The beginning of any new season was a hectic time for me, and winter was no exception. I had to get my winter crops planted quickly before the weather turned too cold and the ground froze, plus I still had my usual chores and errands to do. At least there wasn't really anything to forage once the last of the mushrooms and nuts were gone, so I didn't spend as much time on the mountain. Which was just as well, since riding over the mountain through the snow was no joke.

When I finally made it to Bluebell on the first clear day of the season, I found Eileen had left another message on the board for me to come talk to her, so I headed straight over to her house. As she pushed a steaming cup of tea into my shivering hands and steered me towards a chair near the fireplace, she told me that she'd been inspecting the tunnel, and that she thought it was safe to clear out some more of the blockage now. "I just need you to get the materials for me, and I can begin 'Phase 2' of 'Operation Shortcut'!" she said. I laughed and asked what she needed. She gave me the list, and again I had all the materials available—back at my farm, of course.

The next day was clear, too, so I packed everything up and set off over the mountain, walking alongside Nimbus as she pulled my cart over the snowy trail. As soon as I reached Eileen and gave her the supplies she'd requested, we went straight over to the Bluebell entrance to the tunnel. After quickly shoveling the snow away from the opening, she got right to work.

As she had done before, she cleared a section first from the Bluebell side. Then we returned to Konohana, where she worked on the tunnel from that side, too. "Once more will do it, I think! I just need to give it some time to settle and stabilize again, same as before. We don't want to rush it and have it collapse again. But we're almost there, Alice! I'll inspect it as soon as the winter snows have melted." Eileen said excitedly. And indeed, I felt a keen anticipation for the next season, and I hoped that the tunnel would be ready for the final stage by then.

The tunnel wasn't the only thing that had been undergoing improvements, either. Everyone had noticed by this point that the mayors were quarreling less and less, and were in fact almost friendly toward each other, their interactions characterized more by a good-natured bantering than by bickering now. This, I was sure, was a relief to everyone in both villages, and with the prospect of the tunnel through the mountain reopening in the not-too-distant future, relations were better than they had been in several generations between the two towns.

As busy as I was, I didn't see much of Kana for several days after I rejected his proposal. I wanted to give him some space, too, and not push my companionship on him while he was still hurting. But I missed his company terribly, so after several days, I decided to try to extend an olive branch, to see if he was interested in being friends again. I picked up a few "bombers" of his favorite beer from Yun's shop, and attaching a note to one of the large bottles, I set it on his stoop, knocked on his door, and high-tailed it out of sight. The note just said "I'm sorry for everything. I miss your smile. Can we still be friends? If so, will you join me for dinner? I'm making a spicy curry." I was nervous and jumpy as I waited, listening for his footsteps, not even knowing whether he'd come. I knew he was at home when I delivered the message—I'd heard his front door as I vanished down my drive. But... I didn't know if he was ready to see me. Or for that matter, if he ever would be.

I went ahead and made the curry—I had to eat, anyway, and I liked spicy food nearly as much as he did. When I finally heard footsteps crunching through the snow on my drive, I felt a thrill of relief mingled with nervous anticipation. A moment later, there was a knock on my door, and I threw it open. Standing on my porch was Kana, looking a little embarrassed and awkward—unusual for him. But still, he came, and that was the important thing. I invited him in, poured him a glass of beer, and we sat down at my table. I said that the curry would be ready soon, and he just nodded, looking down at his beer as if not knowing what to say. And neither did I, to be honest. It wasn't easy to just go back to being friends after something like that. I felt guilty, too—he didn't seem as hale and hearty as usual. He looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes, and I thought he might even have lost some weight.

I looked away for a moment, then turned to him and said, "So, umm... " just as he said "So, how... " We both stopped, then we both started and stopped simultaneously again. Then I started to giggle. He looked slightly taken aback, then an expression of relief came over him as he began to chuckle, too. Soon we were both laughing heartily, and the tension soon dissipated. "Let me go get that curry, okay? Drink up, there's plenty more!" I said with a relieved grin as I headed to my kitchen. I dished up two generous helpings of spicy curry on rice and brought them out, then went back to grab another cold bottle of beer, since the first one was already more than half empty.

We ate curry and drank beer and talked and laughed, almost—but not quite—like old times. I could still sense an undercurrent, like the tang of electricity in the air shortly before a storm. The curry was very spicy, and we had opened the last of the five large bottles of beer by the time we finished. In retrospect, I can say that it was not the best idea to drink so much beer with a man who had already admitted his feelings for me. But at the time, I was just happy and relieved that we were able to enjoy each others' company once again as we had before.

After we finished eating, we decided to take our glasses outside and enjoy the brilliance of the stars in the night. We leaned against a fence, and looked up at the sky. The stars were amazing—the sky was so clear and the night so dark, lit only by the three-quarter moon just rising above the horizon. There must have been thousands, if not millions, of stars overhead. At least, it felt that way. We finished our beers, enjoying the night in silence, and set our glasses on some adjacent fenceposts.

Just then, a chilly breeze blew down from the mountain through the trees, leaving me shivering. "Cold?" Kana asked. I nodded, my teeth chattering as I rubbed my arms to warm them. He scooted closer and wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in his heavy winter jacket. I leaned into the warmth of his body, and thought to myself that the scents of spices, hay, oats, and horses clinging to him was rather appealing on some fundamental level.

"Alice... " Kana whispered hoarsely. I looked up at him, and he was watching me with an expression of mingled pain, love, hunger, and... was that fear I saw in his eyes? "Alice, are you sure it wouldn't work out? Can't you give me a chance, same as Cam and Mikhail? I don't know how much they love you... but I do know how much I love you." I just stared into his eyes, feeling a wave of heat washing over me. I wasn't in love with Kana, I knew that.... Or did I? Was I so sure? Or had I just not really given it any serious thought? Would it really be so bad, to give him the same chance to try to win me over?

As I hesitated, intoxication and indecision rendering me mute for the moment, Kana lifted my face to his and leaned down to kiss me. I was taken by surprise, and I tried to pull away, but he held me firmly to him, his kisses urgent and needy. Again I felt the heat rising in me, and I gave up struggling, leaning into the kiss instead, my arms around his neck, my fingers twining through his thick, long hair, surprising in its softness. I could taste the spices and beer on his breath, but I didn't mind. After several minutes, I pulled free, gasping. He began to kiss down my neck, his hands slipping under my sweater and up my back, pulling me closer to him. I knew I had to stop him right then... or I might lose the ability and even the will to stop him at all.

I pulled back, pushing his hands away, and stood there, still breathless as I shook my head. "No... don't, Kana. I don't want this."

He looked at me, breathing hard, then leaned down and nuzzled my neck, whispering into my tingling skin, "Don't you? Are you sure? Because I do want you—only you. I've never wanted anyone so badly."

Again I pushed him back. "I'm sure. It's not right... even if I did think that I wanted it, you know I've had more to drink than I should have—we both have. I don't want to do something we'd regret later while we're under the influence. No matter what happens, Kana, I treasure your friendship, and it would kill me to lose it."

He put his hands down then, and turning away, mutely nodded. He grabbed his glass and began to walk back to the house, but I grabbed his hand to stop him. "But maybe... maybe I was too quick to say no before. Maybe we could give it a try, same as the others. Only... I'm afraid that if it doesn't work out, if I end up falling in love with someone else, that I'll lose your friendship."

He turned back to me, his face transfigured by hope, then pulled me to him and held me tightly. "Hey, that won't happen. I promise. No matter what, I'll always love you, even if I can only love you as a friend. I could never hate you... I could never turn my back on you."

I sobbed a little ragged sob of relief, burying my face in his chest. Then I looked up at him and said, "Okay, Kana. I'll... I'll think about it. I don't know how much of this is how I really feel and how much is the beer and the beautiful night. As with Cam and Mikhail, I won't make any promises other than to be honest with you. Okay?"

He nodded, holding me tightly for a minute before returning me to my warm house and heading for his home, looking like his happy-go-lucky self once more. But I wondered and worried... had I done the right thing in giving him that tiny ray of hope?