I gave Kal a smile that bordered on sadness and happiness.

'Tell him!' my mind insisted. 'Tell him now!'

But I...can't. Not right now, not that we're still celebrating Kal's obvious victory. 'Not right now when I'm not ready for rejection if I ever confess my love to him,' I thought.

The forest park had always been dim and crusted with snow. But this time, it looked like a glittering white paradise. Kal really made the entire forest a place to smile at rather than a place to frown and avoid. Families are already gathered here, roasting and cooking and laying out blankets in the snow. The cold never bothered...