Just one week from Christmas, Sam Thornton and her twin brother are inconvenienced with the news of new neighbors who, unfortunately, have been befriended by their overly social parents.
So when they are forced to hang out with the Baker's son for...
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The wind causes me to take a step back before I can brace myself to stand firmly in place.
My eyes squint to protect themselves against the snowflakes hitting my skin like shards of glass. Winter squeezes my hand as we trek through the snow in our snow shoes, my other hand coming up to block my face.
I put one foot in front of the other, not really sure which direction I'm going but I try to just focus on following Winter and not falling. Which is more difficult than it sounds to be completely honest.
"Are you okay?" Winter hollers through the wind. I can tell he's straining to speak loud enough but it comes out like a whisper against the howling in my ears.
"Yeah! Keep going!" I yell, gesturing wildly.
I see him nod before readjusting his grip on my hand and pulling me forward as we get closer and closer to a small snow dusted shed.
As soon as we reach it, Winter releases my hand and places both of his on the door. Pulling it open about a quarter of the way before it halts, the snow stopping it from opening any further. He steps inside as he squeezes his body through the small opening. I follow him soon after, feeling uneasy with the wind pulling and nipping at me from every direction like an angry bloodhound.
As soon as I make it, the world seems ten times louder than it was before without the full force of the weather around me. I quickly turn on my phone flashlight, the dark beginning to creep me out.
"Wow that sucked." Winter hisses, wiping at his red face to get rid of any melted snow.
I nod, scrunching my nose, as I look around the small room piled up junk, barely enough space for the two of us to move around.
"So what are we looking for again?" I ask with a nervous laugh, the realization dawning on me that I'm with a cute guy in his shed in the middle of a blizzard.
"Gas." Winter snorts at my forgetfulness as he walks over the the lawn mower in the corner before releasing a sound of victory and grabbing a red can with a long nozzle. "Got it." He grins at me as he breathes deeply.
"Great, now let's head back."
He nods in agreement as he steps over the junk around him to make his way over to me. I look at him, concern welling up in my chest, when he sets down the gas can and kneels down.
I rush over to him and place my hand on his back. "Are you okay?"
He looks up at me instantly with a loud laugh. "I'm just tying my boot, Sam. It came untied halfway here and I don't want to trip on the laces out there. I hear a fall in the snow can be pretty humiliating." He smirks subtly as he finishes and stands up straight.
"Ha-ha. Very funny." I roll my eyes but I can't help the small smile that comes to my lips when I think about my embarrassing fall in his front yard. "Don't even remind me." I laugh, standing in front of him as he looks down at me. I'd say he's at least a head taller than me, maybe more.
I back up, accidentally getting too close to him and not wanting to make him uncomfortable. As I shuffle backwards in the small space, my heel catches on something. So down I go, my arms flailing for balance before I hit the floor with a thud.
Winter bursts into a fit of laughter, chuckles emitting from his tall figure above me, his navy blue Columbia hat almost covering his eyes as he shakes. "At least that time didn't look as painful. Here, let me help." He sobers up, stretching a hand out.
I look at it begrudgingly before sighing and taking it. Just as he's about to pull me up, I use both my hands to grab his forearm and yank him down to the ground next to me. He hits the hard surface with a grunt.
"What was that for?" He asks, brushing dirt from his coat.
"For laughing." I say pointedly.
Winter chuckles once more as he places his hands on his knees and boosts himself upright. "Well it's not my fault you're so clumsy."
"I am not clumsy!" I defend with a gasp, doing my best to stand up but these snow shoes are proving to make it difficult.
He pushes his hat away from his eyes as he raises his brows skeptically. "Sam, you do realize that I've known you for about...three hours and you've fallen three times in three different places. Not to mention the little concert in your bedroom yesterday." He mumbles the last part with his head down as if he knows he's causing a reaction. I spot a faint smirk on his lips as he fixes his gloves.
"Please don't even talk about that. I'm so embarrassed." I groan loudly, hanging my head back. "You couldn't even hear me!"
He laughs loudly. "Just watching was enough, thank you."
"Winter, just shut up. Let's just forget all about it and move on." I say firmly, my neck feeling warm from confrontation.
His green eyes meet mine and I spot a sparkle of mischief in them before he responds with, "Fine. But you have to say please." He winks.
My mouth presses into a thin line as I grit my teeth. "Please." I mumble lowly.
"Of course, all you had to do was ask." He mocks, stepping forward.
I take a shaky step back, pushing his chest as he looks at me teasingly. "Dakota probably thinks we really did die and if we don't go in soon, he'll probably pull a Juliet and kill himself so he won't have to be alone."
Winter nods in agreement. "You know, I think you're right, let's go." He says before grabbing the handle of the gas can and making sure he had a tight grip on my hand before we step out into the cold once again.
