Page 81 of One More Day
There’s no denying it any more. The warmth I feel in my heart tonight is all because of her. If only I’d the guts to tell her.
‘You OK?’ I ask Rose, as the tips of her glove-clad fingers hang on to the inside of my upper arm.
She is close to me now, and it’s making my head spin just a little bit. The cold air makes our breath visible like clouds in front of us, and we step in sync as far as I can manage to keep my strides shorter.
‘All good,’ she replies, clinging on to my arm like her life depends on it. ‘Just trying my best not to fall. Again. Me and this forest have a history of injuries now.’
‘Don’t be afraid to say if you’ve had enough of searching,’ I reply. I take the torch from her and circle the long beaming light into trees on either side of our path, which show nothing but a false alarm which turned out to be a fox’s eyes and heaps of snow-covered winter foliage. ‘I’ve a feeling we could be on a wild goose chase out here and that we’ll return with nothing but hypothermia. I’m also already dreaming of how I’ll light the fire to get us warmed up when we get back to the cottage.’
‘Good thinking. I’ll dream of that too, then.’
‘Imagine the heat on your fingers and toes right now.’
‘And a big steaming mug of hot chocolate in your hands.’
‘And warm, clean clothes that haven’t been soaked through.’
‘And the sound of jingle bells in the distance and the dulcet tones of Michael Bublé.’
‘Ah, now you’ve just gone and ruined it,’ I tell her, which makes her giggle. I have no doubt she intended to shift gears with that one. ‘I’m trying to avoid Christmas songs when I can, which I have to admit hasn’t been easy.’
Now it’s Rose’s turn to stop in her tracks. She looks up at me, the moonlight casting faint shadows across her face so I can only see her eyes.
‘So, how come you were listening to “O Holy Night” yesterday then, Scrooge?’
I swallow. I look up at the sky. I look back at Rose.
‘It reminds me of someone who, even though she doesn’t know it, manages to gently lift my battered heart and make me feel a little bit better than she found it.’
She holds my stare.
‘Oh.’
‘Simple as that,’ I say light-heartedly, though my statement is anything but.
‘Well, I’m glad you have someone who makes you feel that way,’ she whispers. ‘You’re very lucky.’
I nod.
‘I know I am,’ I reply. ‘Right, let’s get this search over and done with. Five more minutes and then we head back, what do you say?’
‘I say I’ve probably got another five minutes in me, yes,’ she tells me, taking my arm again.
‘You’re a superstar.’
‘A superstar and Wonder Woman all in one night? I’ll be getting a very big head at this rate.’
I don’t answer her this time. I think I’ve said enough already as it is.
‘Whoops-a-daisy!’ she says seconds later, breaking my train of thought and letting go of George’s lead as she stumbles again for what seems like the millionth time. She grabs my arm with both hands, the weight of her body pushing me back, which makes me drop the torch. We’re both in almost pitch darkness, scrambling around with our hands to find it.
We knock heads.
‘Ouch!’
‘Sorry!’
She slips again. Then I do too.
