Snowed In

Chapter 7

I laughed like I had never laughed before. I hadn't ever seen a funnier sight. My poor sweet Avriel was sitting in the snow bank he had fallen in pouting like a baby. He was covered from head to toe in snow. It was in the hair that had escaped his beanie, stuck in his beard, to his parka, his scarf, his gloves, it was everywhere! I was laughing so hard I didn't notice the snowball he was forming until he launched it at me with a growl. I blocked it with my arm, but the snowball exploded the moment it hit my arm and the fine powder that resulted sprayed all over me. His laughter rang out rich and true all around me as he pointed then grabbed his sides. It was so genuine and sweet. I joined him.

It took all of two seconds for me to make up my mind. I rushed him and tackled him further into the snowbank.

"Hey! That is cheating!" He cried.

"And?" I challenged before I pounced on him again.

We laughed so hard we started crying. My sides hurt I laughed so much. We rolled in the snow, each doing the best they could to further cover the other in the snow.

His cheeks were rosy from the cold but his eyes were bright and clear. He struggled to stand up and finally managed to work his way out of my grasp. He gathered a handful of snow and slung the lot at me as he stumbled away laughing. Since he hadn't packed the snow a fine powered spray that missed me horribly was the only result. I tossed the snowball I had formed at him and hit him in the shoulder. He lost his footing again and fell right back down in the deep snow. He flipped over and laughed uncontrollably.

It felt so good to be outdoors with him, to hear his laughter come to my ears, even through the muffler I had on. He launched another snowball at me and scored a direct hit on my chest. Thank God for padded parkas.

"Why you!"

He laugh-growled. I launched another snowball at him without aiming. It went in a little low and headed straight for his groin. His hand moved quickly to block it.

"Hey, now that's not necessary!" He cried. "Be careful. We don't want to hurt that. Do we?"

"I would kiss it make it better."

"Couldn't you just kiss it without it having to be a make it better situation?"

"Out here" I shrugged looking around.

"GOD, NO!" his expression was priceless. "It is freezing out here. That would be embarrassing. Besides, I don't want it frozen off. Where's the fun in that?"

"Oh come on, where's your sense of adventure?"

"Inside, where it's warm." His smile was ridiculous. I threw another snowball at him and hit him in the gut. He grabbed his tummy and groaned then rolled to his side and whimpered loudly while pulling his knees up. I should have known better.

"Ugh. Hurts!" I moved in to check on him and he grabbed me around my middle and pulled me down on top of him in the snow. I screamed as I fell over him. "Hey, who's cheating now?" He snickered and rolled me into the snow.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He rolled over me and stole a kiss from my cold lips. "Icey!" He said and followed that by asking me if I was okay. I smiled and kissed him senseless, then threw him off me into the snow while he was distracted. I tried to escape him, but he grabbed my leg and pulled me back to him.

"No, you don't!"

I laughed and cried, "But it's so cold!"

"Where's your sense of adventure." He retorted with a huge grin. "Snow Angels, then let's go get warm?" I smiled, happy to comply, and plopped down in the snow an arm's length away from him.

I was cold to the bone. I could barely feel my fingers or toes. Avi seemed to be faring much better but, he recognized my need to go inside and warm up after hours of wrestling and playing in the snow.

Avi took one look at me after our last tussle in the snow and frowned.

"We are going inside! You must be freezing!" He scolded. I looked at him confused.

"Your lips are freaking turning blue and well..." he only had to wait a moment for my teeth to start chattering. Point proven. I rolled my eyes and followed him inside.