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More than whole, because I had Alden with me.
And I didn’t ever want him to leave.
We danced through the whole vinyl. It was nothing more than swaying to the music, but I loved every second of it.
I was leaning against his shoulder when I saw brightness through the closed curtain.
With the clouds, everything outside had been a mix of gray and white, but this was reflective in a way I hadn’t seen in a while.
“Alden?” I asked. “What was the weather supposed to be like today?”
“No idea,” he said, not sparing the window a second glance.
“Maybe we should check. It looks so bright, like ...”
He finally turned. “The sun.”
I nodded excitedly and opened the curtain. My eyes protested the assault of bright light, but it was clear that the sun was fully out, and the snow was receding, even if only slightly.
“Oh my God,” I said with a gasp. “It’s actually melting.”
Alden checked his phone. “The temperature is above freezing.”
“Do you know what this means?”
“Flooding.”
I rolled my eyes. “No. Well, yes. But maybe we can get out of here.”
“Huh. You might get to see your family on the day after Christmas after all.”
I threw on my jacket and pulled him outside. There were still thick piles of snow, but it was slushy now. Out in the distance, I heard a car go by.
“Yes! People are out and about.”
“We’ll need to clear the driveway and call to see if the city is having the same luck.”
“We can do all of those things.” He grabbed my arm to stop me. “But first, breakfast.”
I groaned. “Not another muffin.”
“Hey, at least I can make more hot chocolate to wash it down.”
Alden disappeared back into the house. I followed and grabbed another one of the cursed baked goods as Alden made more of my favorite drink.
“What’s your first plan for when we get out of here?” he asked.
“Seeing what Nick got back from Reed. I miss having my own stuff.”
The mention of Nick made Alden’s lips press together. He was worried about telling him, and while I knew my brother was clearly in the wrong, I also knew how terrifying it had to be for Alden to be threatened by his best friend.
Even I couldn’t imagine Nick and Alden not being friends—they’d always been a pair. I could only hope that Nick would see sense this time.
“You’re not in this alone, remember?” I leaned over to touch his hand. “I’ll tell him with you.”
“He’s my friend. I should tell him.”
“He’smybrother, and I reserve the right to tell him he’s being an ass.”