Falling in the Dark | ✓

17 | Dream

"Time for breakfast!" I announce with feigned enthusiasm as I divide the remaining Skittles equally between Liam and me.

Liam accepts his share, thanks me and after swallowing the candy, rubs his stomach and groans. "I'm so stuffed."

Rolling my eyes, I pour my share into my mouth. The sourness of the candy is ten times stronger, struggling its way down my parched throat into my rumbling stomach. I cast a wistful glance at the empty water bottle standing on the dashboard.

"The tow truck will be here soon," Liam says reassuringly. "Do you want to go outside for a while?"

"Yeah," I agree with a nod. Our precious ten minutes of heater time passed half-an-hour ago, and my muscles are starting to complain from the cold and lack of movement.

A relieved sigh escapes my lips when I climb out of the car and stretch my arms above my head. The snowfall stopped just as the sun started to peek out from the horizon, leaving the ground and the car blanketed in white powder. If not for the windshield wipers that Liam turned on every now and then, it would be nearly impossible to spot his car parked by the corner of the road.

We trudge a couple paces away from the car, feet sinking into the soft white powder, breaths leaving our lips in wispy clouds that dissolve into the air. Liam stands a few steps ahead of me, squinting into the distance in search of the tow truck. I crouch to my knees, gathering fistfuls of snow, shuddering as the ice numbs my bare skin. I drop the snow back onto the ground and dust my palms.

Maybe it's the fact that I've eaten nothing but sour candy in the past few hours because a ridiculous idea suddenly starts forming in my head. I cup my hands around the snow that I'd dropped and call out very nonchalantly, "Is that them?"

"What?" Liam looks back at me quickly, his eyes skimming over me before switching back to the road.

"There," I say vaguely, my heart pounding as I pull my arm back. "The headlights in the distance."

"Where? I don't see any-"

It's a miracle that the snowball hits Liam right in the back of his beanie-clad head given that my aim is usually quite awful. I let out a delighted chuckle when it disintegrates with a muted poof, raining down his coat in a hundred white snowflakes.

"Oh!" Liam gasps, wheeling around to face me, his lips parted in shock.

Before I can climb to a stand, he closes the distance between us and bends to my level, his body colliding with mine as I fall backwards. The next thing I know, his left hand is wound around both my wrists and he's shoveling snow over me repeatedly with his right hand. All the air rushes out of my lungs as I laugh hysterically, begging him to stop.

The words escape my throat in choked giggles. "Okay, okay! I admit defeat!"

"You better," Liam grins, lifting his knee from near my side and sprawling out on the ground.

My breathing starts to slow down as I raise my eyes to the early morning sky. In my peripheral vision, I can sense Liam stretching his arm towards me, palm open and waiting. Without turning to look at him, I let my hand find his. As our fingers entwine, the bone-chilling cold in my hand gives way to sweet warmth. I extend my free hand to shoulder level, swishing my arms and legs over the soft powder to make a snow angel. Liam lets out a low chuckle and does the same without letting go of my hand. The snow gives way to my limbs and the movements bring relief from the numbing cold all along my back and legs.

I can hear nothing but the soft murmur of the wind and my racing heartbeat calming to a normal rhythm. This moment - lying on the snow, holding Liam's hand, watching the clear blue sky so bright it's almost white - feels like a beautiful dream that I'll remember long after waking up. For one moment, I start to doubt if any of this is real. I turn to Liam, studying his face as though I don't already know every inch of it. He tears his gaze away from the cloudless sky to look at me. His eyes travel down my face to my lips, back to my eyes again. I press the side of my face further into the snow as my cheeks redden.