The deepening hours of cold darkness brought a pinching sensation to the tips of your exposed fingers, and the harsh wind whistling past your ears was nearly deafening. You lifted your gaze to the sky as delicate flakes of snow dusted your nose. Raising a hand to catch a snowflake or two, your moment of tranquil focus was abruptly shattered as someone rudely bumped into you.

You stumbled forward slightly, but managed to quickly regain your balance. Spinning around, you faced the person who had collided with you—a man who looked just as surprised and dumbfounded as you felt.

Clearing his throat, the man ran a hand frustratingly through his hair before speaking, his voice cutting and cold.

**“You’re not even going to apologize?”*+ he demanded, dusting the snow off his tweed coat while looking down at you. “It’s rude to bump into people, you know?”