They washed quickly and bundled up—Grey went to his room to do it—and stepped outside together. The world was asleep. It felt decadent, the air redolent with mystery, to be out at this time of night with a boy who felt like he’d stepped out of the pages of a fairy tale, whole and breathing.

Jaya tipped her head back and caught a snowflake on her tongue. “Yummy.” Her voice was muffled, like someone was holding a scarf over her mouth. “I love that,” she said, turning to Grey, who was watching her with a half smile on his face. “How the snow makes you sound quieter.”

“When was the last time you saw it? Before Aspen, I mean?” he asked, sinking his boots into a fresh pile of snow.

“Two years ago, when we were in a boarding school in Amsterdam. That winter, we went to Switzerland with my parents. We stayed in a really cozy Swiss chalet and read books the entire time. No phone calls, no meetings, no one we didn’t want to be around.”

It had been one of Jaya’s favorite holidays. Isha said the chalet reminded her of a gingerbread house. Appa was done with business earlier than he’d predicted, so they’d spent time together as a family for almost the entire two weeks they were there. Jaya remembered how, one night, their housekeeper had made them all creamy hot cocoas. The four of them had curled up in front of the fire and read their books in complete silence for hours. Jaya had never felt closer to her family, which was odd because they weren’t even talking. Still, she’d felt herself go soft and pliable, like her edges were melting into theirs, like they were all just one heart beating in symphony.

Jaya blinked away the memory, feeling a sudden pang for her family, for that time of innocence and happiness. What would they think of her now, outside in the middle of the night with an Emerson?

“That sounds really nice.” Grey looked at her, his thick, dark eyelashes dusted with snowflakes. The yearning in his voice was masked, but undeniable.

“I’m sorry you never had that with your father,” Jaya said, hesitating just a moment before putting a hand on his.

He didn’t pull away. “Thanks.”

Her heart thudded at the look in his eyes, at the silence between them. After a pause, Jaya took her hand from his and said, “You’re… different now.”

Grey began to press his boots into snowdrifts again. “Yeah.”

“What changed?”

He glanced at her, just for a moment. “You know what changed.”

“Telling me about the curse?” Jaya guessed.

“That. And…” Grey looked at her more fully now. “You’ve changed too,” he said frankly. They began to walk together, deeper into the trees. “After our blow-up in Aspen. You’re less… blinky.”