We’d made the drive from the city in silence at first, soft music playing low while the wipers cut slow arcs through the snow. I’d never seen this part of his world, never driven this exact road, but it already felt like something I’d remember forever.
Callum’s hand gripped the wheel loosely, his posture relaxed, but I didn’t miss the way his thumb tapped restlessly or how his eyes kept flicking toward me when he thought I wouldn’t notice.
“This is insane,” I murmured, breath fogging the window as I watched the snow swirl beneath the amber glow of the streetlamps.
“You act like you’ve never seen snow before,” he teased, eyes still on the road but his smile unmistakable.
I turned to him, mock-offended. “I’ve skied in the Swiss Alps, thank you very much.”
“Oh, of course you have,” he replied, biting back a grin. “You and your little rich kid playgrounds.”
“I was good,” I said simply.
“I don’t doubt it.”
His voice held that quiet reverence again. The one that made my heart squeeze, like he still couldn’t believe I’d chosen him back.
I looked out the window again. “But this… this is different.”
He didn’t say anything, but I felt the shift in the air. The quiet attention he gave me. The way he always looked like he was still trying to memorize me, even now.
“You know, it actually explains a lot,” I said after a beat.
He glanced at me. “What does?”
“The wet climate. The endless rain and snow. The misty fog. Of course you’re good in the rain. You trained in it your whole life.”
He laughed under his breath. “Brilliant analysis, Professor Fraser.”
“Merci,” I said, chin high. “I’ll be submitting a thesis.”
He shook his head, amusement curling at the corners of his mouth.
“If we raced here, I’d still beat you,” I added casually.
His head turned. “I’m retired, love.”
“Convenient,” I said with a smug grin. “I bet I could take you in our own cars.”
He raised a brow. “You’re not racing anyone in that death trap of yours.”
I gasped. “My Porsche is a classic.”
“She has no ABS.”
“That’s part of the charm.”
“No traction control.”
“That’s whatI’mfor.”
He groaned and we started talking over each other—him listing every outdated spec, me defending them like a lawyer in court—until I started laughing.
Real laughter. Loud and breathless and completely unguarded.
And he just… looked at me.
Like I was his whole world. Like he couldn’t believe I was real.
