Bruno pulled Alyssa into the powdery film that covered the streets, laughing while Alyssa looked panicked by the sound of snow crunching under her feet.

“Hey!” Bruno exclaimed as Alyssa used her free hand to break apart their conjoined ones. “That’s cheati—”

Bruno’s eyes widened when Alyssa readjusted her hand to hold his. “If you’re going to hold my hand, do it properly. People are looking at us weirdly.”

Both of their faces were flushed, but not from the cold they couldn’t feel.

Bruno suddenly bent down and made a snowball in his hands, shifting it constantly so it wouldn’t sting his fingers. He turned around and threw it at Alyssa, watching it hit with a loud thud before it crumbled apart and rippled in the air, eventually settling on the ground beside her feet.

Alyssa yelped, stumbling backwards before tripping and falling down. She was fully splayed out on the ground and covered her face in embarrassment before a joyous laughter filled the air. Every laugh and pause seemed to pour a little more of her magic into the air around her, and Bruno couldn’t help but smile.

“Have you ever made a snow angel?” Bruno asked, joining her on the ground with his limbs outstretched. People walked around them, occasionally risking an awkward glance.

“They’re going to think we’re a bunch of attention seekers.”

Bruno gave her a humored smile. “I’d think the same.” He started moving his arms up and down and his legs side to side. “Copy me.”

When they both stood up again, Bruno’s arms proudly on his side as he looked down toward their creators. Alyssa’s snow angel was rather awkward, with the snow bunched up to make it look more like a person fell on the ground, but the human quality to it made it look even more incredible.

The snow had finally soaked through their clothes, and both were suddenly thrust back into the reality of the cold winning and ice clinging onto their skin. Bruno’s teeth now chattering, Alyssa laughed before they started to head back to the music room.

“You need to stay in the library for a few hours, right?” Bruno asked, remembering how Alyssa had to hide her lessons.

Before Alyssa could reply, she dragged Bruno into a small alleyway, telling him to shush while a group of kids walked bye. Their voices gradually becoming louder as they neared, Bruno could finally make out what they were saying.

“She never hangs out with any of us.”

“Right? She should feel lucky to even hang out with us since we’re Leiths. The audacity she has sometimes.”

“It bothers me even more that she’s more influential than us, don’t you think? She forgets her place sometimes.”

“At least she always gives us her homework and pays when we go out. What a pushover.”

Their voices trailed off with the lingering sounds of laughter as they passed, and Bruno peeked out from the corner. “Aren’t they your friend?” he asked Alyssa, looking concerned.

She shrugged nonchalantly, pressing her finger against her lips. “Don’t be worried. I told you, I’m not close with any of them.”

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Bruno went silent and took off his thin jacket, ringing it out quickly before handing it to her. “Put it on,” he said, face completely flushed as he looked off to the side

“Huh? No, I’m fine, I’m sure you're colder than me.”

“You’re wearing white.”

Alyssa cocked her head in confusion before grabbing her shirt and looking down. “Yeah, it’s not my favorite color, but I forgot to do the—” Her eyes widened in embarrassment as her cheeks turned maroon. Her white shirt was completely see through. She threw on Bruno’s small jacket before speed walking back to the music studio.

“Oh dear…” Mrs. Wang said when she opened the door to the two frozen students. “I have some spare clothes, you two can change into them.”

She got them some warm drinks and a blanket as they sat on the couch, still shivering from the cold. “I need to close up for the day, but you two can stay here until you warm up. Bruno, make sure you lock the door on your way out.”

“I love you,” Alyssa replied, sniffling as Mrs. Wang laughed.

“I know.” The door clicked behind her.

Bruno and Alyssa were huddled together on the couch, a blanket thrown over their heads. “You’re weird,” Alyssa began. “You have no friends at school, you’re shy, and you never hang out with anyone, but with me, you’re one of the most talkative people.”

“I thought you were embarrassed by me talking with you at school, and that’s why you avoided me.” Bruno asked, trying to meet Alyssa’s eyes but always breaking away first.

Alyssa gave out another one of her thrilling laughs. “I’d never be embarrassed by you. There’s…” she trailed off, “there’s a lot of pressure on me because of school and my family, so all my relationships are just for mutual benefit. That’s why everyone is my acquaintance, and I was okay with it as long as no one would look down on me. They always watch themselves in front of me.

I knew if I let you into my life, my world would turn upside down. So, I tried really hard to avoid you. But, for some reason, I can talk about myself around you.”

Bruno swallowed and cringed at how loud it sounded. He suddenly felt hyper-aware of everything around him, and he felt insecure with Alyssa’s wandering eyes. “I never really had any friends at school, so it would probably be bad for us if someone caught us together. A lot of weird rumors could go around.” He felt awful saying it, but he recognized that he could jeopardize the world Alyssa had fabricated around herself. “You probably just feel that way, because I’m… approachable, maybe? That’s what Mrs. Wang says.”

Alyssa thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. She rested on the tops of her knees, her arms wrapped around the base of her head. “It’s more that you’re loveable.”

Bruno’s face completely flushed at her comment, but he noticed the pink tinge that stained her face as well. The way a few strands of hair blew to the front of her forehead, stuck on her skin like a water droplet on a leaf, the mole under her eye so perfectly placed as if it were done by an artist, the way her smooth hand brushed against his calloused ones, the way his heart couldn’t stop sprinting in his chest, the way his stomach was turning and tumbling as if it were finally falling down an endless drop.

“You’re blushing,” he said, finally making eye contact with her.

“Only because you are.” She leaned in closer and placed a hand. “Tell me if you don’t want to.”

With that, their lips finally met, and Alyssa blossomed like a flower for him, finally opening up to the exquisite beauty of spring and change. The wistful winter had brought them together, and it would be what tore them apart.

The bathtub water lapped against her cheeks, threatening to flow into her nose, her eyes, and cover her in its greedy grasp once more. Alyssa longed for the way the remaining water pooled from her eyelids and slid down her cheeks everytime she blinked. She longed for the way the freezing water cried for her, because she couldn’t do it herself.

She finally sat up from the bathtub and stared at her pruney fingers, the skin along her nails white and peeling to reveal the bloody pink beneath. The scent of vanilla in her bathroom threw her back into her memories no matter how hard she tried to get out of them. The snow, the warm scent, the cold, she could never escape it.

If only they never saw me with him. If only those students didn’t see me leave with him.