actories now, as they penetrated the city outskir

said, nudgi

, half-dreaming. Even h

earing her soft voice. H

, " he said, admiring her feline fe

om her crisp blue eyes, z

―and her jaw-line seemed especially fin

eet, sly and slinky ways―mesmerized by her whiny put-on sighs-and those inno

cheek. She made him brimful of mar

d lines complicated the planes of her o

w sliding so slickly by-as they passed the old factories and barre

ere full of a trillion tiny crystal tears. Sobbing in synchronicity with the

he cooed dramatically. "I

room in town tonight-before we head in

ell that the moment they crossed that wooded threshold, they would be putting th

s enough, She would not hesitate to se

place tonight, like we planned ... I

r parents yet ..." she remarked in amazement-shaking her head-

s quickly waxing difficult in the dwindling hours before their arrival. All he could think of now was

tively crept in upon them-spreading its long grey fingers across t

g evergreens, all dressed down in a thousand gowns o

a rose moon dawned, dropping a warm aura over the e

o pretty ... Look―it's the rink where we met ... Babe―do you wa

an postpone it, instead of worrying about it while they skated back through memories that

promise we come back ... This is not just your way of

to go, I swear. I treas

as turning on the ice―and you caught

he said grinning. "I wa

apped his arms around her-and toget

she said. "Remember how

... I remem

ooked at your wrist and guessed-saying

ant to lose

, 'Silly me, I haven't even asked you

I told you my name, you

en' your answer for everything?' I sa

forget. I s

, I just answered by saying: 'Seven.

e said smili

hands―and you got embarrassed―but then you said that they were i

o true. It's

I guess. I made you tell all my friends why you had

too. I nev

e? Please, please, please ...? You k

.. We can bump into each other on the frozen pat

were like shiny silver streams criss

merging and touching off throughout th

es, their pinky fingers curled together i

sweetheart deals―saving words for less

―as they listened to the drone of traffic―and wallow

dark clouds of thunder and lightning closed in upon th