18

The slightly chilly air nips at the back of his neck and at his exposed arms. But it's not cold enough for Nicholas to wear his jumper again. That kind of weather was up in the mountains. Now they're back in the Lodge, and everything, including the clothing choice, has gone back to being... mild.

Nick was rather surprised when he found himself feeling sad whilst saying goodbye to Keithia. She'd been on his mind from the moment he'd met her, yes, but that had been because of her strangeness - technically, because of her being a nymph. So, while seeing the girls tearing up and seeing Richard locking his jaw and rubbing at his already red eyes had been something Nick was already expecting, the sentiment he himself felt had come as a surprise to him.

The one month has changed him more than he had expected it to, he thinks.

"C'mon, big guy," he hears Stella saying as she throws her arm round Richard's shoulders, the latter stooping down as per habit even though his face is still considerably red. "Help me to the car, will you? I think my foot's still a bit sore. Probably shouldn't put too much weight on it."

When Richard gives Stella an incredulous look, she playfully punches him while still hugging him. "Oh just be a gentleman for once and help your friend out, you sod."

At this Richard finally lets out a bark of laughter, his first one in a long while. Way too long, on Nicholas' account.

Nick finds himself smiling, too, seeing his friends. He knows this trip has made him... softer, may be, but he thinks that's okay.

"Hey." Valeria sidles up to his side. She nudges his foot with hers. "What are you thinking about?"

Sighing, Nicholas turns to face her. "Nothing." He smiles an almost smile. "Everything."

Valeria laughs, shaking her head.

Nick knows that she's definitely one of the upsides of this trip.

They stand together, staring at the looming mountains in the distance. The same mountains which they've spent time together in. The same mountains in which they have made countless memories. The same mountain which are Keithia's home.

The same mountains which will now hold a special place in Nicholas' heart. Always.

"Hey, uh," Valeria suddenly says to him, breaking the silence.

He raises his eyebrows, urging her to go on.

"I was thinking of going," she wets her lips, blinking her eyes a couple of times. "We're going back now."

Nick feels his breath catch. He's been trying not to think too much about this.

Trying, and failing.

He still doesn't know what he'll do after going back, career wise. He's not sure. He knows he can do anything now, as Val had so eloquently told him, but he's not sure what exactly he'll do.

He does have a couple of ideas in his mind though.

"Yeah," he breathes out.

"I'll be going back to London," she says.

"I know."

They stare at each other for a beat, trapped in each other's eyes, and then suddenly Valeria throws her arms around Nicholas. Her slender arms cage him in as she hugs him, holding on tightly just as she always does, even if it's just his hand she's holding or his arm. Nick wraps his arms around her waist, too.

"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" she asks, her voice barely a whisper beside his ear.

Nicholas nods. "Everything."

He lets go, she does, too. However, when she's pulling back, he holds on to her hand, catching her by the fingers.

Staring at her hand, her fingers, the veins on the back, he smiles - a genuine smile, though it's small as of now, just a lilt of his lips. He holds her hand properly, rubbing small circles on the back of it. "But not all changes are bad," he says, finally looking up and into her blue eyes, sparkling worth a million constellations like they always do. "Some changes are good."

Valeria smiles brightly at him. A smile full of hope.

His smile widens into a full-blown one.

Still holding hands, he leads her behind Stella and Richard, moving towards their car, and away from the mountains, once and for all.

~~~~~~~~~~ The End ~~~~~~~~~~

And this journey through the mountains has come to its end, guys.

Thank you so much for being here while I wrote this novella. I hope we win the challenge, The Open Novella Competition, but even if we don't, even if this story doesn't, I'm still immensely proud of this work.

Thank you for helping me write this story, these characters. Thank you for helping me grow as a writer.

This one is for all of you.

I love you guys.

-zainab