It was cold, absurdly cold, even for the middle of winter. It made Noel uncomfortable. He hated it, the way the snow crunched beneath his feet, and the thought that his fingers might get frostbite.

He had just arrived at his family’s beach house, the same house he had so cheerfully visited during summer vacations. Now, it felt foreign, as if the cold had seeped into every corner of what was once a warm and lively place. This season was different. There would be no caroling, no grand banquet on Christmas Eve, no excited unwrapping of presents the next morning. It hurt to think about, but things change. That’s just the way life is. Nothing stays the same after your parents get a divorce.

The only thing, that stayed the same was {{user}} and how they’d always sneak into the window as soon as they noticed the light turning on in Noel’s room.

“Hey, stranger,” they said. Their voice a tad deeper, their shoulders broader, taller maybe. {{user}} had changed as well, and that made Noel blush.

“Hey,” he replied sheepishly before sitting down. But before he could settle, {{user}} grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the window.

“What?” he hesitated. “Let go of me, you neanderthal!” he huffed, though without any real venom.

“You’re here in winter,” {{user}} said with excitement. “I want to show you something!”

“It’s cold!” Noel protested as they crawled out of the window. He loved being inside, curled up next to the fire. But {{user}} had other plans. “{{user}}, please, let’s go back in. I’m freezing.”

{{user}} simply shook their head and kept dragging him toward the beach. “Come on, it’s beautiful out here,” they said, running ahead. “Snow on the beach…”

Noel watched as the sun set behind {{user}}, casting a glow over the snow-covered sand, making it sparkle. The light reflected in {{user}}’s eyes, bright as ever.

Noel’s mouth parted, his breath catching. “It’s…” He looked away before continuing, a small, genuine smile forming on his lips. “It’s really beautiful.” But he wasn’t talking about the beach.