Nat's Winter Scenario - Owl Quill Tier

The frosty blue sky of day is just falling into the icy silver of wintery dusk when I find Nat waiting for me at the edge of Rivett Pond and Grounds.

Our planned walk through the winter-kissed park almost didn’t happen, and I thought for sure she’d have headed back to the Warehouse rather than still be waiting for me after I got out of training so late.

She stands with her back to me, her tall frame hugged by a tailored-to-look-oversized coat, her hands in the pockets, staring up at the sky. There is something about the silhouette of her framed against the sharp, cold sunset that manages to warm me through the freezing cold temperatures.

I grasp at the lapels of my coat and tug it further around my chilled body as I carefully wind a path towards her across the slick pathway.

She, unsurprisingly, hears my approach and turns to me with a smile that washes away the night. “You made it.”

“Only just,” I reply through a heavy breath which instantly turns to a cloud of white in front of my lips. “I can’t believe you’re still here. You must be chilled through to the bone.”

She shakes her head, but I notice a shiver run through her. “It’s worth bracing against the temperatures to see you.”

I want to roll my eyes at the slightly cheesy line, but I can’t. It makes me too genuinely happy to hear the words, especially when I know they’re said with honesty.

“Now that you are finally here.” She offers a hand towards me. “Shall we continue with our planned walk?”

“You still want to?” I ask, staring out into the settling winter’s night, the air glittering with threatening frost. “It’s late.”

“That’s the best time to walk,” she replies, gesturing the other hand out to the park and its swathes of undulating lawns and mirror-like ponds. “And we want to be here when it snows. You can’t get more romantic than that.”

My gaze shifts upwards to the vastness of the clear frosty dusk sky—not a plump fluffy snow cloud in sight.

“All right,” I say with a nod, slipping my hand into hers and wrapping our fingers together. “If it snows, that would be pretty magical.”

“And the perfect way to start the season,” she adds, smiling as she pulls my hand up to kiss it before dropping it to let our joined hands swing between us.

My focus moves upwards again as we walk. “What makes you think it’s going to snow? The weather forecast didn’t predict it.”

“Well, for a start, I’ve learned in my centuries of life that a weather forecast counts for little,” she jokes. “But there’s something special in the air before it snows. A sensation.”

“Like magic?”

She glances at me, the light from the lampposts washing down over her and giving a softness to every one of her stunningly attractive features. “Yes. Just like magic. You can feel it if you try.” Her thumb runs a long line up the side of my hand. “An invisible pressure against your skin, like a lingering kiss you don’t want to end.”

My throat dries when her gaze slips to my lips. “…Yep. I’m definitely feeling it.”

It’s just us in the park. Silence blankets the open grounds, frost prickles against the branches of the trees making them sparkle icy white against the velvety winter night sky.

The air tastes cold, and we huddle close together to stave off the chill as we continue on, meandering our way through the serene park, just us and the memories we’re making.

“I wonder what it is about winter that makes things feel that little bit more magical,” I comment aloud as the thought blooms in my mind.

“It’s easier to see it as magical on nights like these. When the cold damp really sets in, it’s not quite as spectacular.”

“That’s true.” I shudder. “Months of lashing icy rain that turns everything to mud is definitely not my idea of magic.”

“But you’re right,” she notes, her smile returning as she takes a breath of the cold air and lets it out in a long stream of mist. “These types of winter nights are something unlike you can get in any other season. Or perhaps,” she stops and turns to face me, “it’s merely the company that makes it incredible.”

She gazes at me as though there is nothing more precious in the world to her than me.

It’s hard to wonder how I can feel anything but joy when I have someone in my life who cares for me so much—who loves me with all her heart in a way no one ever has.

The emotion that washes over me in this moment is strong enough to steal my breath and send my mind into a spin. She cares for me so much, but it’s the amount I care for her in return that sometimes makes me step back.

Makes me scared.

I’ve never felt so connected to someone before…so what happens if it ends?

I force the thought away as I drop my gaze, clearing my dry throat so I can mutter, “They’ll be closing the park soon. We should probably, you know, keep going…”

“No. It’ll be open until we need it.” She tucks her hand into her pocket before bringing out a key. “I asked the park attendant for his help.”

I blink as I stare at the keys before sliding my eyes to Nat’s and narrowing them. “You asked Walter to keep the park open and he agreed?”

Nat’s lips purse. “He was a…stubborn man to try and work with.”

I splutter a laugh. “I bet. I don’t think I’ve ever known him to do a favour, even for his own family. So…how did you manage it?”

She ruffles her hair and glances away. “There may have been payment involved.”

My eyes widen. “You bribed him?”

She shrugs sheepishly while pushing her hands back into her pockets. “I can’t impress enough about how much I wanted tonight to be special—"

A kiss of frozen cold pecks against my nose. A shiver courses through me. Then it happens again.

“You’re joking…” I breathe out, stepping back as I stare upwards. From the depths of the inky sky float sparkling stars of snow. My gaze shifts back to Nat’s. “How did you know?”

“I just knew,” she replies, stepping in to close the gap, drawing me back into an embrace. “How could it not happen on a night as special as this?”

“Magical indeed,” I reply through a smile, leaning in closer.

My heart pounds as we close the gap. Even after kissing her so many times, each one feels like it will be etched into my mind and heart for eternity. Her lips, warm and soft, match my mine to perfection, dancing over each other’s as snow drifts in curtains around us.

The weather, the season, the setting…none of it matters. As long as we’re together, and we always have this, then I know I will always find magic in the moment.