𝙵𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙸 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 | 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐑𝐊 [Collins]

Chapter 21 - In the bleak midwinter

(revised)

The biting winter cold was very harsh on that morning, so much that I had to bury my face in my tartan scarf to protect my skin from the icy gust of wind blowing on the platform of the station. It had been snowing lightly for several hours now, and even if the snow was not sticking to the ground, it gave a little something magical to London. To see my city put on her white coat always warmed my heart and in that moment, it almost made me forget that my feet were slowly getting frozen from not moving. I did not really have the clothes to fight the cold, but it would not stop me from waiting for Andrew. I had not seen him for more than a year so, when he had told me he would be home for Christmas, I had counted down the days, impatiently waiting for him to come back. Four hundred and ninety-five. That was the number of days during which we had not seen each other, and Christmas Eve was putting an end to that very long series. I had no idea how we had managed to go through such a long separation, but we had made it and it was all that mattered.

My pulse was racing when the locomotive finally entered the station in a cloud of steam. What if he was disappointed when seeing me after such a long time? Maybe he had kept an idealised image of me in his mind and I would not correspond to it anymore. Of course, I had tried to make myself pretty by putting on some make up, but he would probably see nothing since I was wrapped in my scarf and had my hat pulled down on my head to protect me. And my coat was so worn out it was not even nice anymore, but clothes were rationed as well as food, so I had no choice. I just had to hope he would still see in me the girl he had married two years ago.

*

I stepped out of the train with some apprehension, not knowing if she would be there like she had told me in her letter. I would not blame her if she was not; I had been away for a whole year, my squadron had been moved further to London and my only leave had been cancelled; she had a life of her own now. But one year and four months later, I was there, ready to get back into her life.

The freezing temperatures of London were not the most welcoming and my overcoat was not thick enough to prevent the cold from biting on my skin. Shivering under an icy gust of wind, I scanned the platform, looking for Freya, but I could not catch sight of her. Disappointment was making its way into my heart when, coming from behind, arms wrapped around me, taking me by surprise. I recognised her fingers clenching my coat thanks to her engagement ring and I heard her sweet chuckles, and I immediately felt at home. She let go of me, enabling me to turn around and face her.

"Welcome home," she greeted me as she hugged me tightly, nestling her face in the crook of my neck. Her cold nose against my warm skin gave me goose bumps, but it was so good to have her back in my arms.

"For how long have you been there?" I asked her. She left the haven that was my body to stare at me and let me admire her gorgeous features.

"Not long, I promise," she answered with a very innocent smile that told me she was lying, but I did not care, she was cute with her red nose, I just hoped she would not get sick.

I leant forward to kiss her, pressing her body against mine to offer her some warmth. I had forgotten how much I loved the feeling of her lips on mine. Given the way she had moved her hands in my hair to intensify the exchange, she had missed it too, and I could not complain. We had both craved such contact for so long, none of us wanted to break the kiss, but we eventually had to breathe again.

"I've missed you so much," I said, panting.

"I've missed you too," she replied, her cheeks reddened by the cold, or by our kiss, I could not tell.

"We should go home, it felt like I was kissing an ice cube," I chaffed her.

She looked at me, faking outrage before attacking me by nuzzling my neck, clinging to my coat so I could not escape her.