"Where am I?" I woke up, groggy and dazed, to a dim light painting a soft yellow on my room's walls. It was only after rubbing my eyes and squinting that I was able to make do of the place I was in.
"Ah, we had a sleepover in my house..." A sigh escaped my lips just right before a smile formed on them as I looked down on the sleeping face of a petite blonde beauty whose arms were around mine.
It's been more than one year since the autumn I met this girl, and it's been around this time when snow was falling that I came to become closer with her.
"You're too carefree when you're sleeping, Ruby." I chuckled as I carefully swept the stray golden strands on her face before cupping my hand on her cheek.
"It's really cute though. Sleep tight." I laid a kiss on her forehead before slowly taking my arm out of her embrace, thinking that I won't be going back to sleep anytime soon so I might as well get myself a cup of coffee to drink.
Shrugging from the chill that settled on my skin right after I got out of the bed, I took a sweater and put it in before going downstairs.
"Seems and tastes just right." I said after taking a sip and feeling the warmth of the bittersweet coffee spread.
There wasn't much to do in the kitchen, and it felt pretty lonely especially now that I have Ruby around me, so I found myself in my room again, sitting down on a chair with my gaze outside my window which panes were encrusted by a thin sheet of snow.
I wasn't exactly focused however. While my thoughts lingered and hovered, my eyes would still trace back to look at Ruby, her hair perfectly accented by the warm but unsaturated yellow light.
The scene was quite too different from when I first saw her. Back then, the swaying of Ruby's hair along with the autumn wind and the afternoon sun's glow was what highlighted her eye-catching blonde strands, while now... it was as if it was a slow and steady stream of a golden river gently cascading upon her cheeks.
"And it's currently nighttime in winter," Chuckling to myself, I got up and went to the front of my window and peered down the suburban streets, lit by Christmas lights and street lamps alike.
After rubbing a circle with my fingers to clear away the frost blurring the glass I was looking out of, I quickly rubbed my hands together and settled them around the base of my coffee mug.
"Too cold?" A question sounded right before a growing warmth wrapped itself around my waist and to my surprise, Ruby was already awake, her slender arms now around me.
"Was." Now having someone much more important and warm to hold, I quickly put my coffee mug down on the wide windowsill and turned around in order to return Ruby's embrace as fast as I can.
"Why did you wake up?" Her voice buzzed gently against my chest, her face buried on it. I never knew that such a small detail would make me feel so fuzzy.
"Hmm... I wonder. Maybe I remembered something and that caused me to jolt awake all of a sudden?" After pulling Ruby closer and squeezing her gently with my arms, I lightly pressed my lips on her head, planting a kiss on it, then I heard her chuckle.
"Hmm," as if copying the way I talked, she continued, "I wonder. Won't you tell me about it?" The warmth that was on my chest faded as she pulled away and I felt a tinge of disappointment.
But that was quickly swept away when I saw her staring at me with the brightest sparkles in her eyes and the cutest smile on her lips, features that told me that she really is with me right now, in my embrace, loving me.
"Let's just say it happened earlier this year... Probably around February? The weeks after you went away and we have stopped any sorts of contact and all... Well, I wasn't really acting sensibly." Sensing how I might be bringing up bad memories, I spoke my words in a hushed tone.
"Mhm, and? What did you do..." Once again mimicking me, she grinned and tightened her arms around my waist, kind of teasingly, if that was a thing. That was how I felt however.
"It was nothing bad... I just realized that the circumstances back then were completely different from now. I used to stay up late at night thinking about you... and wishing for you to come back and all that... Since I love you so much." The volume of my voice went lower with each passing word and I was already whispering by the 'I love you so much' part.
Contrary to what I assumed was going to be her reaction which was to tease me about it, Ruby actually went silent while a bright pink flushed her cheeks.
"E-Ehh?" Seeing her rendered almost speechless instead of her usual cheekiness when it comes to sweet stuff like this took the anxiety burdening my chest and I couldn't help but stifle a chuckle.
"Now, I'm with you. As your loved one. I guess wishing for you... really did its job, Ruby. And I'm really thankful and happy for it. For you." I smiled as I cupped my hand on her cheek.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about, but if it makes you happy, so be it. It's not exactly inconvenient anyway." Ruby's lips were formed in a cute pout but perhaps it was only because she was too surprised to smile?
Or not. I don't know. But, as long as she doesn't think bad of me, I'm already fine with it. I'll keep wishing for her more.
