Nathan and December slipped out of the crimson and rose bedroom, closing the door behind them on the couple seated within.  The wooden door closed with a soft click, and the stood beside it for a moment both watching the knob before they turned their backs on it and walked away.  “Are you still up for futures, sir?” December asked as she led the way into the living room, her head glancing around to be sure of the absence of Aimee’s father.  The man was nowhere to be seen (partially due to her and Nathan’s own devices) and she intended for it to stay that way as long as it was Valentine’s Day and Aimee was with Fenrir.  As she made her way into the room, she collapsed backward onto the couch with her head on one arm rest, her leg mounted on the other.

“I dunno…I don’t think I quite understand it so well,” he replied vaguely and made his way past the couch to the front door.  “I kind of want to go outside.  Want to join me?”

“I mean…” December snorted and got up from the couch, skipping over to him as he pushed the door open.  “I don’t think they need that much privacy.  It is…Aimee and Fenrir.”

“That’s not why I want to go outside,” Nathan covered quickly as he stepped onto the porch steps, his eyes on the sky that was swirling grey.  “I just love the weather like this.  It makes me happy.”

December looked mildly confused.  “You like overcast?” she asked in a bemused, if slightly sarcastic tone.

“I love it,” he answered, casting her a winning smile.  “It’s beautiful.  The temperature is perfect, the wind is just right…ah!  It makes me want to play Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude!”

The female raised an eyebrow at him, looking mildly amused.  She walked down the steps, her mismatched chucks dancing across the pavement as she stepped off the path into the grass.  She was smiling brightly as she spun in a circle, her plaid skirt swirling around her ivory legs before he lost her balance and simply toppled over in a heap on the grass.  She laughed the whole way down, her playful eyes locking on the tall male as though coaxing him to join in.

“Hey now,” he said in a tone that hinted his flirtatious nature.  “Don’t be doing that or you’ll get me all excited.”

“Too late, I’m already excited,” December bantered back, and she rolled over on her side then placed her hand on her hip, trying her best to look alluring and sexy.  “You can’t say no to a pretty face like mine.”

“Amen!” he replied quickly and he closed the door behind him hurriedly before walking briskly down the steps and taking a seat across from December in the grass.  His dark eyes watched her with a smile behind them, and she liked the focus on her face.

She sat up, adjusting her skirt so that it was covering everything important, and was now opposite him, her eyes looking into his.  “So I did want to thank you for calling me.  This was a really good idea.”

“Yeah, I’ve been worried about her,” he answered, turning then to look down the road where a dog was barking.  The cool wind was playing with his dark curls, making them dance around his cherub face.  “This thing has been effecting her playing.  Plus, her dad has been especially bad lately.”

December was shocked that this male knew about Aimee’s family situation, but then again she was gone and Aimee couldn’t talk to her about it, so the shy girl must have confided in her fellow music major.  But part of her was jealous of him for being confided in.  She did not imply this however, but seamlessly moved to another topic.  “Does Aimee know you’re a wizard?”

“No,” he replied evenly, and for the first time his tone was no longer playful but serious.  “I’d rather she didn’t know, just because…it’s better for everyone if she doesn’t.”

December didn’t quite understand the double life this one was apparently leading, but she didn’t press the matter.  “That’s fine.  I won’t tell her.  Your secret is safe with me,” she added with the largest, cheesiest smile she could muster.  Nathan cast one equally frightening back at her, and the pair found themselves laughing lightly.

The laughter subsided and moved to a strange silence where they were both trying to avoid eye contact but at the same time watching one another in the corners of their eyes.  This silence hung on the air for several moments before December sighed deeply, her shoulders heaving.  “What?” Nathan asked softly, his eyes rising to meet hers.

“Can’t we tell futures?”

“If you really want.  I just don’t know what to do exactly.”  Nathan fell silent again and his eyes moved down the street.  The grey filter seemed to cover all that he saw and it was beautiful, but hard to share with someone he knew so little about.  This was their first meeting in person, and though they had talked several times on the phone, it had only been to plan the task they were in the process of carrying out.  Nathan glanced up at December once, curious why she wasn’t spending the holiday with someone she cared about, and considered that she might be as pathetic as he was at the moment.  Being single sucked for someone who built their life on their partner, and now was one of those times where he felt strangely alone for a Valentine’s Day.  “Why aren’t you…don’t you have anyone you’d like to see?”

“Not really,” December spoke softly, her tone now subdued and serious.  “Fred…well…I had a boyfriend, way back at Christmas break -”

“Wait, so you’re bi?”

“Yeah,” December added, not really minding the question.

“Me too,” he spoke in an equally deep tone.  The conversation dropped and he felt awkward having interrupted her story, so he added. “Continue…”

“Well…we were dating and we were really happy.  But he wanted me to come home with him for Christmas break.  And I had already told Fen that he could come with me.  So when I told Fred…he got madly jealous.  And um…we had a big fight and a major breakup.  He thought I was sleeping with Fen.”

Nathan nodded.  He had experienced that kind of jealousy before.  It always made one feel like a terrible person.  It was especially hard if you fell in love with that person, and from the look in December’s eyes as she spoke about this Fred person, she had been deeply in love with him when all this had happened.  He didn’t really know what to say to her to make her feel better, so all he could utter was an “I’m sorry.”

“Well, gosh, it’s all your fault,” December replied quickly with a laugh, attempting to redirect the conversation in a brighter light.  When Nathan didn’t join in the laughter, she sighed and went back to playing with a few blades of grass.  “I just…miss being in love,” she added as an aside.  “I miss smiling all the time.  I miss laughing and playing games on the school grounds.  I miss cuddling and touching.”

Nathan nodded again, confirming her feelings, but said nothing.

“But do you know what I miss the most?”  She was looking wistfully at the sky, her eyes not really focused on anything.  Nathan couldn’t really nod in response; he had no idea what she missed, and he didn’t feel like playing twenty questions, so he simply looked at her face, awaiting her response.  “I miss kissing.  And not just Fred…I just…I miss having a really good kiss.”

Nathan’s head jerked slightly in her direction and he watched her face as she locked her eyes on the clouds.  She looked lost in memory somehow, but sad.  He watched her face several minutes before scooting closer to her.  He then reached forward and took her face in his hand, turning her so she was facing him.  Her eyes locked on his for only a moment before she found herself getting exactly was she wanted.  He brought his lips to hers swiftly and delicately, and she melted into it immediately, allowing the kiss to consume her.  It was sensitive and sweet, and it was exactly was she needed in that moment.  It lasted for several moments, and then Nathan slowly pulled away.  December raised her hand to hold his to her cheek, enjoying the feel of his fingers on her skin, but she didn’t open her eyes as she allowed the sensation to linger.  A smile played upon her lips as she held his hand, then her eyes blinked open and locked with his dark ones.  His eyes hadn’t left her face since he pulled away, and he was watching her with mild pride at the joy that had crossed her features.  When her darks eyes met his, a smile crossed his own face.  She dropped her hand, but he remained cupping her cheek and watching her.  “Is that better?”

“Yeah,” December breathed, looking refreshed and peaceful.  “I really needed that.”

“Me too,” he said in the same echo as he had prior.  The silence remained, but it was not as awkward as before.  December shifted herself so she could lean against the male.  He draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to himself, feeling her breathing against his side and feeling strangely comforted.

“I hope this doesn’t mean I have to date you now,” she spoke again, pressing her head into his chest while his fingers played with her multi-coloured dreads.

“No,” he answered as he touched her, enjoying the feel of her.  “This was just one of those things.”

“Yeah.”

“We both needed it.”

“Yeah.”

They fell into silence and remained on the grass, December leaning in Nathan’s arms, Nathan caressing her cheek, brushing her hair, watching the skyline.  They didn’t feel like they had to justify themselves to each other but simply were, being exactly what each other needed in that moment in time.  It was there that Aimee and Fenrir found them after several hours.  The Chinese female stepped delicately off the porch, her eyes watching the pair with mild amusement and confusion.

“What’s going on?” she asked in her quiet, joyful voice.  Fenrir came onto the steps beside her, silent but strangely happy, brighter and more cheerful simply because of the presence of the shy female before him.

December didn’t reply but sighed and shifted so she was no longer monopolizing Nathan’s lap, and he stood up, then offering her his hand to help her to her feet.  She was beaming as she stood, and Aimee caught the light in her eyes as a mischievous one.  “Are you two dating now?”

“No,” December answered with a bright smile.  “We just were being what we needed on Valentine’s Day.”

Fenrir looked confused, but didn’t say anything and nodded to the pair of them as a way of thanking them for the setup.  They both watched him momentarily, then their eyes returned to each other.

“If things don’t work out with Avian, I’ll call you.”

“Same with me and Adriana.”  They pulled apart then and December came to Fenrir’s side, looking slightly lonely, but still peaceful.  “You ready to go back to Tervintasho?”

Fenrir didn’t reply but allowed December to lead him back into the house to use side-by-side apparation.  Nathan and Aimee remained outside, watching the door and knowing that the pair would soon be gone as dusk was beginning to fall.  Aimee was standing close to Nathan, her arms around herself to keep the chill out, and Nathan was watching the door, his thoughts elsewhere.

“Do you love my best friend, Nathan?” Aimee asked after a moment’s silence, her shy smile cast now on him.

He shrugged.  “Maybe.  But not in the same way you love Fenrir.”

She nodded, then offered him her hand.  He took it and followed her inside the house, taking one last glance at the sky, before disappearing within, the door closed behind him.