As soon as I’m on board, Juniper springs up, a wicked grin on her face. “Let’s go play!”
And with that, I find myself entirely at their mercy, excitement bubbling up as we rush towards the door, ready to embrace this wild, snowy world.
The cold air hits us as we step outside, and I take a deep breath, the crispness refreshing. Snow crunches underfoot, and the landscape sparkles under the moonlight.
It really is magical.
“Heads up!” Juniper calls, and I turn to find her scooping a handful of snow.
“Wait!” I shield my face with my gloved hand, but she’s already launched it.
I manage to dodge at the last second, the snowball skimming past my shoulder. Laughing, I reach down and make a missile of my own, firing in retaliation.
Ethan joins in, and soon we’re all laughing, ducking, and dodging as snowballs fly. The cold bites at our cheeks, but the laughter warms us from within.
“Got you!” Juniper yells, hitting Ethan square in the back.
He spins around, feigning outrage, but his grin says otherwise.
We scoop, spin, throw, and thrive, the night air coming alive with our ruckus of shouts and squeals.
Juniper chases me down, and I clomp around in my snow boots, trying but failing to get away while Ethan ducks behind a tree, executing what is clearly his master plan.
Then Juniper catches me, and we quickly hatch a plan to ambush Ethan. Girl power and all that. She stalks ahead, snowball in hand, while I run along the tree line, my heart racing.
Alas, Ethan, having spent countless hours playingCall of Dutyall through college, must’ve sensed us coming. He jumps out as we close in then pelts us with a hoard of perfect snowballs until we collapse in the snow in surrender.
“Okay, okay, truce!” I gasp, and he relents, coming out with his hands raised.
“So, that’sScrabbleand snowball fight champion I can add to my long list of accolades.” He grins from ear to ear.
We make our way back to the cabin, cheeks flushed and our hair and hats dusted with snow.
The warmth envelops us as we step inside, the crackling fire beckoning.
“Now, this is more like it,” Juniper says, shaking off snow like a dog.
We gather around the fire, the previous tension melting away with every damp layer we discard.
Juniper heads to the kitchen to make fresh cocoa while Ethan and I cosy up on the couch, exchanging amused looks.
The rich aroma of chocolate fills the air as Juniper returns with three steaming mugs. We sip and savour, laughter bubbling up as we fall into easy conversation, as if we’ve been like this, together, all along.
As the evening draws on, we huddle closer to the fire, the fur blanket warm beneath us and our conversations growing hotter with each passing hour.
“So, what’syourmagic number?” Juniper asks me, and my cheeks heat. “I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours.”
“Well, I um…” I stammer, glancing at Ethan.
He meets my gaze encouragingly.
“Wait …” Juniper interrupts. “Was he your—”
“No,” I say quickly, looking down. “Ethan wasn’t my first. I’ve just … y’know, kept to myself mostly.” I shrug. I mean, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. I’ve kissed plenty of guys, andfantasised about a lot of girls, but I was a bit confused about it all when I was growing up. I had all these feelings, for all these people—guys, girls, probably non-binary people too, though I guess I hadn’t known that term at the time—but I only figured things out properly for myself once I’d settled down with Ethan. Once I felt truly safe to be myself.
“So?” Juniper nudges again, curious but not pushy.
“Three,” I finally admit, intrigued by her openness. “And you?”
