Page 142 of The Haunting of Lockton

Skyler and I bundled up and stepped outside. Cold air filled my lungs as I breathed in deep and looked up at the night sky. White flurries drifted down around us.

“You know, it’s kinda beautiful,” Skyler said, staring up at the sky too. His hand found mine. “I like how quiet everything gets.”

“Me too.” I slid my fingers through his. “Does it still trigger bad memories?”

“Yeah. A little.” Skyler watched the snow fall with an expression I couldn’t place. “But I think that’s getting better too. I haven’t had a nightmare in a while.”

“That’s great.”

I had been worried that what happened with Julian at Lockton would throw him back into that dark place he’d told me about before, where the guilt had nearly eaten him alive. I was glad that wasn’t the case. If anything, a part of him seemed to have healed from it. I’d do everything I could to support him while he continued to heal.

“I talked to Jovie earlier,” he said as we moved at a casual pace through the backyard. Snow was accumulating fast, building on top of the snow that hadn’t fully melted from the last snowfall. “She said I can play tomorrow night if I want to. I told her I did.”

Excited, I faced him. “That’s awesome, Sky. What time? I want to be there.”

“Around eight thirty.” Snowflakes caught in his hair as he stared at me. “It’s all thanks to you.”

“Me?” I asked, confused.

“Yeah.” He dropped his gaze to our joined hands. “Without you, I wouldn’t have been brave enough to do any of this. You saw right through my mask and forced these emotions to the surface.”

“I thought the booze gave you that liquid courage.”

Skyler chuckled and moved in closer, taking me in his arms. I loved how he felt against me. His warmth. The whisper of his breath on my neck as he rested his face on my shoulder. “I’m not the same guy I was before coming here. Before meeting you.”

“I’m not the same either,” I said. “I shut myself off from the world because I thought no one would ever see the real me and accept me.”

“I see you.” He nuzzled my neck. “I’ll always see you.”

The snow picked up, the flakes larger than before and coming down heavier. We held each other as it soundlessly fell around us.

And in the silence, Skyler started to sing softly. He slowly moved us from side to side as his voice filled the cold night air.

Emotion balled in my throat as we moved to the rhythm of his song. It was, without a doubt, the most romantic thing to ever happen to me. The kind of romance I’d only ever dreamed of.

“Don’t cry, Ichabod.”

“I’m not,” I lied. “A snowflake went in my eye.”

“Stupid snow. Want me to kill it?”

I hid my face in his hair and shook with a quiet laugh. “I have to admit. This is romantic. Maybe even more so than making out in a graveyard.”

His lips brushed my temple. “I bet the ghosts still hate us.”

“Those guys who can’t stop groping each other,” I said and held him closer. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Another kiss, this one to my brow. “Do you think Owen and Roy are together right now, watching a sunset?”

I smiled at the thought. “I hope so.”

“This is how I’d want mine,” Skyler said. “You right here in my arms, and the sound of snow falling.”

“What about donuts?”

“Ah, damn. Okay. I’m changing my answer. I want you in my arms as we slow dance in a donut shop.”

I laughed into his shoulder. My heart was so full. Of happiness. Of love. Of all the possibilities our future together would bring. “Sounds perfect.”

The End