At long last, the car stopped. Lucas had eventually dozed off, but I could almost never sleep in cars. It had snowed in London, but it was nothing like here, I noticed. It was just like I remembered. The houses, the small streets, the trees... It was a little more snowed over than the last time, but it still looked the same.

It was still light as I got out, but it would be growing dark soon. We'd timed our journey that way precisely to avoid driving in the dark in this weather. It was quite bad enough in the daytime, my parents said.

"It brings back a lot of memories, being back here, doesn't it, Riley?" Dad said behind as he heaved a sleeping Lucas out of the car.

"... Yeah," I admitted, though I couldn't quite decide if they were good or bad.

Life in London had always been so different... It was to be expected, of course, but still.

"Can you help me with the bags, sweetie?" Mum called from the back of the car.

"Oh... yeah, coming, Mum."

Just then, the front door opened and Grandma Velma came towards her, wrapped in a thick woolly shawl. She was an elderly woman with greying hair, hunched with age but still impressively nimble, in my opinion. And she made a wonderful chocolate pie. In fact, I thought I could smell it from outside.

"Oh, there you are!" she cried happily. "It's so nice to see you!"

"Hello, Mum," Mum smiled, giving her a one arm hug.

"My, that looks rather heavy, d'you want me to take that?" Grandma offered.

"Oh, no, thank you, Mum, I've got it," Mum said, quickly walking inside.

I secretly agreed. If it was heavy for Mum, it might break Grandma's arm. Dad greeted her politely then headed inside to put Lucas to bed.

"There's my favourite granddaughter!" she exclaimed, marching towards me.

"Hi, Grandma," I said, forcing a smile.

I was still annoyed that we hadn't just stayed in London, but it wasn't Grandma Velma's fault. And I wasn't cruel. If I showed my displeasure, It was sure to hurt her feelings, and I didn't want that. But I could have done without the sharp pinching of my cheeks.

"Oh, you've grown so big! You look wonderful, dear!" she cooed.

"Thanks, Grandma, but don't you think I'm a bit past the cheek pinching?"

"Oh, poppycock!" she chuckled, pinching one of my cheeks again.

I waited for her to turn back into the house before letting out my sigh. This was going to be a really long Christmas. Shivering slightly in spite of my warm coat, I turned to the car and began pulling a couple of bags out. The second one proved heavier than I'd thought, however, so I set one down and tried using my second hand. But still, it wasn't budging.

"Want some help with that?" a voice asked behind me.

I jumped and turned around.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I saw you arrive and thought you might want some help."

"Uh..."

I took the newcomer in. Tall, wearing a thick coat and scarf, he was smiling at me.

"Thanks," I say, picking up the bag I'd put down. "I'm Riley."

"I know," he said.

I froze, staring at him.

"You... do?"

He smiled.

"Yeah, I probably look different without my chubby cheeks and braces, don't I?"

I looked at him again. Now that I paid attention, he did look familiar... My eyes suddenly widened as I remembered who he was.

"Oh, my gosh, Scott!" I exclaimed, slapping my hand to my mouth. "I'm so sorry, I didn't recognise you!"

I dropped the bag and hugged him.

"You look so different!"

"Yeah, it's a new look I'm trying," he grinned.

"It suits you," I said earnestly.

It did. He seemed better in his skin, though there was still an edge of shyness to his voice.

"Here, let me help you with that," he offered.

Together, they tugged at the bag I'd been struggling with.

"Good grief, what's in there, rocks?"

"No, my Grandma's cast iron cooking set. She insists on cooking Christmas dinner with it..."

"Doesn't she have her own?"

"Yes, but she says ours is better," I said, rolling her eyes.

Scott laughed heartily, and I couldn't help joining in. I put the first bag back into the boot and together, we heaved the heavy set inside.

Grandma's house was smaller than ours, since she lived alone, so Christmas there was often crowded, even if it was always fun. The only drawback was my having to share a room with Lucas, who snored extremely loudly for a child that age. The house was already bustling with activity when we arrived.

"Oh, hello there, Scott!" Grandma smiled as we came in. "I thought I saw you in the window earlier. How are you?"

"That can't be Scott Miller?" Dad's voice said as he came out of the kitchen.

"I didn't recognize him either," I said. "But it is."

"Well I'll be," Dad said. "You're looking well."

"I am, thank you." Scott replied. "So are you."

"Dad, where d'you want these, they weigh a ton," I put in, because my arms were going numb.

"Oh, of course. Just set them on the kitchen table, darling."

He hurried past us to bring in more bags. So, Scott and I did as he asked. Mum was already busy putting all the food in the cupboards and fridge. Lucas was probably already fast asleep in the room we were sharing. When she looked around at us, she gasped.

"Goodness, Scott, you've grown so much!" she said.

"One does that in three years at my age," he grinned.

Mum laughed.

"True, true. How is everyone?"

"Mum and Dad are working, and the girls are at a friend's," he told her."But they're all fine, thanks. I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

"As will we," Dad replied as he came in with more bags.

"Oh, Mum's got the tree but she can't get to the decorations in the attic, would you mind bringing them down?" Mum asked me.

"Okay. Scott, would you give me a hand?"

"Sure," he replied.

So, we set off to the attic, which was at the top of a wooden staircase embedded in the ceiling you pulled down with a cord.

"Ugh... I'd forgotten how high it was," I sighed when I couldn't quite reach the cord. "Dad usually has a step ladder."

Scott stood before me, hands cupped into a step.

"Here, I'll lift you up."

I looked at him in surprise, but smiled.

"Good idea."

I pulled off my shoes to not hurt him and placed my foot on his hands. Then, stabilising myself with his shoulders, I reached up and caught the string.

"Okay, got it!" I said, and pulled.

It slid down obediently, despite creaking sounds. Carefully, I clambered down.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"Don't mention it," he smiled back. "Now, then. We have decorations to find."

"And a tree to decorate," I agreed.

"Hey, if your grandmother couldn't get the decorations down from there, how did she do it when you weren't here?"

"She came to London to stay with us," I explained. "But my parents don't like her driving in the snow, so we came this year."

So, I began climbing up the ladder. It was steeper than I remembered, however, and my foot landed wrong on the step halfway up. I slipped and fell backwards... but instead of landing on the floor very painfully, I felt something break my fall. I looked up and saw Scott.

I had landed in his outstretched arms, my feet still on the ladder. I looked up at him, my blood pounding in my ears. Cheesy girls would have said it was being caught by a good-looking boy,

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah... thanks. Neat save." I said as he straightened me.

"I appreciate the compliment," he smiled.

I chuckled and started climbing again, this time more carefully. He climbed behind me and soon, we were in the attic. Little did I know at the time it would change my life forever.