A Seasonal Perpetuity

Falls

A/N: Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! This is the final chapter, and I just wanted to thank you all for the lovely votes and comments.

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Joel walked next to Julie in the snow, the polystyrene cup of hot chocolate warming his numb hands. He smiled as he remembered her comments about the coffees on offer.

"They're so over-rated. No wonder people go on caffeine raves afterwards."

It made no sense at all, but neither did Julie.

Now, they were walking in one of the many parks in Henley, the quiet town in which he lived, alone at night in the snow. He had to admit, it was a pretty good first 'date', if that's what it could be called. Even though they were both silent as they walked, the halcyon scene surrounding them was awe-worthy. It was snowing lightly outside and he watched the glistening snowflakes fall delicately onto the frozen grass, creating a mist of white over the park.

Joel sighed contentedly, watching the white mist escape from his mouth as he thought. He didn't know what they could be classified as, but he was happy. Joel didn't feel the need to have known Julie for years just to get along with her – they'd clicked as soon as he approached her in the shop, and he intended to keep it that way.

He glanced down at Julie, who was preoccupied with sipping lightly at her hot chocolate as she stared at the ground, her eyes glistened over as she mulled over something. So far he'd learned that, like him, Julie Marie Anderson was aspiring to go into the field of medicine at university and had even picked the same A-levels as Joel. She went to the college nearby in central Henley, whereas Joel's college was located near the outskirts in a quiet, rural area. Funnily enough, she'd even applied to some of the same universities as Joel, but that was to be expected as medicine was such a competitive field of work to go into.

Joel wanted to know more about the girl beside him that he was really beginning to like.

"Do you have any siblings?" he asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had lapsed between them.

She looked up at him slowly, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. What she didn't realise was the huge milk moustache she'd acquired from the whipped cream she'd asked for with her drink. Joel didn't mention anything, finding it extremely amusing to watch. It looked so out-of-place against her serious expression.

"I have one brother – he's twenty," she confided, smiling as she began to think of her brother. She turned to look at him once again. "How about you?"

Joel hadn't heard a word of what she'd said, too immersed in containing his laughter. Finally, he reached a breaking point and couldn't help it. He burst into laughter; Julie just looked too comical with her little milk moustache. She watched him, confusion consuming her face, before he pointed at her mouth in between his fits of laughter and her face lit up in understanding.

"You're such a douche, Joel!" she growled, wiping a hand over her face swiftly. Joel wasn't fazed – he knew by her red cheeks that she was embarrassed, not angry like she made out to be.

"I... your face..." he spluttered in-between laughs, his drink shaking wildly in his hands. Joel calmed down after he realised his hot chocolate was at risk of spilling everywhere, as he didn't want to waste his money.

She glared at him in response before briskly marching away, her hair swishing wildly in the wind.

What she didn't see was the huge area of black ice in front of her.

She slipped right over, her drink flying out of her hands wildly as she screamed in utter surprise.

Joel dived forward, throwing his precious drink thoughtlessly to the side, before catching Julie against his arm. She looked up at him, and Joel's breath caught in his throat. Her large blue eyes were captivating, and he felt enchanted under her gaze.