赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Galen stood outside Bell’s office, pacing back and forth just out of sight. He had been there fifteen minutes already.

He had debated walking in but was afraid she was busy and he would distract her. Then he thought he would knock, but again, what if she were right in the middle of an important note and she lost her concentration.

His mind was full of questions and debates. Should he kiss her as a greeting? Should he hug her? Should he wait and see how she wanted it to go? But what if she thought he wasn’t interested; he was very interested.

So caught up in the tornado of his mental anguish, Galen did not hear the door open or feel her eyes on him.

Bell had been watching him for at least a couple of minutes before she cleared her throat.

She would have happily watched him continue to pace back and forth with anticipation and worry for a lot longer. His concerns were written plainly on his face, and she relished it.

If not for the fact that she knew Autumn and Spring were expected to arrive in the next twenty minutes, and she wanted to be as far away from the festivities as possible at that time.

Galen froze in place, his back to her.

“Please be a random nurse or doctor just curious about the weirdo pacing the hall…” he whispered to himself.

He slowly turned around to find it was, of course, the source of all his anticipation and worry.

Bell stood with one shoulder pressed to the door frame, and her arms crossed over her chest. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. Her eyes were lightly painted in shadowed greens. Her lips were decorated in a color that Galen only knew lived somewhere between pink and red, making her lips much more attractive.

“Galen!” she called out.

Her tone was such that he realized she had called him more than once. His face flushed immediately._.

Bell let out a soft giggle and closed the distance between them. She slipped her arms under his and wrapped them tightly around his body. Resting her head against his chest, she breathed him in.

Galen let out the breath he hadn’t even meant to hold. He gently wrapped his arms around her and bent to kiss the top of her head.

“Hi,” she said.

“Hi,” he answered.

***

They walked hand in hand back to her house, where she had two backpacks prepped and ready to go.

“What’s this?” Galen asked as he took the pack she offered.

“We’re going on a hike,” Bell said excitedly.

Galen looked at the rather large bag with confusion.

“This seems like a lot for a hike,” he commented.

“Well, there is extra water, some snacks, dinner stuff, all the camping basics, the tent, oh, can’t forget these,” Bell replied, grabbing a rolled-up sleeping bag and handing it to him.

Galen took it and stared down at it for a long moment. Finally, he looked back at her with confusion.

“Camping basics? Tent?” he asked, looking down at the sleeping bag again. “Are we spending the night?”

“Why?” she asked. “Scared?”

“A little,” he replied.

Bell laughed.

“I am fully aware of how strict the customs of Winter are about relationships; I can’t imagine that this is on the approved list.”

“Probably not, but I’m not the best about following rules,” Bell replied with a wink. “Come on, we need to get going.”

“Are we in a hurry?” Galen asked, attaching the sleeping bag to the bottom of his backpack.

“Kind of,” Bell said. “I would like to be at the campsite by sundown. It’s a beautiful view.”

Galen nodded and motioned for her to lead the way.

They headed into the woods and up the trail. They hiked up the mountain for an hour and a half before stopping.

Galen looked out from over the valley below. It was both beautiful and terrifying. This view faced the backside of the mountain, away from the settlements in the north. Here there were jagged edges and giant boulders covered in ice and snow.

They continued, wrapping the mountain once more before Bell finally said they had reached their destination. Not a moment too soon, as the warm hues of sunset filled the sky.

Through the trees, Galen could see an opening. He walked forward, and his breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell upon the view before him.

He could see out into the Winter landscape for miles. The forest below, the clearings, and the northern base. He knew that this area housed more than three hundred individuals, but it looked like a village for dolls from here. In the distance, he could see lights of the small northern communities spread out amongst the snow-covered territory.

Above him and before him, the sky was filled with the warm glow of sunset. Orange, red, yellow, and just a touch of purples stretched over the horizon as the sun was swallowed by the world.

“Gorgeous, right?” Bell asked as she came through the trees behind him.

Galen could only nod.

Bell smiled as she saw the look on Galen’s face. It was even more beautiful to her than the painted landscape of the sky.

He caught her stare, and she quickly looked away with a flush.

“Let’s sit,” she said, pointing.

Galen looked where she pointed. He saw a clear campsite. A circle of stones not entirely covered in snow and two logs were placed around the fire pit as benches.

He set down his pack beside the log and sat down. Bell did the same, sitting beside him and resting her head against his shoulder.

They watched in silence as the colors shifted and changed across the sky, stretching into deeper hues of pinks, reds, purples, and blues.

The snow began to fall around them just before the sun was entirely gone.

“Uh oh,” Bell laughed. “We better get the tent set up before it snows too much. I’m afraid a pretty Summer boy like you might get upset about snow in your hair.”

Bell laughed to herself, sitting up and reaching for her pack.

“Actually,” Galen said gently, “I really like the snow.”

Bell looked up to see him reaching a hand into the sky, a soft smile on his face as he watched the small flakes land.

“My dad did, too,” she said.

Galen looked back at her curiously. She smiled.

“In Autumn, it didn’t snow much, maybe once a year, and only for a day or two. Really more just a light dusting,” Bell began. “But there was one time, I was… maybe six? I think?”

Galen listened intently.

“There was a massive storm, snow everywhere. It was amazing,” Bell spoke with a smile in her voice. “And I remember my dad, this very serious, very stern man, he just lit up.

“He shifted into his wolf and just ran outside. He became this playful puppy bouncing around in the snow. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen.”

Bell laughed, and Galen watched her with awe.

“We spent the whole day out there, he taught me to make snow angels, a snowman, and we had a snowball fight,” she sighed gently at the memory. “We spent the evening wrapped up in a warm blanket on the couch. It was the first time I ever had hot cocoa too.”

Bell swallowed and took a shaky breath as her joyful memories threatened to bring out the tears she had long ago forced back.

“Sorry,” she said with a smile. “Didn’t mean to get wrapped up in my own thoughts.”

Galen tilted his head. He looked at her thoughtfully before turning his face back to the snow falling from the sky.

“My first trip to Winter was about seven years ago with Alpha Cain. When I was training, he brought me to each of the major packs to experience what they were each like. Before that first day in Winter, I had never actually seen snow.”

Galen smiled. “It was pretty.”

Bell let out a soft giggle. Galen looked at her. He could see his words were relaxing her mind. He turned away and put his hand out again, feeling the light slush falling against his palm.

“I had always wondered how it felt,” he continued. “My mother would make snowflakes out of paper and hang them on the windows when I was very young. She never got the chance to see it for herself, but she always wanted to.”

Galen swallowed as he thought of his mother. His memories of her were clouded. He couldn’t even remember her face clearly.

“Those snowflakes are one of the only things I really remember about her,” he said quietly. “Being here while the snow falls… I feel closer to her.”

They were both quiet.

Finally, Galen broke the silence with a gentle laugh.

“Sorry,” he said, “I have never shared that with anyone before. I didn’t realize how sad it would be.”

He looked up at Bell with a smile and glistening eyes as the unwelcome tears had forced their way into his eyes.

Bell reached up and wiped away the tear that escaped his eye.

“I have never told anyone about my dad either,” Bell said, licking her lips nervously. “You are important to me too, Galen.”

Galen opened his arms, and Bell immediately moved into them. They held each other, embracing the warmth of their feelings.