Real.
And that was a problem I didn’t even want to think about yet.
CHAPTER 22
tino
Lilahand I ended up spending most of the day in town with Luca and Nina. I’d never been to Bibridge before and she’d only visited a handful of times, so they had a great time showing us around. I was surprised by how well I ended up getting along with them, especially since I was pretty sure Luca hadn’t liked me when we first met, what with me accidentally hitting his sister in the face with a door.
It started snowing while Lilah and I were driving back to the house. At first, I didn’t even notice. The wipers were sweeping lazily across the windshield, and Lilah was in the passenger seat, half-turned toward the window, chewing on a straw from the iced coffee she refused to stop ordering even though it was the end of November.
“Is that snow?” Lilah asked suddenly, her voice breaking through the music playing quietly on the radio.
I glanced up. Sure enough, tiny white specks were drifting down in the glow of the streetlights.
“Huh,” I said. “Guess winter’s really here.”
Her eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. “Pull over.”
“What?”
“Pull over!” she said again, practically bouncing in her seat.
“Lilah, it’s freezing out there?—”
“Tino, come on! It’s the first snow!”
I sighed, already knowing I was doomed. When Lilah got an idea in her head, there was no point fighting it. I pulled over on the side of the road and before I could even put the car in park, she was unbuckling her seatbelt.
“Lilah, wait—your coat?—”
But she was already out the door.
I cursed under my breath, killed the engine, and jumped out after her. The air hit me like a slap, crisp and sharp. The snow wasn’t heavy yet, just a soft dusting that swirled in the glow of the streetlamps. Lilah stood in the middle of the empty road, head tilted back, arms outstretched, laughing.
“You’re going to freeze to death!” I called. I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to keep myself warm. Lilah didn’t seem to even notice the cold as she spun around, her hair catching the light and snowflakes clinging to her eyelashes.
“It’s the first snow, Tino! You can’t just sit in the car for this!”
“Yes, you can,” I said, trying not to smile. “Most people do. It’s warm there.”
She grinned and started walking backward, away from me. “Most people are boring.”
That was an obvious dig at me so I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not boring.”
“Then come dance with me!” she said, spreading her arms wide like she was inviting the whole world to join her.
I shook my head, but my lips were twitching. “Dance? There’s no music.”
“There’s snow. That’s better.”
“Lilah—”
She took a few more steps back, tilting her head playfully. “What’s the matter, hockey boy? Afraid of a little cold?”
That made me laugh. “You do realize hockey happens on ice, right?”
“Exactly,” she said smugly. “So you should be immune.”
