CHAPTER 18（aryan）
The first thing I learned about Mahi Sharma was that she argued with everyone.
The second was that she argued with herself even more.
I stood a few feet away, watching as snowflakes settled into her hair.
A small smile rested on her face.
One I rarely saw.
Most of the time she looked ready to fight someone.
Sometimes me.
Usually me.
But right now...
She looked peaceful.
My gaze shifted toward the sky.
The snowfall continued quietly around us.
Cold air brushed against my face.
I hated winter.
Always had.
Yet somehow I found myself standing outside at six in the morning.
Watching snow.
Because Mahi Sharma had decided snow was an emergency.
A normal person would still be asleep.
She was making wishes.
I released a breath.
Something about her answer bothered me.
I don't know.
A lie.
An obvious one.
She knew exactly why she loved snow.
Just like she knew exactly why she had come into my room last night.
The memory made a smirk appear on my face.
The heater.
The blanket.
The water jug.
The woman was impossible.
And somehow she still expected me to believe it had all been a medical inspection.
My gaze returned to her.
She was crouched in the snow.
Completely fascinated by it.
Like a child discovering winter for the first time.
Then she smiled.
A real smile.
And for a moment...
I forgot about everything else.
She looked up at the falling snow.
The white flakes drifted around her, settling into her hair and onto her jacket.
For a moment, I simply watched.
Her green eyes seemed brighter against the white landscape.
A smile found its way onto my face.
Mahi really loved snow.
Not liked.
Loved.
The way she looked at it made that obvious.
As if every snowflake carried a memory only she could see.
I released a breath.
Then said,
"Can we go inside now, Snowflake?"
Her head immediately snapped toward me.
There it was.
The look.
The one that appeared whenever I said something she didn't approve of.
"What did you call me?"
I ignored the question completely.
A skill I had perfected over the years.
"Snowflake."
She narrowed her eyes.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Unfortunately, I had already committed to the nickname.
There was no retreat now.
She crossed her arms.
"I am not a snowflake."
I looked at her.
Then at the snow.
Then back at her.
A smile tugged at my lips.
"You've spent the last thirty minutes talking to frozen water."
Her jaw dropped.
"Excuse me?"
I knew I was winning.
A rare occasion.
"So yes."
I nodded once.
"Snowflake."
Her eyes narrowed further.
Impressive.
I hadn't known eyes could narrow that much.
"Keep talking."
I smiled.
A very bad decision.
Because the moment she bent down and scooped up a handful of snow, I realized my mistake.
Immediately.
"Don't."
She smiled.
The most dangerous thing she had done all morning.
"Don't what?"
"Mahi."
She took one step closer.
"Mahi."
Another step.
The snowball grew larger in her hands.
I released a breath.
This was how I died.
Not through rivals.
Not through business.
Not through betrayal.
Through a woman defending the honor of snow.
A tragic end.
"Snowflake."
The snowball hit my shoulder.
Direct hit.
She immediately looked pleased with herself.
Far too pleased.
I stared at her.
She stared back.
Then a laugh escaped her.
Bright.
Unrestrained.
For a second, everything else disappeared.
The cold.
The snow.
The world.
And all I could think was—
Maybe I didn't hate winter as much as I thought.
i looked at her
"You are going to regret that."
Instead of looking worried, she smiled.
A very bad sign.
A smile slowly appeared on my face.
Fine.
If she wanted war.
She could have war.
I stepped into the snow for the first time that morning.
The cold immediately seeped through my shoes.
I ignored it.
Bent down.
And gathered a handful of snow.
The warmth of my hands melted part of it as I shaped it into a snowball.
Across from me, Mahi's eyes widened.
Then she immediately took a step backward.
I took one forward.
She took another back.
Forward.
Back.
Forward.
Back.
A ridiculous dance.
One I was fully committed to.
"Mahi."
She shook her head.
"No."
"Mahi."
"No."
The smile on my face grew.
Her eyes narrowed.
Then she turned around and ran.
Actually ran.
A laugh escaped me.
"Mahi!"
"No!"
The answer came immediately.
I watched as she hurried across the lawn, nearly slipping in the process.
"Careful."
"I'm perfectly careful."
The words had barely left her mouth when her foot slid.
Her arms flailed wildly.
For one glorious second.
Then she somehow recovered.
I closed my eyes briefly.
"Perfectly careful."
"Shut up."
I laughed.
An actual laugh.
The kind that came naturally.
Not forced.
Not polite.
Real.
Mahi pointed at me accusingly.
"Stop laughing."
"You almost fell."
"I didn't."
"You almost did."
"I didn't."
I raised the snowball slightly.
Her eyes immediately locked onto it.
Suspicion filled her face.
Smart woman.
Very smart woman.
"Mahi."
"No."
"Come here."
"No."
I took another step forward.
She took another back.
Then suddenly smiled.
A dangerous smile.
One I didn't trust.
Not even a little.
My instincts screamed.
Too late.
A second snowball flew through the air.
Directly into my chest.
I looked down.
Then at her.
Mahi looked very pleased with herself.
The little traitor.
For a moment neither of us moved.
Then she laughed.
Bright.
Happy.
Completely unguarded.
And somehow...
That was far more dangerous than any snowball.
Because for a second, I forgot all about revenge.
And simply watched her smile.
The snowball froze in my hand.
Not because of the cold.
Because of her smile.
For a moment, I simply stood there.
Watching.
Then she noticed.
Immediately.
The smile vanished.
Suspicion replaced it.
Smart woman.
Very smart woman.
I took a step forward.
Her eyes widened.
She took one back.
A smile appeared on my face.
She turned around and ran.
I laughed.
Actually laughed.
Then started running after her.
The snowball still clutched in my hand.
Snow continued to fall around us.
Covering the ground in white.
And somehow, I found myself running through it like a child.
If someone had told me yesterday that I would spend my morning chasing Mahi Sharma through the snow, I would have questioned their sanity.
Yet here I was.
"Mahi!"
"No!"
Her answer came instantly.
I laughed harder.
Then suddenly—
Her foot slipped.
Everything happened too fast.
One second she was running.
The next—
She lost her balance.
My hand shot forward instinctively.
So did hers.
Her fingers grabbed my jacket.
Tightly.
The force pulled us together.
For a brief second, the world tilted.
Then stopped.
Silence.
The snow continued falling around us.
Neither of us moved.
Her hand was still gripping my jacket.
My arm was wrapped around her waist.
My gaze dropped to her face.
Her nose had turned slightly red from the cold.
So had her cheeks.
And her lips.
Snowflakes rested in her hair.
A few caught on her eyelashes.
For a moment, I simply looked at her.
Something shifted inside my chest.
Small.
Subtle.
Dangerous.
My eyes lifted to hers.
Green.
Always green.
Yet somehow brighter against the white snow.
The same eyes that argued with me.
Threatened me.
Locked me out of my own room.
The same eyes that had spent half the morning defending snow.
And right now...
They were looking directly at me.
Neither of us said anything.
Neither of us seemed capable of it.
For the first time all morning...
I forgot about the snowball entirely.
She looked at me.
I looked at her.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then her eyes widened slightly.
As if she had suddenly become aware of how close we were.
I immediately stood up.
A second later, she sat up as well.
Snow clung to her hair.
Tiny white flakes resting against the dark strands.
A smile appeared on my face.
Without thinking, I reached forward.
And brushed the snow away.
My fingers paused.
Her eyes lifted to mine.
The world seemed unusually quiet.
Only the sound of falling snow remained.
For the first time all morning, neither of us had an argument ready.
A rare occurrence.
Her gaze softened.
Just slightly.
Something in my chest tightened.
I should move.
I knew I should.
Yet neither of us looked away.
The distance between us suddenly felt much smaller than before.
Dangerously smaller.
Then—
"It's snowing!"
Noor's excited shriek echoed across the entire lawn.
Both of us flinched.
Immediately.
Mahi jumped back so quickly she nearly slipped again.
I took a step backward.
My hand dropped to my side.
The moment shattered completely.
Gone.
Destroyed.
Murdered by Noor.
I closed my eyes briefly.
Of course.
Of course it was Noor.
Who else?
"Mahi!"
Noor came running across the snow.
Completely unaware of the crime she had just committed.
"Mahi, look at the snow!"
Mahi blinked several times.
Then looked at Noor.
Then at me.
Then immediately looked away.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
A suspicious shade of pink appeared on her cheeks.
Unfortunately for her, the snow made it very noticeable.
Noor finally reached us.
Breathless.
Excited.
Completely oblivious.
"We should make a snowman!"
Mahi nodded far too quickly.
"Yes."
Another nod.
"Definitely."
Then she marched toward Noor without looking at me once.
Not even once.
I watched her go.
A smile slowly appeared on my face.
Because for the first time since I had met Mahi Sharma...
She seemed incapable of looking me in the eye.
And somehow...
That was even more entertaining than the snowball fight.
I stood a few feet away with my hands tucked into my pockets.
Watching.
Noor and Mahi had fully committed to their mission.
The snowman was already waist-high.
Apparently this was serious business.
My gaze drifted toward Mahi.
Without permission.
Without reason.
As if it had developed a mind of its own.
The way her hands moved as she shaped the snow.
The smile that kept appearing whenever she looked at their creation.
The laugh that escaped her every few minutes.
For someone who argued as much as she did...
She smiled surprisingly little.
Which made moments like this dangerous.
My eyes met hers.
Immediately.
She looked away.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
A smile tugged at my lips.
Across the lawn, Noor suddenly narrowed her eyes.
I recognized that expression.
Suspicion.
Definitely suspicion.
Mahi's influence.
Far too much of it.
Noor crossed her arms.
"Brother."
I looked at her.
"You never come outside when it snows."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Is that a question?"
"Yes."
I glanced toward Mahi.
She looked up at the same moment.
Our eyes met again.
For half a second.
Then I smiled.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
And said,
"I don't hate snow that much anymore."
Mahi's hands froze against the snowman.
Completely.
Noor's eyes widened.
Mine didn't leave Mahi.
"In fact..."
A smirk appeared on my face.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"I think it's becoming my favorite season."
The snowball Mahi had been holding fell directly onto the ground.
Noor looked at me.
Then at Mahi.
Then back at me.
The poor girl looked like she was solving a complicated math problem.
Meanwhile, Mahi refused to look in my direction.
A very suspicious reaction.
I was enjoying this far more than I should.
Noor pointed between us.
"Something happened."
"No."
Mahi answered immediately.
Far too quickly.
Noor narrowed her eyes.
The investigator had arrived.
I almost felt sorry for Mahi.
Almost.
"Brother?"
"Hm?"
"Why are you smiling?"
My smirk widened.
Across from me, Mahi looked like she wanted the snow to swallow her whole.
An understandable reaction.
"Nothing."
A lie.
A terrible one.
Noor clearly didn't believe me.
Neither did Mahi.
And judging by the look Mahi was sending me...
I had approximately three minutes to live.
She crossed her arms.
Definitely Mahi's influence.
I was beginning to see the similarities.
"That's not an answer."
I sighed dramatically.
Children.
Always demanding explanations.
I leaned down slightly so we were eye level.
"Think of it this way."
Noor waited.
"So metimes the universe wants you to experience something..."
I glanced toward the falling snow.
"...when it becomes most beautiful."
Noor stared at me.
Confused.
Very confused.
Then she pointed toward the snow-covered lawn.
"So what made the snow beautiful?"
A dangerous question.
My eyes moved automatically.
Straight toward Mahi.
She looked up at the same moment.
Our eyes met.
For a second.
Then immediately—
She looked away.
First toward the snowman.
Then toward the sky.
Then toward absolutely anything that wasn't me.
A smile appeared on my face.
Noor followed my gaze.
Then looked at Mahi.
Then back at me.
Then back at Mahi again.
The child was connecting dots.
A development I did not appreciate.
"Brother."
"Hm?"
"I understood nothing."
I looked at her.
Then patted her head.
"Good."
Noor looked offended.
"That wasn't helpful."
"It wasn't supposed to be."
Across from us, Mahi nearly dropped a chunk of snow.
The smile on my face widened.
Noor narrowed her eyes.
"You are being suspicious."
I nodded.
"Correct."
"Why?"
"No reason."
A lie.
An obvious one.
Noor groaned dramatically.
Then marched back toward the snowman.
"Adults are weird."
I watched her leave.
Then my gaze drifted back to Mahi.
Immediately.
Like it had developed a habit.
Unfortunately.
Mahi was already looking at me.
The moment she realized I had caught her, she looked away again.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
For some reason...
That made me smile even more.
And judging by the glare she sent me from across the lawn...
She knew exactly why.
After completing the snowman, they stepped back to admire their work.
Noor placed both hands on her hips proudly.
"It looks perfect."
"It looks crooked."
Mahi and I spoke at the same time.
Noor gasped.
"The disrespect."
A laugh escaped me.
My gaze drifted toward Mahi.
A small shiver ran through her shoulders.
Then another.
Interesting.
I took a step closer.
Close enough that only she could hear me.
"Are you cold, Snowflake?"
She rolled her eyes immediately.
"No."
A complete lie.
The woman was visibly shaking.
I nodded seriously.
"Of course."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You always tell the truth."
A suspicious look appeared on her face.
She knew exactly what I was doing.
Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of stopping.
"I apologize."
I placed a hand over my heart.
"I forgot who I was speaking to."
"Move."
"No."
"Move."
I smiled.
"Cold?"
"No."
Another shiver ran through her.
A particularly dramatic one.
I looked at the sky.
Then at Noor.
Then back at Mahi.
"Interesting."
"What?"
"The temperature seems to be affecting everyone except you."
Her eyes narrowed further.
"If you keep talking, I'll bury you under this snowman."
I glanced at the snowman.
Then at her.
"That seems excessive."
"It isn't."
"It is."
"It isn't."
I was enjoying this far more than I should.
A sudden gust of wind swept across the lawn.
Mahi immediately folded her arms tighter around herself.
The movement lasted less than a second.
But I noticed.
Of course I noticed.
Without saying anything, I pulled off my scarf.
Then held it out toward her.
She stared at it.
Then at me.
Then back at the scarf.
"I'm not cold."
I nodded.
"Obviously."
The scarf remained in my hand.
"So you won't need this."
"No."
"Good."
I made absolutely no effort to put it back on.
Mahi sighed.
The long-suffering sigh of a woman dealing with an idiot.
Then snatched the scarf from my hand.
"There."
I smiled.
"There what?"
"I'm taking it."
"Of course."
Her eyes narrowed.
I looked away before she could see the smile threatening to appear.
Because for some reason...
Watching Mahi Sharma lose arguments she started was becoming one of my favorite things.