I chose silence. Ethan could be incredibly
stubborn. Arguing wouldn’t get me anywhere.
When we arrived at my building, I thanked him
and started to get out. He stopped me.
“Your birthday’s next week. Let’s settle things
then.”
I wanted to say it wasn’t necessary. This quiet
<
separation was good. We could still be friends,
still be comfortable around mutual
acquaintances.
“My parents want to celebrate with you while
we’re all in DC. You wouldn’t disrespect them,
would you?” He’d taken away my excuse.
“Fine. Whatever you want.” I got out of the car.
He drove off without another word. The wind
was bitter, cutting through my clothes. I
hunched my shoulders, hurrying towards the
entrance. As I neared the building, I saw him.
David, standing in the shadows of a tree, the
streetlight casting a long, orange glow around
him. He was wearing a light coat, despite the
freezing temperature. He must have been
waiting a while.
“David?” I whispered.
He walked towards me as the first snowflakes
began to fall, dusting his hair and shoulders. He
<
didn’t seem to notice, gently brushing a
snowflake from my eyelashes. It was like that
winter night all over again. And then, he did it.
He pulled a warm, roasted sweet potato from
his pocket. He broke it in half, offering me a
piece. I took it, my fingers numb, the sweet
aroma filling my senses. Tears welled in my
eyes. He kept his head down, our foreheads
brushing occasionally. We stood there, two
fools in the falling snow, eating a sweet potato.
“Ashley,” he said, wiping a smudge from my lip
with his thumb. “I…I got kicked out.”
“What?”
“My parents said the Carters have never
produced an irresponsible man. So, I’m an
anomaly, and I’m homeless now.” He was
smiling, but his eyes weren’t. A sharp pang of
guilt hit me. The falling snow blurred my vision.
“But David, I don’t need you to be responsible…
and besides, it wasn’t my first time…”
He cut me off with a kiss, his lips cold from the
snow, yet burning against mine. “Ashley, you
know I like you. I don’t care about any of that.”
He cupped my face, kissing away my tears. “I
made a bet with myself tonight. If you didn’t
come back, I would try to move on. But if you did…I wouldn’t let you go again.” His eyes held
a flicker of hope, so fragile and tentative, I
couldn’t bring myself to break it.
- 14.
Before we even made it inside, David’s lips
were on mine again. As he helped me off with
my coat and scarf, he pulled me close, our
bodies flush against each other. I could feel his
urgency, so unlike his usual reserved demeanor.
“David, you seem…eager,” I teased. His fingers curled around the hem of my sweater, his warm
palm pressing against my skin. He pulled me
closer, deepening the kiss. I closed my eyes,
rising up on my toes. “Don’t rush, David. We
have all night.”
He looked down at me, a genuine smile finally
reaching his eyes. He laced his fingers with
mine, pulling my hand lower. “Ashley…you
promised me all night. Every single second.”
That night, the snow fell and melted, just like
- us.
