Mostly Normal: Hearts and Spades

Chapter Four: Prawdziwa Miłość

That night, when she was sure that her half-brother was asleep, she slipped out of the cabin and out into the cold winter air. If she needed real comfort, she always went to him. At first, she thought that it was scandalous, he was her boyf- ex-boyfriend's brother.

She pulled her jacket around her, ever since Ludwig had said that he wanted to break up, and they had indeed, it lost all its warmth. She was so lost in thought as she walked up the hill, that when Gilbert called out her name, she didn't hear him. In fact, she did not hear him, or even notice him, until they had both collided, and fallen into the puffy white snow that was littered all over the ground.

"Oof," said Victoria, surprised. Gilbert got up and brushed off his T-shirt. "Sorry about that," he said, holding out a hand to help her up. She grinned and shook her head, pushing her arms up and down and her legs from side to side, making a snow angel.

"To anioł śniegu," she said, not even realizing she was speaking in Polish until Gilbert gave her a knowing look. She laughed, realizing her mistake. "Oops," she giggled, allowing the bigger boy to pull her out of her masterpiece.

"Are you okay?" Gilbert asked as he raised one of his gloved hands to caress the young girl's face.

Victoria could feel a certain heat that she knew all too well rush to the back of her neck, this told her that she was blushing. "I'm fine," she said with a small smile. Gilbert raised an eyebrow and then stuck his muscular arms underneath her, picking her up and twirling her through the air.

"Are you sure?" he asked when he placed her back on the ground, snow crunching lightly under her feet. Victoria could feel a single tear slip down her un-tanned face. Gilbert's eyes furrowed and he wiped it away, "What has my ignorant brother done this time?" he asked.

" Ludwig zerwał się ze mną," she whispered, leaning into Gilbert as he cradled her in his arms.

This was not the first time that Victoria had come to the nicer Beilschmidt brother after Ludwig had done something. Gilbert frowned and hugged her close as she began to sob.

"Can I tell you something?" the son of Apollo asked with a small smile. Victoria looked up at him with watery eyes and nodded. "Ludwig told me that he was planning to break up with you a long, long time ago."

Tears welled up in her eyes again, when the slightly older demigod finished his sentence, they spilled over and down her pale face. Blond hair stuck to her cheeks and grew wet from the salt water streaming down her face.

"I-I know that," she said. Truthfully, she had never really loved Ludwig. The twin that she had loved was Gilbert, hence the always coming to him for comfort. The reason that she never told him was that she thought he deserved better than her.

"Can I tell you something else?" the blond haired male asked, quirking a brow. She nodded. Gilbert leaned down closer to her, soon they were inches apart, then mere centimeters. When at last she could not stand the electricity that was passing through the air in between them, she closed the space, kissing him lovingly.

This seemed to be the exact thing Gilbert had wanted. He gripped her close and returned the kiss.

A slight but freezing cold breeze blew across Victoria's wet cheek, and she remembered the two of them were still outside, in the snow, at night. Somehow, that knowledge only made her embrace Gilbert tighter and press her lips harder against his. The perfect scene, she thought to herself.

Finally, they broke apart, both of them smiling. Gilbert stroked her hair, which had grown stiff and brittle in the cold. Her tears had frozen on her cheeks, making her look prettier than ever, in Gilbert's opinion. He leaned down. "I love you," he whispered. Victoria's smile grew. "Me too," she murmured, kissing him again.

Gilbert picked her up, his hands placed skillfully underneath her butt, as he carried her back to her cabin. She blushed and burrowed her head into the son of Apollo's shoulder. She could not believe what she had just done. When they reached the cabin, Victoria was almost asleep in the older boy's arms, for his scent was somewhat soothing to her.

"Visit me tomorrow?" the German demigod asked as he set the Polish demigod down. She nodded and then stood on her tiptoes, hoping that he would get the hint and kiss her again.

To her disappointment, he just smiled at her and patted her shoulder, leaving the cabin--and Victoria--until the next day.