Silence hung over Victor and Lenore as they walked down the suburban streets. Every few feet, Lenore would shoot him a look from the corner of her eye, wondering when he was going to say something. He was the one who had requested to walk with her, after all. It was his bomb to drop.

She forced her eyes forward again, rubbing her lips together. She hated not knowing what he was going to say. Waiting was worse than the impact.

She also didn't understand how he wasn't freezing. She was wearing the waterproof shell of her winter jacket and still, she was shivering, but he was only wearing a hoodie. It was a light heather green and complimented the olive tones of his skin.

He must run warm, she figured.

But that thought only made the aching in her chest worse. Thinking of his warmth made her think of his skin and what it'd feel like to touch it. She wondered how'd feel to graze her fingers against his arm where he'd pushed up the sleeves of his hoodie.

But then she remembered that she'd never get to do that and her heart felt heavy all over again.

"Sooo," Victor said suddenly, breaking the awkward silence. They had made it to the edge of the cul-de-sac. The gate to Lenore's driveway was just ahead.

This is it, Lenore thought, bracing herself. "Yeah?"

She expected him to stop and turn to her, ready to leave her at the gate to limp home on her own. But instead, he kept walking, right up to the gate. He pushed on it—her mother now left it unlocked for her—and held it open for her to pass through.

Lenore eyed him as she passed. When he was going to spit it out?

Victor seemed to be struggling with it. He avoided her gaze and kept rubbing at his neck. His face was red again, redder than could be attributed to the chill in the air.

"So," he began again. "Your family has been in this town for a while, huh?"

That was not what Lenore was expecting.

"Uh, I guess," she said, reeling. "But what does that have to do with anything—"

Her boots hit a weird divet in the rocky driveway and her ankle rolled. She toppled forward with a cry.

"Easy!"

Victor grabbed her just in time to prevent her from falling face-first into the gravel.

"Thanks," she muttered. Her heart began to race as she realized that Victor's hand had looped around her wrist, his skin on hers.

Just like she thought, he did run hot. Lenore wanted to pull him closer, wrapping her arms around him, and taste his warmth for herself.

But Victor yanked his hand back as she'd burned him. Judging by the tension in his shoulders and the worry in his features, he regretted touching her.

"S-Sorry," he said, going redder still.

There was a stab in her chest like her heart had just been punctured. She had to press her lips together to keep them from trembling.

Was this how it was going to be from now on?

Did he hate her now?

Lenore couldn't take the guessing anymore.

"Is there something you wanted to say to me?" she asked. Her voice shook as she spoke, and she hated herself for it.

Victor just swallowed and dropped his gaze to his feet. He began to kick at the rocks of the gravel road. "Y-yes, actually—"

The sky flashed and a loud boom of thunder rang out...

And then the rain came.

It poured down all around them, soaking them through in a matter of seconds. All Lenore could do was scream and race toward her house. She didn't expect him to follow, but he did, cursing as he ran. Whatever he had to say to her must be important.

They made it back to the old white farmhouse in record time. They threw themselves onto the porch and sat there for a minute, gasping for air, swiping their wet, plastered hair out of their eyes. When they finally turned to look at each other, they shared the same look. Half-stunned and half-drowned.

And then Victor... smiled. He began to laugh, the soft, deep sound echoing through Lenore's body even from a distance.

Even with everything looming over her, Lenore couldn't help but start to laugh, too. This whole situation was ridiculous. Unbelievable and horrible and ridiculous—

After a few moments of manic laughter, Victor's voice faltered. He stopped and stared at her, his brow in a knot of conflict.

Then he leaned over and kissed her.

Lenore didn't know what to do. Another peal of thunder rolled overhead... Or was it her pulse pounding in her ears?

Lenore wondered if this was some sort of dream. Or maybe she had been hit by a car on the way home and this was the last comforting fantasy her brain produced before flickering out for good. Either way, it seemed too good to be true. She pinched herself, wondering if it would be enough to break the spell.

But no matter how much she pinched and pinched and pinched, Victor's lips were still there, pressed against hers.

Reality or not, Lenore let herself lean into him. His lips were soft and warm, and they moved gently in time with hers. But just as Lenore was about to let herself sink into this dream, she remembered...

Fiona.

She jerked back from Victor, her eyes going wide as she looked at him.

"We can't," she sputtered.

"Why not?" Victor asked, his eyes clouded with something intoxicating that threatened to pull Lenore back in.

"Because you're dating Fiona," she whispered.

Victor blinked, clearing the fog in his eyes. He stared at her for a moment and then burst into a fresh round of laughter. This laughter was louder, deeper, almost hysterical. It took him a second to regain control of himself.

"I'm not dating Fiona!" he cried between fits of chuckles.

"What?" Lenore echoed. "But... She... You... You and her are so close!"

"We're close because she's the first friend I made in Eden," he explained, grinning wildly as if he had truly gone mad. "Well, after you, but I wasn't sure if you were ever going to show up." Another laugh broke free from him.

"Why is this so funny?"

"Let's just say I am not Fiona's type," he said, still chuckling.

Lenore didn't get it. Someone like Victor not being anyone's type seemed impossible. Unless...

"Oh," she muttered as it dawned on her. "She's...?"

"Not my story to tell," he said, holding up his hands. At least seemed to have control of his giggles, now. "She's going to lose it when I tell her about this."

The reality of it still hadn't set in yet. "But, wait, if you're not with Fiona, then..."

"You're so smart and yet sometimes you're totally clueless." Victor smiled at her, his look tender. "Why do you think Fiona has been trying to force us together?"

Lenore remembered Fiona refusing to take no for an answer when she pushed the permission slip on her. And then again today, when she teased Victor until he turned red, and the look she gave Lenore after.

In some weird way, she had been trying to help.

"Anyway, it's not her that I like," Victor said, finally, when Lenore had been too quiet for too long. "I like you, Lenore."

Lenore felt her face flare hot. This couldn't be real.

She had a million things to say, a million questions to ask, but she couldn't force the words out. And Victor was sitting there, staring at her with that gentle, curious look, waiting for her response...

So she reached over and kissed him again. He seemed to understand what she was trying to say because he quickly kissed her back.

Lenore no longer cared if she had been run down by a vehicle, and that this was her last thought. That would be fine because it was perfect.

Beside them, the front door creaked open.

Lenore and Victor leapt back from each other.

Lenore's mother appeared in the open door, stopping halfway as she caught sight of the two teenagers standing rigid, rain-soaked and red-faced, on the porch.

She looked between the two of them, her cool blue eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"I thought that was you," she said, focussing on Lenore. "I heard voices."

"Uh, yeah, V-Victor was just... He was, uh," Lenore babbled, trying to come up with some kind of excuse as to why there was a strange boy on their porch and why both of them looked like they had committed a crime. "He was just walking me home."

Victor nodded vigorously. "Yep. I was. And now... Now, you're home!"

"Yes," Lenore replied. "I am. Home."

"Well, Lenore," her mother said, sharply enunciating her name, "you should probably come inside and change out of your wet things before you catch your death of cold."

Lenore didn't want to leave Victor's side, but she didn't know how else to convince her mother to go back inside. "I will. Soon. I just need... to say goodbye."

"I see," her mother said, and then looked Victor over. "Do you need a ride or something?"

"No, no," Victor protested quickly. "I don't want to get your seats wet."

Her mother eyed the still pouring rain just beyond the porch. "Are you sure?"

"Very sure. Thank you, though," Victor replied, polite as ever. "I just live on the other side of the forest, so it's not too far."

He pointed to the large forest on the edges of the yard as if her mother might've forgotten it was there. That made her mother's eyebrows raise. Her face went taut for a moment then she quickly shook her head out.

"If you're sure, then I won't stop you," she said. "But don't dawdle. This storm is only going to get worse."

"I won't," Victor promised.

The three of them went quiet as they stared at each other. Lenore wanted to tell her mother to go away but there was no way to communicate that to her mother without Victor noticing. She had half a mind to shove her back inside and slam the door behind her.

Her mother seemed to get the hint all the same. "I'll give you two a moment to say your goodbyes," she said and then shot her daughter a look.
"Don't be too long."

"W-We won't," Lenore promised, letting out a small breath of relief.

Her mother turned to close the door, then paused. She looked at Victor, her eyes tight and shrewd as if she was reading him like a book.

"Nice to meet you," her mother said, "Victor."

"Nice to meet you, too," he quickly replied. He tried to smile, but his lips were shaking so it came out looking painful.

His mother just nodded and finally shut the door.

As soon as she was out of sight, Victor leaned into Lenore's ear.

"Wow," he whispered, shooting sideways glances at the door like her mother might reappear at any moment. "Your mom is intense."

Lenore sighed. "You have no idea. But I don't want to talk about her."

She reached for Victor again but noticed her hands were snow-white, the tips blue. Now that she thought about it, she was so cold. The rain really might be the death of her.

"She was right, though," he said, noticing her hands, too. He took them in his—his hands were warm, almost hot compared to hers—to heat them up. "You should get inside. You're freezing."

Lenore wanted to pout, but he was right. "What about you? Are you really going to be okay walking home through the woods?"

"I mean, I wasn't planning on taking that route, but..." He gave a humourless laugh as he looked out onto the rain. "It's the quickest path, I think. It wasn't that far of a walk from my place to your family's graveyard. Can't be much further from this end, right?"

"It's not too bad," Lenore agreed.

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Though, I will need you to show me where the start of the path is."

Lenore giggled. She led him along the porch to the back of the house and showed him where the familiar path led into the forest.

"Do you want me to walk with you?" she asked.

The weather was absolutely miserable, but she'd brave it for a few more moments with him.

"No, you don't have to do that," Victor said. "I'll be fine. But I'll see you tomorrow."

Lenore smiled at that. Before, when she thought he might hate her, returning to school had seemed like hell. Now, it would be heaven.

"Why don't I come pick you up?" Victor asked. "In a car, I mean. No more walks in the rain."

"Sure," Lenore said. She had to bite into her lip to keep her smile from bursting across her face. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow then," he agreed and leaned in for one last kiss.

It was just as sweet but too short. Lenore had half a mind to wrap her arms around his neck to hold him in place, but she was really starting to feel the cold, and she knew he must be, too.

He pecked her once more on the cheek for good measure, and then faced the deluge. He took a deep breath, pulled up the hood of his green sweater, and gave her one last look. Then he leapt off the porch steps and into the rain.

She watched him run up the path, shielding his head as he went. He lingered at the tree line for just a second, his green hoodie bright against the dark woods, and waved to her before disappearing between the trees.

Lenore closed her eyes and let the sound of the rain pinging off the porch roof wash over her.

Suddenly, Eden was a paradise.

When a violent shiver shook through her, she knew she had to get inside. She went through the back door, kicking off her wet shoes and leaving them on the porch.

Her mother was waiting for her in the kitchen, sitting quietly at the table by the window. Lenore nearly jumped out of her skin when she spotted her.

"Jeez!" Lenore snapped. "What are you doing, lurking around?"

Her mother ignored her question. "Who's Victor?"

"Just a friend," Lenore lied. She wasn't about to talk about how she felt about Victor with her mother. She busied herself with pulling her socks off. They were soaked, too, and stuck to her skin.

Her mother nodded along, but Lenore could tell she didn't buy it. Lenore didn't care if she did.

She headed off, towards the laundry room to dump her wet things.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" her mother asked just before she left the kitchen.

Lenore froze at the threshold. Slowly she turned back to her mother.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying, I don't know if it's a good idea," her mother said again, though it was no longer a question. "You might not want to get too... attached."

"What?" Lenore shot back. "Why not?"

"I thought you wanted to get out of town as soon as possible," her mother said, tilting her head.

Lenore wanted to scream at her mother. It didn't help that her mother was right. A new knot formed in the pit of her stomach.

"So, what? You wanted me here, and now I'm not supposed to have any friends?"

"I never said that," her mother said. "I'm just warning you against getting attached."

That was enough. Lenore threw her wet things on the floor. They landed with a sharp splat.

"It's none of your business," she snapped and left her mother to clean up the mess she'd made.