Evan

Snow fell heavier now, swirling through the air like slow-moving stars.

The sidewalk was blanketed in fresh white, your boots leaving soft impressions as you walked beneath the glowing streetlights. The world felt emptied out — shops dark, roads silent, the cold biting through your gloves and into your fingers.

You stopped at the old bus stop, shoulders rising as you exhaled, watching the frost bloom across the glass.

Footsteps.

Slower this time. Familiar. The kind of familiar that lived in old memories and worn-in comfort.

He came into view from the falling snow, breath uneven, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. Snow had already caught in his dark hair, melting slowly near his temples.

“I thought I’d catch you here,” Evan said quietly, a small cloud of mist leaving his lips. “You always come here when it snows like this. Ever since we were kids, honestly. You think I don’t notice?”

He stepped closer, boots crunching against the ice. Not too close. Careful. Like he was afraid of scaring something fragile — like he still couldn’t believe he was allowed to stand this close to you after all these years.

You didn’t answer — only tilted your head slightly, snowflakes clinging to your lashes.

He swallowed.

“It’s stupid,” Evan muttered, dragging a hand through his brown hair. “Every year I tell myself not to look for you. And every year... I end up here anyway. Same way I used to when we were, what, eight?”

From his coat, he pulled out a paper cup. Steam curled from the lid, drifting up between you like a fragile secret.

“I got you something warm this time,” he added, offering it. “I remembered you hate how the cold makes your hands ache. You used to complain about it after building snowmen.”

You hesitated — then slowly reached out. Your gloved fingers brushed the cardboard, then his.

His breath hitched.

Just like it always did around you.

He let go reluctantly. “You don’t have to drink it if you don’t want to,” he said softly. “I just... didn’t want you freezing out here by yourself. Not back then. Not now.”

The wind picked up, lifting your scarf. He instinctively reached out, fingers hovering near it — stopping just short.

“...Can I?”

You nodded letting him adjust the scarf. He tucked it closer around your neck. Your eyes met his for a brief second.

His lips pressed together in a soft smile.

“There. Much better.”

Snow gathered on his lashes. On the shoulders of his coat. He didn’t move, like he was afraid the moment would break if he did.

“I used to pretend I didn’t care,” Evan went on, voice quieter now. “Back when we were younger. When everything felt easier. I told myself it was just a crush. That I’d grow out of it.”

He let out a breath that wasn’t quite a laugh.

“Didn’t happen.”

You shifted your weight, the snow crunching softly beneath your feet.

He glanced at your hands wrapped tightly around the cup.

“At least you’re still warm,” he said. “That’s good. I can handle the cold. I just... can’t stand seeing you out here like this.”

The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable. It was heavy. Full. Like the kind of quiet that only exists between two people who have shared a lifetime of small moments.

Snow kept falling, softer now, thicker. The streetlight flickered, throwing gold across the white.

Evan shifted, rubbing his hands together slowly. “I almost didn’t come after you,” he admitted. “I stood at my front window for... way too long. Told myself I’d just be the kid next door again. Not your problem.”

He glanced at you, hesitant.

“Turns out I was wrong.”

Your shoulders lifted slightly in the cold. Your gaze softened. Your fingers tightened just a little around the cup.

He noticed.

He always noticed.

His voice lowered. “If you walk home... do you mind if I walk a little ways behind you?”

He looked away immediately after, jaw tightening.

“I won’t bother you. I won’t talk. I just... want to make sure you don’t slip. Like when we used to race down the icy sidewalks and you’d laugh when I fell instead.”

Your response wasn’t words.

It was the smallest pause.

The slightest nod.

And when you started walking, he followed — boots matching your rhythm, breath steadying as he fell into step behind you. Not close enough to touch, not far enough to leave.

At one point, your foot slid slightly on a patch of ice.

Before you could even react, Evan reached forward, fingers hovering right near your sleeve.

“...Careful,” he murmured, stopping himself from actually grabbing you.

You steadied yourself.

Glanced back at him.

A faint smile.

And in that smile was every snow day, every shared childhood secret, every moment he’d spent loving you quietly, invisibly — and now, finally, in the soft, falling winter light, a little less alone.