Winter in Vermont
“Dani! Look!”
Dani’s eyes slowly open and she adjusts to the sight in front of her. Jamie is standing in front of the window in their bedroom, grinning from ear to ear at the blonde. Seeing that she’s awake, she runs to the bed and grabs Dani’s hand gently, guiding her to the window to look at whatever she’s excited about.
“It’s snowing!” Jamie almost squeals, and Dani is pretty sure she’s never seen her girlfriend this giddy before. It’s actually adorable, considering Jamie is usually so reserved with her emotions, at least in public. It makes Dani’s heart swell and a smile grows on her face, despite her sleepiness.
She looks out at the view below, Main Street covered in a delicate layer of white, with snowflakes still swirling down to the ground. It’s late November, and Christmas decorations were recently put up all around the little town.
“Wow,” Dani whispers, gazing at the winter wonderland. Even though she’s seen snow a couple of times before, seeing it through Jamie’s eyes is a whole new experience.
And is it ever beautiful. Suddenly she feels overwhelmed by excitement for their first Christmas season.
She wraps her arms around Jamie’s waist and pulls her close, forcing her to take her eyes off the snow for a second.
“You’re adorable,” she laughs, placing a sleepy kiss on the brunette’s lips. Jamie hums happily in response.
“Can we go outside?” Jamie asks like a child, eyes wide. Dani giggles at her girlfriend’s eagerness.
“Of course silly, just let me get a cup of coffee first, okay?”
Jamie nods. “I’ll make it,” she says, bounding off to the kitchen.
Maybe Dani should have guessed that Jamie would be like a child at Christmas time, since she was probably deprived of all the joy growing up. But somehow she didn’t see it coming, and that makes it even more endearing.
Dani yawns, stretches, and heads to the bathroom to get ready for the day. When she comes out, Jamie has two cups of coffee and bagels lined up on the breakfast bar. They eat breakfast, which mostly consists of Jamie listing all the things she’s excited about, then they return to the bedroom to get dressed. They undress out of their matching plaid pyjama sets (which Dani bought them), sneaking kisses in between the removal of each item.
“Guess it’s time to buy more winter clothes,” Dani notices, rummaging through their closet. They each find a pair of sweatpants and one of Dani’s sweaters to wear, as well as some long thick socks. They pull on boots and hats they brought over from England.
“Good to go?” Jamie asks when they’re all dressed. Dani nods, and follows her girlfriend down the staircase and outside.
Dani does have to admit the sight they are met with is magical, and brings her that first snow feeling you get as a child, nose pressed to the window with delight.
Jamie bends down immediately, grabbing a fistful in her bare hands and watching it melt in her grip.
“I’ve never seen this much snow before,” Jamie tells her girlfriend, “we only get a bit in England, if we’re lucky, and it doesn’t stay long.”
“We didn’t get much growing up either, but I think this will make up for it. And for all the joys we missed out on, yeah?”
Jamie nods and takes Dani’s hand, just for a second, before letting it drop again. Although it’s better than some places, they still can’t risk being seen touching for too long.
“Can we head down to the park?” Jamie asks, face lighting up with excitement, and Dani nods.
There’s a park they often visit just down the street from their apartment, where Jamie tends to the flowers in the summer. It’s lined with benches and full of big beautiful trees. Dani imagines it will be just splendid in the snow.
“Would you look at that,” Jamie breathes, and it is quite a sight. A few children play in a snow bank, tumbling and rolling snowballs. A man walks his dog, who is also rolling in the white fluff. The trees are topped with snow and icicles, dangling delicately. Filled with a surge of holiday spirit, Dani reaches down while Jamie is wandering down a pathway. She grabs some snow and forms a small ball, then throws it at her girlfriend, hitting her in the back.
Jamie whirls around, her face crinkled with confusion. When she sees Dani laughing, she understands.
“Oi! You’re gonna pay for that!” Jamie grins devilishly, reaching down to make her own snowballs. She hits Dani softly in the stomach, making her squeal.
“Hey!’ Dani yelps as another hits her in the arm.
“You started it,” Jamie shrugs, laughing as they both crouch to roll more snowballs. Their laughter echoes through the park as they throw them back and forth, giggling and squealing like little kids. Jamie wants to save this moment, wrap it up tightly in her arms and hold onto it forever. This woman makes her happier than she ever imagined she could be, and combined with the joy of the holiday season it feels unreal. Too good to be true, she would have thought if someone had told her this was how her life would turn out.
“Okay okay,” Dani gasps, collapsing into the snow after running from Jamie’s snowball ambush. “I’m tired and my hands are cold.”
“Aww poor baby… should have thought about that before you hit me then, shouldn’t you?” Jamie smirks, but her tone is endearing. She falls down beside Dani, neither of them caring that their pants are probably going to be soaking wet.
The snow is fluffy beneath them, and it continues to fall down slowly. Dani isn’t sure she has ever felt this peaceful before. The only sounds are the distant crunch of snow beneath people’s feet, and the laughter of children playing, probably having their own snowball fights.
“You have snow in your eyelashes,” Dani giggles, turning to face Jamie beside her. Somehow it makes her look even more beautiful.
“You have snow in your hair,” Jamie points out, reaching out to brush some snowflakes out of the blonde’s hair. She takes her hand in her own, feeling how icy cold her fingers are.
“Come on,” Jamie says, standing and reaching out her hands to pull Dani up after. “Let’s go home and get you warmed up.”
They make their way back up the block, Jamie pointing out every festive store window and decoration. Dani takes it all in, this taste of what their first Christmas together will be like.
They finally climb the stairs to their apartment, frozen fingers fumbling with the key in the lock.
“Home sweet home,” Jamie sighs as they take off their snow-covered boots and leave them on the mat by the door. “What do you think about getting back into our pyjamas?” She asks, pulling Dani in close for a quick kiss.
“Mmm sounds perfect,” Dani smiles against her lips, and they head to the bedroom.
Jamie gestures for Dani to lift her arms up and she slides her sweater above her head, replacing it with her plaid pyjama top. She kisses down her neck and collarbone whenever she can, making Dani hum softly. She pulls off the blonde’s wet pants and tosses them into the dirty laundry basket, then pulls on her cozy matching pj pants. Only after she has handed her girlfriend a new pair of fuzzy socks to assure she’s warm and comfortable, does she change into her own pyjamas.
“You’re the best,” Dani whispers, pulling the brunette in close and wrapping her arms around her neck. Jamie just hums, kissing her softly, warm lips lingering on her own. They stay there for a minute, just holding each close, exchanging kisses now and then. When they pull apart so Jamie can finished getting dressed, Dani feels a chill from the loss of contact but she knows she’ll be in her arms again soon.
“I’ll make hot chocolate, okay?” She tells Jamie, who looks at her questioningly, forehead crinkled and eyebrows raised.
“Hey, it’s the one warm drink I know how to make,” Dani assures her, “You forget I worked with kids my whole life.”
“Alright,” Jamie sighs exaggeratedly, clearly still not convinced. “I’ll give you a chance.”
Dani heads to the kitchen, filling the kettle and setting it over the stovetop. She reaches for the hot cocoa in the cupboard, and finds the mini marshmallows she bought last week in preparation for this exact moment. She sees Jamie from the corner of her eye, wander into the living room and grab the throw blankets.
“Do we have any Christmas movies, love?” She asks from the couch.
“Not sure,” Dani replies over her shoulder, measuring out powder into two mugs. “There might be one on tv.”
Jamie scrolls through the channels while Dani tops their mugs with a pile of marshmallows, bringing them over carefully.
“Mmm those look delicious,” Jamie smiles, taking her steaming mug. “Maybe you’ll finally break your record of poorly made drinks.”
Dani scoffs, setting hers on the coffee table to get settled beside Jamie. They finally come across White Christmas, one of Jamie’s favourite movies from her childhood.
“Would you look at that,” she says softly, “Never thought I’d be here watching this with the love of my life,” she grins, leaning to press a kiss to Dani’s lips. The blonde curls up close into Jamie, tucking her leg underneath hers and pulling a fuzzy blanket over them both.
She watches expectantly as Jamie takes the first sip of her hot chocolate, looking up at her with wide eyes.
“Guess you were right, Poppins, this is the best hot chocolate I think I’ve ever tasted. Who the hell knew?” Dani laughs, and their lips meet again for a kiss. She tastes chocolate on Jamie’s lips, and it fills her whole body with warmth and comfort. She settles her head onto her shoulder, breathing in her soft scent that has grown so familiar.
“I love you,” she whispers into her skin, and she feels Jamie’s thumb softly rubbing her thigh.
“I love you too, babe,” Jamie hums in response, and neither woman has ever felt like they belonged anywhere more than here together, cuddling in their apartment, filled with all the possibilities of what their first Christmas could hold.