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Grace hated when it snowed.

Not really, but the snow this time was actually getting quite irritating. Mainly because the whole front yard was covered up with snow. Grace's mother was still asleep. And the sound of constant snow falling on Grace's slanted room window was not letting her sleep.

It was just six in the morning. And Grace was so tired.

Grumbling under her breath, she sat up on her bed and looked out of the window. The sun was coming up. The sky was a beautiful shade of dark blue. And the snow still hadn't stopped.

Knowing that it was Sunday and she had nothing better to do other than sleep, she got up and opened the window. Sudden cool air hit her from almost every direction.

"Wooh." She murmured, rubbing her bare arms as a small shiver escaped her lips.

It was really, really cold outside and Grace was just wearing a T-shirt. Nonetheless, she tiptoed and peeked her head outside. Soft snow fell on the tip of her nose as she squinted her eyes.

Lucius's room window was right in front of hers. I mean, they were neighbors after all. But the only problem was the large gap in between both the windows. You could jump, but...

Nothing's guaranteed.

Grace picked up her phone and texted Lucius to come over to his window. She knew that he won't see it. He never woke up this early, she knew that. But she needed to do something.

Seconds passed by into minutes. And few more minutes. Though, Lucius didn't reply.

Grace huffed and was about to close her window when she heard Lucius's window opening up. He peeked out, his eyes finding Grace's.

"Why are you up so early?" He asked. Not too loud, but not too quietly either.

Grace looked at him with a relieved grin. He did not look like he had just woken up, though the messed up curls gave away. But Grace knew how they were always messed up; Lucius ran his hands through them every chance he got.

"I can't sleep." She gripped her windowsill with her hands before swinging her legs over it. Once she was standing on the small slanted roof joined with her window, she realized how cold it actually was.

"Grace, what are you doing?" Lucius asked, looking at her in confusion.

Grace eyed the similar slanted roof in front of his window. It was a little far away from hers. Maybe, a jump wouldn't be so bad. "I'm coming in your room."

Lucius looked at her, still confused, until he saw her nearing towards the edge of the roof.

"You won't jump." He spoke up, a little louder this time.

Grace looked up at him in surprise, before breaking into another tired grin. God, she was so exhausted. "Yeah, yeah. I am jumping. So what?"

"Grace—"

"I know I won't fall." She reassured him.

"I know that you will." He replied.

Grace thought it'd be better to just ignore him. He'd just not encourage her. She knew she could jump. If Samantha, her gym coach, was here, she would've really encouraged her.

"Grace, I swear to God—"

"Don't swear on God, Luca." She shook her head. "Just open up your window."

Before he could've said one more thing, she jumped. And for one horrifying second, she did think that she would fall when the harsh cold wind blew across her face. She did think about the terrible consequences if she fell.

But she didn't fall.

Though landing on the slanted roof, which had it's protruding edges, was kind of painful. Not to forget how it was all covered with snow.

Grace stood up, dusting the snow off her pajama bottoms and shirt before walking over towards his window. Lucius, on the other hand, was just staring at her wide eyed.

"Space, space." She spoke up, pushing him out of the way before slipping in his room from the window.

"Don't ever do that again." She heard Lucius say behind her.

Sudden warmth of his room filled her insides. She had always loved his room more than hers, and God, she felt so sleepy. Turning back towards Lucius, she wrapped her arms around him, flushing her face against his chest.

"I wouldn't have done it. But the noise in my room was so irritating, and I was tired." Her voice came out muffled.

Before he could've replied, she pulled away and grinned at him. "But now, I'm here. And no way in hell am I leaving before noon."

She went ahead and threw herself on his bed, pulling the soft covers over her. This whole place smelled like cinnamon and paints and that was what Grace loved the most.

Her eyelids started drooping when she heard Lucius closing up the window, a little too loudly. "Luca, what the hell?"

He chuckled softly behind her. "Sorry."

Groaning lightly, she pulled the covers over her face, inhaling deeply. But soon enough, she found herself pushing them off again. She craned up her neck and looked at him. "Anyway, why are you up so early?"

Lucius looked at her, surprised that she was still awake. "I couldn't sleep."

"And why is that?" She asked. "I don't hear any annoying sounds in here."

Lucius nodded before going off towards the other end of his room; the area where he usually painted. And for some reason, Grace loved that corner. It reminded her about him and just him.

"I have been waking up early for soccer practice." He said. "I forgot it was Sunday today and woke up early. Now, I can't sleep."

Grace frowned at that. "How can you forget it's a Sunday?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. Grace realized then that he had been painting, that's why he was awake. She tried looking over at what he was painting but couldn't make it out from over the bed.

So she got up, pulling the sheets with her. After all, her clothes were still cold from all the snow. She went ahead and plopped down beside him.

"What are you painting?" She asked him in a whisper, looking at the painting in awe. Once again, she was overwhelmed by the sudden urge to grip him by his shoulders and shake him. Tell him how much great he was at this.

But she was too tired right now.

The canvas was filled with colours; vibrant yellows and oranges. And she could make out the familiar pendant that she had once given him, drawn at one corner of the painting. The small stone inside it was glowed beautifully. Such a fiery red. On the other corner was a girl, her long hair falling down her waist. Although Grace couldn't make out her face, she knew who it was.

"That's me!" She exclaimed in awe.

Lucius laughed at that. "Of course not, Gracie."

Her excitement fell into a frown. She regarded him with the same frown. "What do you mean? That is me."

"You don't have black hair." He pointed it out. The frown on Grace's face deepened as she looked back at the painted girl. The girl had black hair. She wasn't her.

"What?" The frown still didn't leave her face. "I gave you that pendant. Not this girl. You can't do this to me."

Lucius looked back at the painting. "I know. I just don't know why I painted her."

"Is she someone you like?" Grace asked, raising her brows.

Lucius looked back at her, mostly blank. "I don't even know who that is, Grace."

"You don't know who that is but you still painted her?"

"Yes."

Grace looked back at him in confusion, then at the painting. Lucius, on the other hand, picked up a paintbrush and continued to complete the painting.

Grace blew out a sigh before pulling the sheets closer and tucking them under her chin. It was almost satisfying, the way he painted, the brush stroking the canvas like feathery whispers. Sliding closer towards him, she placed her head on his shoulder.

"I always wondered what that stone was." She murmured, referring to the pendant. "I've never seen a stone so red."

"Almost like fire, I know." He replied. "I don't think such stones exist."

"You mean, it's not real?"

"I mean, it's something unreal." He said.

Grace was silent for a while, trying to decipher what he had just said. In the end, she rolled her eyes. "Just trying to think what you said right there killed half of my brain cells." She muttered. She heard Lucius softly laughing at that. 

Even if it was so early, this right here was perfect. Whatever this was, something about it was perfect.

And Grace loved that.

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Xoxo,
Crystal 🌿