You're the One - Part 1 || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 123: Cherry Wine

The world was silent.

The giant flakes calmly drifted down onto the pavement, clinging to everything around them. I squeezed Sam's hand tighter as we stepped into the frigid air. He peeked down at me, gently rubbing the top of my hand with this thumb. My cheeks burned as I looked back up at him, a smile escaping my lips.

"Are we gonna head back?" I whispered. He shook his head, looking up at the sky as the snowflakes clung to his hair. The snow was already sticking fast, leaving the entire parking lot with a warm white glow.

It looked like something out of a dream, like we had stepped into another world. After everything that's happened, it was nice to just exist alone in the silence.

Alone with him.

He swung our arms as he slowly he lead us through the parking lot.
"Where are we going?" I asked, looking up at him. I saw a smile spread across his lips as he kept his eyes forward, eventually leading me over to a small bench on the other side. He wiped off what snow had already gathered on the seat and motioned for me to sit. I sat down close to him, my leg touching his. I peeked up at him to see him staring back at the sky again.

The snow started to fall faster, the flakes getting bigger, now building up around us. He leaned over, scooping up a handful of snow and squished it into a ball. I held my stare on him, my eyes getting wider.
"Sam.." I giggled to myself. "What are you doing?"

He smirked back at me, holding it tight in his hand.
"Sam.." I said. "Don't." His smile grew, now flashing me a toothy grin.
"Or what?" He laughed, getting up from the bench.
"Sam!" I yelled, moving away from him.
"Where you goin'?" He said playfully, chasing after me.
"Sam!" I yelled again. I tried running away but soon felt the snow hit my back, shattering around me. My cheeks burned as I heard his laugh echoing behind me. I reached down, scooping up a handful of snow, pushing it together into a ball. When I stood back up, I was instantly hit in the face with another ball of icy shards.

"Oh my god!" He called out, running over to me. "I didn't mean to get you in the face!" He laughed, reaching over, gently wiping the snow off.
"I'm so sorry." He giggled. I smirked up at him, now smashing the snowball on top of his head.
"Jess!" He yelled, scrunching up his face, shivering. I laughed, running off through the parking lot.
"Oh, no, get back here!" He yelled, running after me. I could hear him getting closer and closer until I felt his hands tightly grip my waist, lifting me up, and spinning me around.
"Sam!" I yelled, my heart beating faster as I clutched his arms, feeling them flex around me. He held me close, pulling me up against his chest.

It was then that I heard him yell, his feet slipping out from underneath him as he came crashing down onto the snowy pavement. I clung to him as I tumbled down on top of his chest, feeling his arms still tightly wound around me. He let out a bellowing laugh, his grip on me getting tighter.

His laugh was contagious.

I pushed myself up, staring down at him. He smiled back at me, still catching his breath. His cheeks were a rosy pink from the cold air, snowflakes still caught in his hair, now also clinging to his eyelashes. I gently wiped off the snow from his face, biting down on my lip as my smile grew. He sighed, holding his stare on me as he reached up, running his fingers through my hair.

My heart was pounding in my chest as he lowered his hands, now tenderly caressing my cheek. He was so warm. All I wanted was to find any way to get that much closer to him.
"You're cold." He said sweetly, staring back with his eyes in a daze.
"I'm okay." I sighed, feeling my cheeks burn under his hands. He sat up, gently maneuvering me into his lap. I couldn't take my eyes off of him as I admired every inch of his face. I had never truly noticed just how handsome he was before. I got lost in his deep brown eyes as he fell deeply into mine.

He then grabbed onto his scarf, pulling it off of him and gently wrapped it around my neck. As he gripped it tight and pulled me in closer, I could smell traces of his cologne; the intoxicating warmth of cinnamon and vanilla so sweet it made your mouth water. Almost as sweet as his lips, which I've craved ever since the day I finally got to taste them.

What I would give to taste them again.

"Better?" He said softly, his smile growing. I nodded, feeling my cheeks burn. He reached down for my hands, bringing them up to his mouth where he blew his warm breath onto them, gently rubbing them together. I bit down on my lip, containing my smile.
"You are cold." He giggled to himself, gently kissing the top of my hand, resting his face on them as he stared back into my eyes. "We can go inside if you want."

I quickly shook my head, my smile growing.
"N-no.. I.. I want to stay out here.. with you." I said softly. His smile grew as he lifted me out of his lap, pushing himself up off the ground. He held out his hand, helping me up.
"We can stay out here as long as you want." He said, reaching out for his scarf again, pulling me back in.

In that moment, it felt like we were the only two people in the world.

He then went into his pocket, taking out his phone.
"So.. there's this song." He said softly. "And.. every time I hear it.. I.. I think of you." My heart started beating faster as I held my stare on him.

He pressed play, sticking the phone back into his pocket.

He took one of my hands and intertwined our fingers, resting them on his chest as he reached around, pulling me up against him from the small of my back. I stared up into his eyes, as his gaze met mine again.

"Are we dancing?" I giggled. He nodded, leaning his forehead against mine, slowly starting to sway back and forth. He kept his eyes locked on me, flashing me a smile as he gently twirled me around. I held on tight to his hand, trying my best not to slip and fall again as the snow continued to come down, getting deeper and deeper by the minute.

I gasped as he twirled me back in, quickly dipping me. He laughed as he felt my grip get tighter.
"Don't worry, I'll always catch you, Jess." He said softly, lifting me back up, my face now inches away from his.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. It was amazing how something so small could be one of the most romantic moments of my entire life.

In that moment, I knew I would never feel safer than I now did when I was in his arms. In that moment I knew..

I had fallen for him.