Let it Snow!

❄Thirty-One❄

"Are you all right?" Martin asked her, his voice low, only meant for Nora to hear, and when she nodded and smiled, he turned back to Daniel, who had asked him something Nora hadn't heard.

"Uncle Eric will arrive on the twenty-fourth, he can't make it earlier," Martin replied to Daniel. "And now, eat your lunch, both of you," he added, letting his eyes stroll to the window before looking at Nora again, "if you still want to skate, we should leave as soon as possible. It's about to snow again and it will be dark soon."

Happy for an excuse to avoid his all-seeing eyes for a few moments, Nora looked to the window. Silvery-grey clouds, sculpted by the wind into what looked like mounds of whipped cream, covered the previously blue sky, getting darker and denser by the minute.

"It's better to leave the dishes for later then," she said. "Let us go out as soon as we are ready."

"That's a good idea," Martin agreed. "The café by the lake rents skates, Nora, we'll grab a pair for you there."

Nora nodded and stood up, piling up their plates and cutlery and carrying them towards the sink. She smiled-- just like her, Martin didn't have a dishwasher and she liked it, to her it spoke volumes about his lifestyle, and character. He was a family man, spending his free time with Daniel, not someone who entertained crowds at home. His flat was a sanctuary, just like her cottage. They had many things in common.

Her breath caught when she suddenly felt him behind her, very close, his free arm wrapping around her waist from behind and his lips brushing against the side of her neck after his other hand deposited their used glasses in the sink, on top of the plates.

Nora inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, leaning into him for a few blissful moments before she recollected again that they were not alone and tried to pull away.

He kept her close for an instant longer, before releasing her even as he whispered in her ear at the same moment when she muttered the identical line, their voices entwining to create a soft, "We need to talk."

She giggled, and when he spun her around to look in her eyes, she saw that he was smiling. Together, they walked towards Daniel, who was already waiting for them by the door. They donned their coats and shoes quickly, exited the flat and the castle holding hands, and reached the lake even as the first huge snowflakes started to flutter from the heavy, leaden clouds.

Nora refused to rent a pair of skates when she realised the unpredictability of the weather. They wouldn't stay outside too long, and Daniel didn't need her company on the ice anyway-- he could skate better than her, and the frozen lake was swarming with his friends.

Martin helped his son put the skates on, and then he and Nora just stood on the bank, watching Daniel as he skated off hastily to join his friends. Neither tried to fill in the pleasant, companionable silence while they gravitated inevitably closer to each other as the seconds ticked by, until Martin's arm was wrapped around her waist and Nora struggled to resist the temptation to lean her head on his shoulder. But that would make them look like a couple, which they weren't, in front of too many people, she mused, revelling in the warmth emanating from his body as the cold wind scattered the snowflakes around them in a wild disarray.

Nora spotted the daughter before she saw the mother-- Lily suddenly ran past them, not noticing Martin, her full attention riveted on Daniel while her mother's voice trailed after her like her loose red curls, "Oh where's the fire? He'll wait for you, Lily!"

A young girl caught up with Lily and helped her with her skates long before Victoria in her high heels, perfectly unsuitable for the place and weather, approached Martin and Nora.

Seeing her struggle up the gentle slope, Martin walked towards her and offered her his arm.

"Have you two met before? Nora, this is Victoria, my..."

Not letting him finish, Victoria extended her arm for a handshake towards Nora. "So this is your latest au-pair. Nice to meet you, Nora. You seem... a little older that the previous girls, apart from Adele of course," she said, smiling at her own attempt at a joke, "but I'm sure you'll find something to talk about with Natalia." She nodded towards the tall teenage girl skating after Daniel at Lily's side. "I brought her with me so we can leave the kids here for an hour or so, you didn't tell me you'd be bringing your girl, too," she explained, now smiling at Martin.

Martin looked at Nora as if he was hoping that she would try to correct his friend, tell her that she was more than Daniel's au-pair, but Nora didn't know what to say. The way the other woman moulded herself around his arm disarmed her, and she could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks when she realised that Victoria had spoken the truth. She was only Martin's employee at the moment, and these two had a history. Maybe Martin didn't feel the same way about his... friend any longer, but judging from the way Victoria clung to him and spoke to Nora, he hadn't done a good enough job convincing her that for him, she was just that now, a simple friend.

And how could any man see her like a friend only, Nora mused, Victoria was a stunning woman... Nora blushed again; the woman standing in front of her was so much more attractive than her.

She cleared her voice before she said, avoiding Martin's eyes, "Well, have a nice afternoon, you two. I'll take Daniel home if it starts snowing too much." Turning away from them, she walked to the lake's edge from where she could see Daniel well.

Nora turned back towards them briefly and smiled in agreement when Martin's voice reached her, "Call if you need anything. I won't be long."

He didn't stay too long, but the hour and a half that expired before she saw him again felt like eternity to Nora. She wasn't jealous of Victoria, of course she wasn't, she just didn't like the idea of her being close to Martin, spending any amount of time alone with him, she mused as she prepared a cup of hot chocolate for Daniel after she had dealt with the dishes. It was snowing heavily outside now, and the snow covering the roofs of the castle transmitted an eerie brightness into the large round room.

"Thanks, Nora," Daniel beamed at her as she put his steaming drink on the coffee table before she sat down next to him on the rug, where he was building fantastical castles out of his Lego blocks. She picked up a few blocks and tried to construct something for his world, but her mind refused to come up with a project; it stayed preoccupied with Martin and Victoria until Martin finally arrived.

"Daddy!" Daniel called, jumping to his feet and running to him, giving Nora's heart time to settle back into normal pace before she stood up too. Of course she wasn't feeling as excited about Martin's return as Daniel, she tried to persuade herself, fighting against the urge to rush towards him as his son had.

"It's snowing so much!" he called, shaking his head, sending drops of water flying around and making Daniel squeal, laugh, and rush back to the safety of his Lego world.

"I really think you should stay here tonight... " he added gently, his voice laced with hesitation, as Nora approached him at such leisurely pace as she could muster and reached out for his damp coat.

Her welcoming smile faded somewhat at hearing this proposition-- She absolutely wasn't ready for spending the night under his roof!-- and he was quick to notice and change his offer.

"I could get you a room in the hotel. It will take you ages to get back home, and you'll get drenched."

"No, thank you, Martin. I wish to go home. Unless you need me, I'd like to go now before the weather gets worse," Nora said, pulling her phone from the pocket of her jeans to check the time. It was nearly six, and she hadn't been at home since the morning.

Without trying to persuade her further, Martin nodded and took his coat, which she was still holding, from her and put it back on. "Let's go then," he said.

"But you don't have to walk with me, there's no point, you should stay with Daniel," Nora protested as she pushed her arms through the sleeves of her coat, which Martin held out for her.

"He'll be fine for half an hour, won't you, Daniel? I'll just accompany Nora home, and I'll be right back," Martin said, waving at his son across the room while Nora put her shoes on and grabbed her handbag from the bench.

"Bye, Daniel, I'll see you in the morning," she said, waving at the boy as well, before exiting the flat through the door that Martin held open for her.