She did. She could manage, maybe, if she could get back in the morning. But any later than that, and she would need another pair of hands to keep to the schedule.
And maybe another oven.
“Fine,” she said. “I was coming to see if I could use your new oven when the storm began. I could use your help. But mostlybecause I came up here to save you, and it might cost me a lot of time.”
“Then you would’ve been better off if you hadn’t helped me at all,” said Julian.
“I wouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
Charlotte held herself perfectly still as she responded. “You know why not.”
She watched the realization cross his face. Because I care for you. Because I’ve always cared for you, no matter how much of an idiot you can be. Because if something had happened to you when I could’ve helped you, I would never have forgiven myself. Even if you never changed your mind. Even if I never forgave you. I still would have done it.
“Charlotte,” he said softly. Gods, it felt so good to hear him say her name, her true name, in spite of everything. “You’re right,” he said.
“What?” She was certain she hadn’t heard him correctly. Did he just say she was right?
“You’re right.” He leaned towards her, his hand stroking a strand of her silver hair. “Charlotte, if you hadn’t showed up when you had, I would have died out there. I realized it the moment I came to. I would have died because I twisted my ankle, and that’s about the saddest way to go that I’ve ever heard. I’ve been such a godsdamn idiot. I charged up a mountainside in a blizzard for a handful of coin I don’t even need. You were completely right, and I was wrong. I was going to say something, but you seemed to have such a lovely speech prepared—”
“You arsehole!” Charlotte took her wet scarf off and threw it at him.
Julian laughed, a deep belly laugh that reached his eyes. “It was good though, really. A little repetitive—”
Charlotte moved to get up. Julian caught her by the wrist.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his laughter stopping. “I’m sorry. For everything. I want to help you. I want us to work together. I don’t want to give up baking entirely—honestly, I love it. It brings me a lot of joy. But I’m sure we can work something out like you said. You supply the bread for my sandwiches; I give you cheese and the discount milk I get from my supplier in Sudport. Oh, and I’ll need some of those chocolate biscuits. The worst part of this whole ridiculous feud I started has been missing out on those biscuits.”
“That’s the worst part?”
“No,” admitted Julian. “Gods, I missed you, Charlotte. I didn’t even realize how much until I saw you again. It all keeps flooding back in. So many memories. And then, you. The way you are now…” He looked Charlotte up and down, admiring without a hint of shame. “You’re breathtaking.”
Charlotte struggled to find the words to respond. “I—well—thank you.”
Julian chuckled nervously. “I hope you don’t mind me saying that. If you don’t feel the same, that’s alright. I’m happy to have you back in my life, whatever that looks like.”
“No,” said Charlotte. “I mean, I do. Feel the same about you.” She sighed. “You’re really good-looking. It’s annoying, actually.”
“Annoying?”
“Like it was hard to hate you when you looked like that.” Julian leaned back, showing off his muscles, looking off into the distance with the smug superiority of someone who knew how good they looked. Charlotte rolled her eyes, but she quickly returned them to look at him. “In all honesty, I was surprised you were interested in me in that way.”
Julian shifted back forward, leaning closer to Charlotte. “My interests are a little different. I’m only attracted to people I care about, and only seldomly even then. When I care aboutsomeone, it’s about all of them. Not just what they call themselves or how they dress. Who they are.”
Charlotte’s heart raced in her chest. “Then you care about me?”
Julian pulled himself closer still, reaching for her face. “Yes, Charlotte. Of course I do. I always have.”
He tilted her head back and kissed her, and this time, she kissed him back.
“There’s only one bed in here,” he said, looking around when he had come up for air. “But it would be madness to try to leave before the morning.”
“We’ll make do,” said Charlotte.
They woke in the morning to find a couple feet of snow blocking them inside.
Charlotte tried to dig them out to no avail. Even if she could clear all the snow herself, how was she meant to carry Julian down the icy mountain with his broken foot?
