“Yeah,” he said. “But first, I have something that I forgot to show you. Wait right there.” And he disappeared into the kitchen.
When he came back out, he had on his jacket, too.
“Come on.” He led me out through the sliding door. We pushed out into the night. The snow was up to our knees in the field, and there were still a few feathery flakes slipping down out of the sky. The moon looked like a creamy shell, set in the deep blue-black of the night, scattering bright beams down onto the gleaming snow.
Then, without a word, Eric took my mittened hand in his. I felt a tremor through my arm. He clicked on the flashlight, and we headed out across the field. I didn’t ask him where we were going or what we were doing. It didn’t matter. I knew that even if he brought me out here to see a pinecone I would be just glad to be out here — with him. We walked down the backyard and over the little hill. Then across the creek, still trickling now through islands of snow and ice. Up into the Gallaghers’ farm. Past the house. We came to the quiet tangle of trees at the bottom of their land, and Eric led me in.
The pine needles felt slippery and thin. Through a tiny opening in the branches above I could see the moonlight and just a few stray flakes of snow sailing to earth. And there was that hush in here. A calm that was now somehow electric.
Eric stopped and turned toward me, taking both my hands in his.
“So I know I showed you this place before, but there was something I forgot to do when we were here and I just wanted to, before, well … if it’s okay …”
I watched his face carefully. I didn’t dare move a muscle. And then, in that moment, as he leaned in, the whole world got swallowed up by the stillness of those trees. His lips dissolved into mine, and I felt every inch of my body light up, all of me glowing a vibrant, pure white. I closed my eyes and melted into the greatest kiss in the history of the world.
We stayed like that for I don’t know how long. I lost all sense of time and space. But I do know that at some point his lips started quivering. And then he pulled away, laughing softly.
“What?” I said, afraid.
Levy! What did you do?
Had I slobbered all over him? Did I eat a filling?
“No, nothing! I’m just so happy,” he said.
I sighed with relief. He touched his forehead to mine, our noses pressed together.
“Now, sorry. What did you want to tell me?” he whispered.
“Just … this.”
I pulled his face toward mine. And this time I was kissing him, and I was sure of myself. My lips, my teeth, my tongue. They were right where they should be. We stayed like that for a long time. For a really long time, and yet it all went by so fast. And then, just as I began to pull away, I felt it. At first I couldn’t tell what it was. I felt an itch, like someone was tickling me, just under my nose. And then a coldness, melting, and I knew. It was a single snowflake drifting down and landing just where our lips met, nesting there, between us. My heart lifted and fluttered open. I had found it. The snowflake I was supposed to kiss.
“Hey, Eric?”
“Yeah.”
“I just have to say, I don’t really know what I’m doing.” Yeah, it wasn’t exactly original. But it was a great line.
And I didn’t know if I meant physically, or mentally, or what. I just knew I needed to say it.
Eric smiled.
“I don’t either,” he said.
And then we kissed some more. Deep, long, kisses. And held each other, standing up, in the world’s quietest place.
“Hey, listen,” he whispered at one point. He took my hand and put it on his chest. I could feel his heart beating through his jacket and it matched mine — fast and strong.
“It’s goin’ nuts, huh?” he said.
I wanted to say Wait! Are you for real? Or You’re here! You’re here! Or What does this mean? Or Help! I’m supposed to leave tomorrow! But I kept my lips together.
Just let it be, Levy.
We were both there in that unknowing. In that possibility.
And then he took my hand and we silently walked back to the inn.
It was a good thing our flight wasn’t until the early afternoon, because when Dad’s phone call woke me up, I was nowhere near ready. As a matter of fact, I was still in my clothes from the night before. Eric and I had stayed up until at least three in the morning talking in front of that fire. I looked around the room. The rest of my clothes were strewn all over. Sweaters, jeans, socks drooping over the chair.
“Meet you downstairs in ten?” said Dad.
“Yup,” I said, and then started throwing things in my bag while I brushed my teeth.
Fozzie was the first one to greet me at the bottom of the stairs.
“He’s been waiting for you all morning,” said Eric, coming up behind him. His eyes looked particularly big and green and spectacular this morning.
“Hey, Fozzie. I’m gonna miss you,” I managed. I was already feeling hollow just thinking about leaving him.
Dad, Kathy, and Jeremy were having breakfast in our usual spot.
“Can I go for one last walk before we pack up?” I asked.
Kathy looked up and smiled. Did she know about me and Eric …?
“Sure,” said Dad.
Eric and I followed Fozzie out into the backyard. He bounded across the field, with us walking slowly behind. Eric took my mitten in his hand.
“So,” he said.
“So, yeah,” I said back.
We walked for a while not saying anything. Amazingly, he was the one who spoke first. “What do you think?” His voice was low.
“I don’t know. I mean, I wasn’t supposed to meet somebody like you,” I said.
“You mean devastatingly handsome, fascinating, and a lover of fine cheeses?” He squeezed my hand and gave me a mischievous grin.
I punched him on the arm lightly. “I mean, I was just supposed to go away with my dad and Kathy and Jeremy. Maybe learn how to ski. But this feels …” I didn’t know how to finish the sentence. Maybe I was making this into more than what it was. I really hoped not.
“Yeah, it feels like we might’ve just started something big, you know? I mean … I hope. Maybe,” he said.
And now my stomach was doing cartwheels and my heart was beating so loud I could feel it in my toes.
Levy, hold it together. But I was dying to say something.
“Me too! I mean, yes. I mean, I think so, too.”
“Yeah,” he said. I could feel the smiles on both of our faces.
We walked some more. Just to the edge of the Gallaghers’ plot though. My dad had given me strict instructions that we had to be in the car in twenty-five minutes. He’s crazy about getting to airports two years before the flight.
“Guess we gotta turn around,” said Eric.
“Yup.”
He kissed my mittened hand.
“Hey, I’m gonna call you tonight. To make sure you get home okay. Is that all right?” he asked.
“I’d like that.”
“And maybe while you’re up in the air, just so I can hear your voice mail.”
I giggled. “Sounds good to me.”
“And maybe right now, just to make sure I’ve got your number.”
I reached into my pocket to get my phone. I hadn’t touched it in days. I only remembered it because it fell out of my sweatshirt when I had gone to throw it in my suitcase. I looked at it now. Seven more missed calls. What? I opened it up. They were all from Phoebe.
“What is it?” asked Eric.
“Oh, my friend Phoebe. The one I told you about.” I had told him about Phoebe, but just briefly. I didn’t want to tell him just the bad parts. I knew there was a lot more to our friendship than just the past few days. At least, I thought so.