Chapter 24 #2
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I thought you weren’t going to fight with me anymore.”
“Was that the agreement? I thought we weren’t going to fight with each other.”
She pretended to think about it, tapping her chin with her index finger. “No, I think you weren’t going to fight with me. I never fight anyway.” She shrugged, and he laughed, holding his hands up in defeat. She smiled to herself, pleased.
They walked around, finishing off the cookies. Clouds gathered out of nowhere, covering the stars, but it didn’t matter because soon, snow began falling, a soft flurry of sparkling flakes glittering in the sky.
Emmeline looked up, her eyes wide with delight. He watched as a snowflake landed on her bottom lip, melting upon contact. His body ached.
A smile spread across her face, one of pure wonder and joy. He’d never seen her look like such a kid, and his heart went soft. It had snowed almost every day this winter, and yet, she was as awed as if it was her first time seeing snowfall.
“Winter’s my favorite season,” she said, turning to look at him. “I never get tired of it. Look!” Palms outstretched, she held her hands up to catch snowflakes. He smiled, not tearing his gaze away from her.
“Pretty,” he said, but he didn’t mean the snow. A flush crept up her cheeks again.
She had been acting shy in moments throughout the day, even a little nervous, and he hadn’t expected such behavior from the usually bold and confident Emmeline Sterling—but he found that he liked it. He wanted to know every version of her, every possibility and iteration.
Then, he noticed that she was catching the snowflakes with her bare hands. “You didn’t bring any gloves?” he asked, brows furrowed.
She shook her head. “I forgot.”
Secretly, he was glad, for it gave him an excuse. He reached for her hands, holding them between both of his. Her fingers were freezing, and he rubbed them between his palms, trying to warm them up.
She watched him, a fond expression on her face. “Thank you,” she said, voice soft. He wasn’t sure how to convey to her that anything he did was the very least she deserved, that he would do so much more.
He let go of her hands, reaching into his pocket. “Put this on,” he said, giving her his left glove. She wrinkled her brows.
“Okay,” she said, putting it on as he put the right glove on. She gave him a funny look, until he reached for her right hand with his left, tugging her closer as he stuck both their bare hands into his pocket.
“To keep you warm,” he said.
Her eyes sparkled brighter than the stars.
They kept walking down by the lake, headed towards a line. They joined, and she craned her neck, trying to see what it was for.
“It’s chimera sledding,” he said. “We used to do it as kids.” He wanted to show her all the little things he loved about Bayview.
Her face lit up. “Fun!”
As they waited in line, they talked, people watched, and discussed random things.
Emmeline pointed out nearly every baby that passed, smiling and waving to every single one.
She had a very particular expression when she spotted a baby or child, and he could just imagine how fond her nieces and nephew would be of her.
He didn’t need to see her with them to know she was an incredible aunt.
Though the line was long, the time passed quickly, and soon, it was their turn. They sat down on the sled, which was a large red structure with cushioned seating. There was a thick wool blanket set to the side; after they took their seats, he spread the blanket over their laps.
She leaned closer, their shoulders pressed together, and he reached for her hand under the blanket, keeping her warm.
“You’re a dragon rider, so I’m sure this won’t be very exciting,” he said, a little sheepish.
“No, it’ll be fun,” she replied. “It’s like a scene out of a storybook for children; it makes you believe in magic.”
He smiled to himself. She was magic herself, and she didn’t even know it.
The sled rider introduced himself and the chimeras and, once they were settled, he whipped his reins, spurring the animals forward.
The chimeras began walking, then increased their pace into a run.
She squeezed Luke’s hand, and then, the chimeras flapped their wings, taking off.
It was a bit of a bumpy start, but soon, they were up in the air, sailing smoothly.
It was a slow flight, not very high up, but enjoyable all the same as they took a leisurely flight over the lake. Snow flurried in the air above them, and Emmeline’s eyes widened with awe.
“What were the chimera’s names?” she asked. “I didn’t hear.”
“Barney,” he replied, and she furrowed her brows.
“Barney?” she repeated.
“No.” He shook his head. “Baaaarney,” he said, bleating, and she laughed out loud.
“And the other? Don’t tell me it’s modeled after the same lame joke.”
Luke grinned. “Lambchop.”
“Come on, that’s just mean!” But she was laughing. He squeezed her hand, and she leaned against his shoulder, the two of them fused.
After the chimera ride, he was going to take her to a local spot for dinner. But before he could tell her, her phone rang.
“Just a second,” she said, picking up. She stepped to the side, and he waited, watching as she smiled.
“Hey Saphira . . . No, I don’t have any plans for tomorrow,” she was saying. There was a pause as the other person replied, and Emmeline laughed. “We already celebrated my birthday with everyone on New Year’s Eve! We don’t have to do anything tomorrow.”
Luke stilled. Wait a moment.
It was her birthday tomorrow?