflakes On Our Tongues

Chapter 3

Swallowing hard, I stared down at my phone tightly clasped in my hand. It had been almost a day since I'd received the threatening phone call. 

Someone I'd never met clearly hated my guts. They wanted me out of the picture and more importantly, away from Jamie. Whoever they were, they weren't going to scare me off. I was, however, going to get answers.

~

"Jamie, I got a disturbing phone call last night. They told me to stay away from you." Biting my lip I held up my phone displaying the number. "Do you know who this person is?" I watched his face carefully, trying to read into his expression. At first there was evident confusion, but then I saw recognition light up within his eyes.

"Who is she? Do you have a crazy ex-girlfriend or something?" I asked. He looked at me and burst out laughing.

"It's not funny! The message I got was seriously scary. I'm kind of worried about being murdered in my sleep!"

"I'm so sorry Amelia. I promise I don't have any serial killer ex-girlfriends or anything even remotely like that."

"Well, who is it then?"

"I'm afraid you've met my little sister, Lily. I'm so sorry she did that. She's only twelve and it's been a rough year for her, with us moving and all. She gets kind of protective of me sometimes." There was a softness in his chocolate brown eyes that made me instantly melt.

I released the breath I hadn't even realized I was holding. The whole thing did seem a little bit funny now that I wasn't as worried about being stabbed to death in my sleep.

"I can't believe she did that to you though. How did she even get ahold of your number?" I just shook my head and responded,

"You two are totally going to have trust issues now."

"Definitely." We grinned at each other like idiots for a moment or two. Breaking the silence I added,

"So, where are we going on Friday?"

"It's a suprise."

"Oh, really?"

"Yep."

~

I hurriedly reassessed my appearance in my bathroom mirror. My normally limp hair now fell in soft waves at my shoulders, framing my face nicely. 

I carefully applied a light coat of lipgloss and mascara to my face as I checked the time.

~

Jamie took me to a small restaurant off of 4th avenue. I don't know I how he did, but somehow he managed to pick the perfect place. 

I glanced up at him from my menu. I could tell he was just as terrified as I was.

"I love the restaurant you picked." I started, offering him a smile.

"I'm glad you like it. If you ask, they'll write anything with ketchup on your burger."

"Anything?"

"Anything." And just like that, the brief awkwardness between us was broken and the playful banter started up once again.

~

As we sat in the car laughing afterwards, I noticed something. In the faint light the car headlights provided, I could see snow falling.

"Jamie, look! It's the first snow of the season!"

"Yeah, it is!"

"Come on weirdo!" I opened the car door.

"What are we doing?"

"It's this tradition I have. I go out and catch snowflakes on my tongue on the first snowfall of every year." Giggling, we stood catching snowflakes in the restaurant parking lot.

Smiling at him, I found myself unable to look away. Suddenly aware that I was staring, I felt the blush creep up my neck and rise to my cheeks.

We locked eyes and just stood there for a moment. It was as if time had stopped and we were the only living entities left on Earth. Just us two. 

My pulse quickened and I could feel my palms sweating in the chilly evening air.

Then the gap between us was closed, and his lips were on mine. It was a rush of exhilaration that I couldn't compare to anything I'd ever experienced before. I could feel his hand softly cupping my cheek as the kiss deepened. His touch was gentle and warm. It felt like all good things in life. I could have stayed in that moment forever.