Spotlight |h.s|

Seventy One

"Do you have a plan on where to go once we get out there?" I ask as she's reaching down for one of my hands to put a glove on it, doing things for me that I could easily do myself.

"I always have a plan." She nods, her hinting tone assuring me that this is a thought-out adventure.

Once my right hand has a glove on it, she puts another on my left. It feels weird to wear these with rings on, but I don't want to take them off. She has her own pair of white ones on already, her hands looking even smaller than usual in comparison to my own.

"You know, I'm the one that grew up around snow. Shouldn't I be getting you ready?" I joke.

"Nope." She shakes her head right away, giving my hands a pat once they're covered to signal that she's done.

I feel like I know why she's doing this despite my further experience with this weather. I send her a look of question to see if I'm right, her nodding in response after picking up what I'm nonverbally asking. I smile a bit at her need to do things for me, nodding in obedience to show her that I understand.

She's doing this for me since nobody ever did when I was younger.

"Are you sure I don't look stupid?" I ask as she signals for me to follow her to the door, not really knowing how I feel about going around everyone else all bundled up for the snow like a child.

She scoffs and looks up at me, pushing herself up to her tiptoes so her arms wrap around my neck and her face is closer to mine. Her eyes travel my face for a minute, a lump in her throat being swallowed for an unknown reason before she says anything.

"I think you look cute."

"Really?" I question her as my hands habitually fall to her hips even through the puffed material of her jacket.

I like the sound of the word cute being directed at me when it's coming from her. Only her, though. If anybody else called me cute, I'd probably be offended by it.

"Mhm." She nods, her cheeks being a bit more noticeably tinted from the warmth of the layers coupled with the heating of our suite.

"I guess we can go, then." I act like it's a hassle, her lips finding mine before she lets go of me and leads me to the door.

She grabs onto my hand naturally, opening the door just a bit and peeking out of it to see who's still awake. It's nearly 12:00 am, so there's a good chance after a long day that they've separated to their rooms by now.

"Nobody's out there." She informs me before pulling the door to be fully opened instead of just a crack.

I nod as she pulls me out, our footsteps attempting to be as quiet as possible so we don't disturb anyone. The hallway is dark, my eyes taking a second to adjust so I can see where I'm going.

I don't remember the last time I left the safety of the indoors for the hell of it, and the same goes for her, which is why we both have knives tucked into our jacket pockets. You can never be too careful, especially in a city like this one, and I'm not taking any chances.

I packed my gun with me, of course, the private jet ride making bringing it along with me very easy. I just don't want to freak Aubrey out with the presence of it when this is her moment to enjoy herself. She exposes herself to it a few times a week and is getting so much better with it, but I'd rather not risk stressing her. Not tonight. Tonight is going to be nothing but her childish excitement and my enjoyment of the sight in front of me.

The material of our coats makes a bit of noise with the thump of our boots down the stairs, our movements quick and as quiet as they can be given the circumstances. She almost trips over her pant legs down the stairs, making us both chuckle a bit and cover our mouths to keep us quiet.