Let it Snow!

❄Thirty-One❄

"Are you all right?" Martin asked her, his voice low, only meant for Nora to hear, and when she nodded and smiled, he turned back to Daniel, who had asked him something Nora hadn't heard.

"Uncle Eric will arrive on the twenty-fourth. He can't make it earlier," Martin replied to Daniel. "And now, eat your lunch, both of you," he added, letting his eyes stroll to the window before looking at Nora again, "if you still want to skate, we should leave as soon as possible. It's about to snow again and it will be dark soon."

Happy for an excuse to avoid his all-seeing eyes for a few moments, Nora looked to the window. Silvery-grey clouds, sculpted by the wind into what looked like mounds of whipped cream, covered the previously blue sky, getting darker and denser by the minute.

"It's better to leave the dishes for later then," she said. "Let us go out as soon as we are ready."

"That's a good idea," Martin agreed. "The café by the lake rents skates, Nora, we'll grab a pair for you there."

Nora nodded and stood up, piling up their plates and cutlery and carrying them towards the sink. She smiled-- just like her, Martin didn't have a dishwasher and she liked it, to her it spoke volumes about his lifestyle, and character. He was a family man, spending his free time with Daniel, not someone who entertained crowds at home. His flat was a sanctuary, just like her cottage. They had many things in common.

Her breath caught when she suddenly felt him behind her, very close, his free arm wrapping around her waist from behind and his lips brushing against the side of her neck after his other hand deposited their used glasses in the sink, on top of the plates.

Nora inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, leaning into him for a few blissful moments before she recollected again that they were not alone and tried to pull away.

He kept her close for an instant longer, before releasing her even as he whispered in her ear at the same moment when she muttered the identical line, their voices entwining to create a soft, "We need to talk."

She giggled, and when he spun her around to look in her eyes, she saw that he was smiling. Together, they walked towards Daniel, who was already waiting for them by the door. They donned their coats and shoes quickly, exited the flat and the castle holding hands, and reached the lake even as the first huge snowflakes started to flutter from the heavy, leaden clouds.

Nora refused to rent a pair of skates when she realised the unpredictability of the weather. They wouldn't stay outside too long, and Daniel didn't need her company on the ice anyway-- he could skate better than her, and the frozen lake was swarming with his friends.

Martin helped his son put the skates on, and then he and Nora just stood on the bank, watching Daniel as he skated off hastily to join his friends. Neither tried to fill in the pleasant, companionable silence while they gravitated inevitably closer to each other as the seconds ticked by, until Martin's arm was wrapped around her waist and Nora struggled to resist the temptation to lean her head on his shoulder. But that would make them look like a couple, which they weren't, in front of too many people, she mused, revelling in the warmth emanating from his body as the cold wind scattered the snowflakes around them in a wild disarray.

Nora spotted the daughter before she saw the mother-- Lily suddenly ran past them, not noticing Martin, her full attention riveted on Daniel while her mother's voice trailed after her like her loose red curls, "Oh where's the fire? He'll wait for you, Lily!"

A young girl caught up with Lily and helped her with her skates long before Victoria in her high heels, perfectly unsuitable for the place and weather, approached Martin and Nora.

Seeing her struggle up the gentle slope, Martin walked towards her and offered her his arm.

"Have you two met before? Nora, this is Victoria, my..."