Mira woke up in a rush, completely disoriented. Where was she? Lui's apartment? But more to the point, it was light out. It was January. If it was already full daylight, it meant she was running late. Why hadn't her alarm gone off?

She rolled over and shook Lui's bare shoulder. "Lui! Wake up. We're going to be late for class."

He opened his eyes slowly. "Nah, blizzard, 'member? No class. Stay in bed."

"Oh. Right. Maybe I'll go grab a book and get ahead on some reading . . ."

"Later. Snow day. C'mere." Lui wrapped an arm around her, still half asleep. "Oh, hey. You don't have a shirt on."

Mira giggled. "Neither do you."

"Stay in bed," Lui repeated, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he fell back asleep. "Stay with me."

"Well, when you put it that way . . ."

Lui's text had appeared barely 30 seconds after Beigoma had announced that Tuesday classes were canceled. 

Movie marathon? 

My place?

Your TV IS bigger...

So's my bed.

Mira felt herself blush. Which was ridiculous. Lui's giant TV was at the foot of his bed. They'd watched movies there a thousand times. Just because - And her phone beeped again. 

Plus, no housemates. 

Okay, so maybe he did mean . . .

So I take it this isn't a movie marathon to which you're inviting all your friends.

ABSOLUTELY NOT. 

The reply came so quickly that Mira couldn't help but giggle.

Across the lunch table, Katana raised an eyebrow. "From the besotted look on your face, I assume the boy-toy is making some sort of super sexy blizzard plans."

"Yeah. To get away from you," Mira teased back.

"So I take it you're holing up at his place for the duration, to have all the sex."

"Katana- "

Katana threw a hand up as if to shield himself. "No, no, no. I don't want to know." He shook his head. "Blizzards. God's gift to horny high-school boys with new girlfriends everywhere."

They had spent most of the day watching movies - Mira planned to make a point of that to Katana later---and, well, if they didn't completely pay attention to every moment of every film, what Katana didn't know wouldn't give him ammunition. It was still such a novelty, to not worry about where their hands were or whether their legs were touching, to be able to kiss, just because.

Lui apparently had a list of movies Mira had to see now that they were together---"Like you didn't have a list before?" Mira had asked, laughing---but in honor of the blizzard, they were sticking with winter themes today. At one point in The Lion in Winter,  Lui had started to pull away, to protest that what was happening in the movie was really important and Mira should see it.

"Is this going to be my only chance to ever see this movie?" Mira asked.

"Well...No."

"So are you really going to make me stop making out with my boyfriend to pay attention to exactly how terrible this on-screen marriage is? And if so, do you realize you'd be inviting a lecture on this movie's historical accuracy or lack thereof?"

Lui grinned. "Okay. I pick the making out option."

During an afternoon lull in the storm they'd ventured out, to check out the snowfall and let Lui film some blizzard footage.

"But bed is so cozy," Mira said. "And so are pajamas."

"It's a blizzard! We have to go see the blizzard!"

"It's cold out there."

"Pleeease?" Lui had on his best pleading expression, and God, if he ever realized exactly how Mira reacted to that look in his eyes, she'd be sunk.

She pouted and pretended to consider it some more. "Only if you promise to warm me up when we get back inside."

Lui's eyes danced. "I think that can be arranged."

After dinner and an Mira-mandated reading break, they were about to start The Ice Storm when the power went out. Mira snuggled closer to Lui instinctively and felt his arms tighten around her. "I guess no more movies tonight, movie boy."

"Hmm." Lui's lips found hers in the dark. "No more books either."

"I could totally read by candlelight," Mira scoffed.

"Mira." He kissed his way down her neck. "How about something more . . . interactive?"

"Like what, board games?"

"Not exactly what I was thinking," Lui chuckled. "But too bad you didn't bring The Roads Divergent."

Mira groaned. "I keep trying to forget that you watched that."

"I'm sorry. I know I wasn't supposed to. But it seemed important---"

"No, no, that's fine. That's not what I mean." Mira took a deep breath. "I just, you know . . . said things."

"Yeah . . ."

"And I don't want you to feel like you have to . . . say anything you don't want to say."

Lui started laughing.

"What?" Mira demanded.

"I-I just---" He was laughing too hard to form a sentence.

"Mira. . . I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let Gabe put that online, I shouldn't have let you hear . . ." Mira suddenly realized that she had edged toward the side of the bed. She stood up, but it wasn't like she could go anywhere in this damn blizzard. "I can . . ."

"No! Wait." Lui sat up straight, suddenly serious. "Mira Rainon Hemeji, I am obviously, ridiculously, stupidly in love with you, and if you didn't already know that, you were probably the only one."

"Oh." That . . . was not exactly what Mira had expected. "Really?"

"Really. So will you please come back here so I can kiss you? Or at least not run away during a blizzard?"

"I'm not running away." Mira slid back onto the bed. In the moonlit room, she could barely see the hand Lui offered her, but she grabbed it and held on for dear life. "I-I get scared, sometimes, thinking about how this could end with me losing you completely. But I won't run away again. I'm here. I'm in this."

"Okay," he whispered, and leaned over to kiss her gently. "You're not going to lose me. I'm not going anywhere, Mira. . ."

"Yeah?"

"The paths in your game. Did you . . . mean that? Is that how you see things?"

Huh? "I mean, it was a . . . game. What do you mean?"

"The endings were with me or . . . alone. Not with anyone else."

Mira looked up at him, startled. "I--- oh. That had not really occurred to me."

"It hadn't? You made the game."

"I know, I just . . . hadn't thought about it in those terms. Which I guess means . . . yes. That's how I see things."

"Okay."

"Okay? What does that mean? Does it mean I'm crazy? Because I know. Intellectually, I know this is ridiculous. I just turned six-teen. And we just started dating. If I were my friend I'd tell myself that we're so young and there are so many people out there we could theoretically be happy with, but . . . if you're asking how I honestly feel at this moment?"

Lui nodded.

"Then . . . yes. This just feels . . . right. And I know that's a lot of pressure to put on you, and I didn't mean for you to see that game anyway, and - "

He squeezed her hand. "Good."

"Wait, what?"

"Good. I mean, I guess it should feel like a lot of pressure. I know I'm not going to be a perfect boyfriend."

Mira snorted. "Glad you realize that."

"Yeah, yeah. But I don't feel like you're pressuring me. Being with you, finally . . . this just feels like how my life is supposed to be. I'm not gonna propose tomorrow or anything - "

Mira swatted his arm lightly. "Um, good."

"But this doesn't feel like some casual short-term college thing to me. So I'm glad we're on the same page."

"Ha-ha."

"What?"

"Page? Books?"

"It always comes back to books with you, doesn't it?" Lui rolled onto his side and pulled Mira close, tucking her head under his chin. "Yeah. This. I could stay on this page forever."

"Aww." Then something occurred to her. "Wait. So why were you laughing?"

"What?"

"Before, when I was talking about you seeing the video. You laughed a lot."

"Oh. That."

"Lui."

"When you said you were in love with me in that video - it was a relief. Because it meant I wouldn't have to spend months agonizing over whether it was too soon to say I loved you."

Mira laughed. "You dork." She pulled back just enough to kiss him, then shivered. The room temperature had definitely dropped a few degrees already. "Your heat's electric, isn't it?"

"Yeah. And the stupid fireplace is ornamental, according to my lease."

"Well. Thank goodness for blankets. And we may have to huddle together for warmth. Obviously that would be terrible."

"Terrible," Lui agreed. "Hey, I hear that sharing body heat works better with fewer clothes," he said, fingers dancing along the hem of her shirt.

Mira burst out laughing. "Uh-huh. Tell me more about how we should get naked because science."

"Well . . ."

"Lui?"

"Yeah?"

Mira slid her hands up his back. "Your persuasive tactics will probably be more effective if you lose the shirt."

Tazzi_Mon Signing Off...