He laughs. Actually laughs, and it is the best sound I've heard all week and it has been a week of extraordinary sounds.
"Hi," he says.
His hands are still on me. Mine are in his coat. The stars are shining impossibly bright overhead. Below us the resort glows warm and gold in the snow and somewhere inside it Holly is probably refreshing her phone, waiting for me to text her.
"Was that the things you didn't want to wait on?" I ask.
"That was the beginning of them."
The beginning.
I could live in that world.
He kisses me again, and I let myself stop thinking entirely.
HOLLY: Maya
HOLLY: MAYA!
HOLLY: I saw you two leave together.
HOLLY: I need everyone awake!
EMILY: I'm awake.
LILY: Awake
MADISON: Obviously awake.
CHLOE: Awake and eating chips waiting for this update.
HOLLY: They left the tree lighting together and went to the ridge overlook.
EMILY: The RIDGE OVERLOOK?!
HOLLY: I haven't heard from her in forty minutes.
MADISON: Forty minutes is a good sign.
LILY: Forty minutes means something HAPPENED!
HOLLY: I know.
CHLOE: She's going to come back different.
EMILY: The good kinda different.
HOLLY: Yes!
HOLLY: Definitely the good different!
AMBER: How's Justin taking all this?
HOLLY: He just said 'it's about time' and went back to his crossword.
MADISON: Iconic.
LILY: Someone text her.
