The Reason Winter is My Favorite...

Chapter 5- Snowflake by Snowflake

4 days until Christmas...

My bond with Leo and Co. has been increasing drastically. Everyone is such a unique and kind soul. Every time I speak to Brandon I laugh and get so immersed in conversation. When I talk to Gury we get in debates over the smallest of things, but in the end we always laugh at them. When I talk to Leo I get this burst of nostalgia flowing through me... But Nicole... When I talk to her, my body relaxes and the room gives off an aura thirty times more calming than before. When I talk to Nicole, my heart warms under her kind words that she types oh so majestically. She was the winter's fireplace that was given to us by Aphrodite herself... It seems subtle that I say that now, but you'd feel the same thing if you got to see just how amazing of a person she is. I'm gushing too much about it, geez.

The morning sunlight gently entered my room through the frosted window. The brightness and cold woke me up. I stretched and checked my phone for any messages from last night. The one notification made me smile.

1 New Message:
Nicole: "Morning, Reno! ~♥"

She recently started getting into the habit of saying good morning to me, sometimes it'd go so far as us sleeping together on a video call, and just when I woke up to her giggling, she'd say good morning to me. She's so enlightening sometimes.

Amongst reading the notification, a sudden shock rushed through me at the realization that Christmas was just around the corner, I have everyone else's presents, but Brandon's had yet to be in my grasp. Luckily, I've learned enough from talking to him to know what to buy him. I got dressed, put on my shoes, grabbed Mother's coat from the coathanger, just as I was going to head out the door, I heard the vague sounds of the TV in the next room. Walking into the room, I smiled at my Mom drinking her coffee on the couch, dressed comfortably with the heater warming the entirety of the area. "It's been snowing a lot this winter, huh?" She said with a chuckle.
"I kind of like it! The snow is a good decoration before everyone steps in it!" I respond, her contagious laughter reaching me.

"Speaking of stepping in, are you having women over, Reno?"
I stood there in shock.

"W-where'd you get that kind of idea?!" I stuttered.

"I keep hearing some women talking with you in your room, is it time for us to have the talk already? You grow up so fast, I swear!"

"M-Momm!!"

"Who's the lucky lady?"

It was then that I realized she was gonna get even more curious. With a sigh I looked slightly off to the side, putting my hands into the cozy coat pockets. "Her name is Nicole..."
"Oh? What a pretty name! Sit down, you're in no hurry, right? Tell me about your new girlfriend!"
I blushed and stared at her with a surprised expression. Snapping out of it, I decided to take Mother up on her request. I sat beside her on the couch. With a deep breath, I started to smile a little, letting myself speak from the heart about the subject.

"Nicole isn't my girlfriend, but at the same time I feel she's the closest I'll be getting to one. I was introduced to her by Leo's group that I hang with, most of which also think I should get with her. Nicole is beautiful, and just the biggest sweetheart when she's not being shy. She likes to hang with her brother, and even dresses almost similarly to him. She enjoys playing in the snow, drawing, poetry, and looking at whatever she deems 'adorable' so she gets that rush of joy. She often paints pictures of various flowers in snowy scenery, she says it helps her express every emotion she has through the colors and concept, but I've never understood it completely. She's not all happiness and rainbows, though... Sometimes she sends me these messages of distress and I find myself trying every possible thing I can to help her. Most of the time she won't tell me what's wrong and it drives me crazy, but she always thanks me for trying to be there for her, and that gives me a drive to get better for her sake. When we talk together, I always get this strange adrenaline rush, like how a child becomes so much happier when given sugar. I always try to impress her but ultimately end up looking like a goofball, may it be a failed attempt at flirting or tripping over almost nothing. She laughs at my clumsiness regardless, and I join in on the laughter. It's almost as contagious as your own laugh. Funny, huh?"

Mother laughed along. "You're such a klutz sometimes, you know that? She may not seem like she likes you just yet, but keep being persistent. You may be surprised where your clumsiness takes you."

Her words made me grin a little more, and my heart felt like the the heat of the room had reached it. Remembering I had somewhere to be, Mother gave me a hug, kissed me on the cheek, apologised for holding me back, and sent me out. As I said goodbye and closed the door behind me, I took a moment to look up at the calmy falling snowflakes. The world suddenly looked more colorful despite being covered in an icy layer of white, and for a moment, I told myself that maybe the snow wasn't so cold after all.