Melissa and Nick left behind the stunning image of the ice slicked pond on the insides of their eyelids, a canvas being quickly painted every time they shut their eyes as they strode down the street of their small town neighborhood. They didn't know why they left such a scene. The frozen water, that once was in clear view, topped with a fresh coat of shimmering snow that sparkled its radiant glow created form the street lamp off in the distance. Maybe they unbundled themselves from their cozy position on the old, rickety dock when the late hour sank into the horizon, telling them their curfew would soon come to meet their pure joy, only ending in tragedy, once again being split from the other.

Linking arms, the two friends that had been nothing more in the past six years, now both sixteen, made their purposely elongated journey down the center of their neighborhood road. The only light was from the silver full moon above striking its beams over the neighborhood, casting shadows in every direction. They weren't left without any other lights though, a pattern of lampposts towering over their heads every few feet. The bulbs illuminated what seemed like every individual snowflake, both on the ground and making its way to blend in with the rest of its newly formed friends. Nick soon scuffed his feet over the glistening tiny diamonds, sending a small splash of snow in front of them.

He kept his head down the entire time, being caught in deep thought from Melissa's familiar voice, 'You looked bored, or down, or anything but happy, why?'

Nick felt a small surge of regret from his slight unintentional neglecting of Melissa, too enthralled in his own thoughts. He took away his gaze on the ground to fixate on her, seeing the mahogany waves of silk strands fall just pass her shoulders. Just looking at her made his heart skip a beat, her perfectly shaped frame showing off her equally proportioned curves. Under her scrunched eyebrows, her chocolate brown morsels peered on his misfit coating of timidness, them being only one characteristic of her concern, 'No, not at all, I'm just thinking.'

'Of what? I want to know exactly what's going on under your mesh of curls,' Melissa asked in a childish tone, the true excitement being shown through every word.

A smile tugged at Nick's lips just to show her joyous mood attracted her even more to him. 'Right now, I'm worried that you're looking too cold to be out in this weather.'

'Me? You're the one with the red face.' Melissa abruptly stopped in the center of the street where two lights overlapped the other in a circle. She disconnected her arm from his, only to pull him closer into her body, the intention of warming him starting with the generous body heat exchange. Next, she focused all her attention on rubbing Nick's cheeks with her black, cotton, glove covered hands, and instantly made him scrunch his face into a messy Picasso inspired expression. 'There, is that better?'
'Much.' Nick blinked open his eyes to see a close up view of her gleaming face that showed only signs of happiness, her eyelashes fanning, like the feathers on a peacock, them almost brushing his face from the close proximity. He couldn't help but become even closer to her, contrasting his forehead with hers. A closed mouth grin played on his face, making puffy clouds leak from his puppy dog cold nose, the opposite temperature of his warm breathing contradicting the rest of his face. His fiery amber eyes popped because of the chestnut color of the tamed ringlets of hair falling in his face, sending Melissa a primitive message of reassurance.


The two lacked the acknowledgement of the swiftly falling snow settling into their winter jackets and hair, the attention of one another distracting them from their surroundings. Melissa's insides turned into a melting goop when he let out a few unexpected deep chuckles, suddenly disconnecting their somewhat revolutionary stare, a new transition that was disturbed between the two when he sprang out into the road. Melissa observed his extremely jumpy and pure happiness attitude, spelling out the definition of his mood on the street with his messy feet composure.

Nick twirled in every direction, not letting the dizzy feeling slow him down. He could care less at the moment. Squinting his eyes, he stuck out his tongue and caught a snowflake every now and then, moving faster than the flakes were falling. He abruptly stopped, a little off balance, and looked over at Melissa who was sporting one of the widest natural smiles he's ever seen from her. He shouted with glee, 'Come on Lissa! Dance with me!'

Without another word, she too was spinning round and round in a never ending pattern, putting a new twist in the festivities by holding out her arms to the side. Catching an unnoticeable glimpse of her, he soon followed, occasionally bumping arms with her.

Once the nausea feeling settled into their stomachs, they slowed down and to Melissa's surprise, Nick beat her to completely stopping, pulling her into his body. He took advantage of the sudden gust of blistering wind and hugged her tightly to keep both of them warm. He was so relieved to be with her, after all the commotion that has been wrecking their platonic relationship, like pointless fights and disagreements. He was overjoyed to finally find a moment where they weren't forced apart, bickering, or any other one of the problems that seemed to be clouding their friendship. With Melissa's arms wrapped around his torso and his firmly grasping her shoulder blades, tucking her head under his chin, he subtly expressed in a gentle voice, 'Your hair's so soft Lissa.'

Letting the esteem boosting words flow directly into the crystal clear airwaves, his voice tickling her ear because of the tiny vibrations coming off his mouth, she grinned in his body. Melissa let the frigid current piercing both her and Nick with microscopic pins of ice take its course. She absolutely loved winter, it was the most appreciated season of the year just because it served the opposite purpose to her; it made her warmer, not colder, because that means she and Nick would become closer each year.

Her sheepish words vibrated his skin, 'Never stop calling me Lissa, Nick.'

'Never Lissa, I promise,' he agreed. He did so because of the feeling of honor he renewed ever time he let out the simple term. No one else was allowed to thrust the meaningful name upon her, no one but her best friend, her only friend.