She bent down to pull up her long, striped socks before stepping into her brown snow boots. Casually glancing up, she smiled. “This is going to be fun.”

He smiled down at her, amused by how dramatically she put her boots on; like she was being watched by an audience rather than one person. “What’s going to be fun?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

Quickly, she ducked her head down into the folds of her sweatshirt, pulling it down over her waist. She giggled softly. “Come on,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him giddily toward the back door. “I’ll show you!”

Together, they stepped out into the three-inch high snow that surrounded them. She looked up at him to see his reaction, smiling like a child at Christmas. He looked down at her and smiled back. Carefully, she led him by the hand down the small hills that stretched before them.

Once they were a good distance from the lights of the building, she sat and gestured for him to do the same. Clumsily, he sat beside her, stretching his legs out in front of him. She scooted close to him and leaned against his chest, pointing out at the sun as it set over the top of the mountains, painting the sky with light pinks and blues.

He laughed softly, wrapping an arm around her small body. “This is nice.”

“Yes, it is,” she replied, cuddling close to him and resting her head against him, smiling at the distorted sound of his voice coming from his chest. “I told you it would be fun.”

He nodded and collapsed back, taking her down with him. She giggled as he rubbed her back. “I’ve always wanted to do this.”

“I know you have,” he said softly, kissing her head.

“When can we?”

He wrapped his arms around her tummy and hugged her close. “As soon as you find me.”

She nodded slowly, sad to find herself sitting in her chair, staring out the sliding glass door at the untouched snow as a voice inside her repeated: “Soon…soon.”