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The clerk cleared her throat, startling them from the moment and glancing up at the clock, the message obvious. They had to go.
Out on the sidewalk, the wind blustered and stray snowflakes swirled around them.
“So, what was it?” Aero asked as Sam pulled a knit hat out of her pocket and put it on, making sure it covered her ears.
“Oh, um,” Sam blushed, the fading daylight making her skin glow, “an application.”
Aero waited, but she didn’t continue. He tried to coax her. “It seems important.”
Sam laughed lightly. “Yeah. A little.”
“Tell me about it?” he requested, taking her cold hand in his, and tucking it into the pocket of his coat.
The gesture is so sweet, so unexpected, but so natural, that they didn’t miss a beat as they started walking down the sidewalk.
“You must know that South Side isn’t exactly an elite education institution,” she began.
Aero nodded but didn’t comment.
“I make okay money. I’ll never be rich, but that’s all right because I love what I do. I just wish I could do more for my students. Unfortunately, “more” isn’t in the budget.”
Aero knew the school’s budget was tight, and a good portion of it was being allocated to pay him to update the security. Following several unfortunate events at other schools, particularly elementary schools, the parents and school board decided the financial focus should be safety, not funding field trips, school supplies, or staff salaries. Most of the faculty and staff decided to willingly forgo their annual raises to ensure the school could afford the best security system Aero could provide.
In his meeting with the school principal, the superintendent, and the building maintenance staff, all of this had come to light and prompted him to give them the lowest quote he could, while providing everything they needed and paying his own bills. He didn’t charge a dollar more, knowing the school needed it.
Now that he was with Sam, he was more thankful than ever that South Street Elementary had hired him to design and install the security system. He wasn’t just keeping the students safe. He was protecting Sam, a realization that made him straighten his shoulders with a bit of pride.
“Because they cut the budget,” Sam continued, “I wasn’t given as much funding for my classroom this year. That’s okay, and we’re making do with the supplies from last year and donations from parents, but my students need more. I wanna take them on trips, do big STEM projects, and add to our classroom library. There’s a foundation, the Preston Foundation for Education, that gives grants to teachers for various things. I applied for a Classroom Excellence grant. If I get it, they’ll give our classroom $15,000.”
“Wow. That’s a lot of money.”
“I know,” Sam said, her smile a mix of excitement and sadness. “That would be enough money to support the classroom for at least three years. Probably longer, depending on how we use it.”
“But there’s a deadline,” Aero filled in, putting the pieces together from the events at the post office.
Sam nodded. “I promise I’m more responsible than this. I mailed out my application last week. The foundation called me right before you got to my house saying it never came. If it doesn’t make it to DC by tomorrow, I won’t be considered for the grant.”
Aero frowned. “Where did it go?”
Sam shrugged. “Maybe they lost it? I know I had enough stamps on it. Probably too many.”
As they walked along, the snow started to fall more steadily, a few flakes getting caught in Sam’s eyelashes as she watched some kids climb a snowbank. Aero watched her, tracing the lines of her face with his eyes. She was so lovely.
Her hazel eyes sparkled in the white lights and garland wound around the light poles, a serene smile on her face. She glanced up at him, getting caught in his green gaze, and stepped closer.
Unable to stop himself, Aero leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. Sam hitched a breath, her lips parting slightly, inviting him to deepen the connection. He did, tilting his head and gently swiping his tongue along her bottom lip.
Sam sighed, reaching up slowly and cupping Aero’s jaw.
He shivered, her cold hands giving him goosebumps despite the warmth of her mouth on his.
She smiled against his lips, laughing softly. “Sorry.”
Aero ended the kiss and took her hands in his. Rubbing her hands between his rough palms, he blew warm air onto her fingers.
Sam swallowed hard, the care and tenderness he showed her melting more than just her chilly skin. After a few moments, Aero pressed her palm to his cheek, leaning into her touch.
“Better?” he said gruffly, almost nuzzling her hand.
