It had taken four, long months to wear her down. But eventually, Romeo had done it. Lizzie was his. He slipped his hand into theirs as the couple walked out of her tenement building and she leant her head on his shoulder, grinning.
"Where are we goin', Romeo?" She asked.
"Youse'll see - it's a surprise, right!"
December 25th was the day newsies waited for all year round; the day off and a lunch provided in an act of charity by the council of New York. And best of all, they didn't have to see the dumb faces of Wiesel and the Delancey brothers for an entire day. But it wasn't the 25th yet, and this was the last day before Christmas that Romeo was to see Lizzie, as she and Benny were spending the next few days with their grandparents who were travelling into the city later that day. Lizzie was not looking forward to three days with her relatives, for in her own words, they didn't understand girls, and worshipped the ground that her brother walked upon. She spent most of her time running around after them, cooking or hiding in her room, reading. Romeo sighed. That was another thing he didn't understand about Lizzie. Her love of reading. She could lose herself in a book for hours, and when she came out to meet him, have tear tracks shining on her face from the last thing she had been reading. Romeo got why it was important, sure. It taught you things and let you learn about places you didn't have to go to. Like Jack's Santa Fe. But to him, reading was just a way to make up the headlines and to earn a bit more money. A need, rather than a want.
There was no snow on the ground in New York City, which was galling this close to Christmas. But a thin layer of ice was layered over the cobblestones, sending the more frantic younger children spinning and sliding down the street. Their giggles cut through the morning air and Lizzie laughed at their antics. Romeo leant in and inhaled deeply, smelling her hair. She was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he thought back to how he'd been - how he'd gotten the name 'Romeo' in the first place, and how different he was now. But Jack had been exactly the same; a huge flirt. And look at he and Katherine now! In fact, the newsies were even taking bets on how long it was before he would propose.
They walked through the streets contentedly, each happy in the presence of the other. Lizzie still had no idea where they were going and as they reached the outskirts of Central Park, he stopped abruptly.
"Close ya eyes!" He laughed and pulled her by the hand into the park as she obeyed his instructions. They walked further in, Romeo leading his girlfriend carefully by the hand past any icy parts as she stumbled and giggled, her breath flowing out of her mouth in a silvery trail. As she tossed back her head and smiled, her eyes tightly closed, he looked at her, and again swore that she was his world.
The two stopped underneath a tree on the other side of the park and Romeo shifted between his feet, nervously. "Youse can look now," he said.
She opened her eyes. "What am I looking at?" Lizzie asked doubtfully, looking all around. "It's beautiful 'n all, but what?"
"Oh right!" He said hastily, retrieving a piece of paper from his pocket and smoothing it out. "This."
Lizzie took it out of his hands and pored over it. "Romeo, I... I don't know what to say. It's incredible."
"So... Ya like it?" He asked even more worriedly.
"Like it? I love it! It's the best present I have ever gotten!"
He blushed from the roots of his dark hair to his neck, where the crimson died down over his collar. "Really? I got Jack to draw it one time. I didn't 'ave a photo, see, so 'e's made it up. But I fink it looks pretty good."
"Oh Romeo," she hugged him fiercely, and then pulled back, almost embarrassed to show her emotions first. That wasn't really her style, and he knew how much it must have meant to her for her to show it like this. He looked up and grinned, and her eyes followed his gaze. Romeo had run all the way to Central Park that morning, using his wages to buy a small sprig of mistletoe on the way. He had dangled it on the branch above them, and as tradition insisted, Lizzie leant in and kissed him. When they finally broke apart, he smirked.
Best twenty cents he'd ever spent.
After a happy hour spent under the tree in Central Park, the sky began to grow dark. The street lamps slowly were turned on and lit the exits a murky orange when Lizzie turned to Romeo.
"I reckon it's time to go back now," she said softly, and he nodded, pouting slightly.
"Youse alright? Not too cold?" He asked her.
"I'm fine, don't fuss!" Lizzie laughed and he smiled at his girlfriend.
They walked slowly hand in hand through the streets of New York back to her apartment. It was getting darker still, and a fierce wind was blowing. Lizzie shivered uncontrollably, and Romeo pulled her closer to him. He didn't want to hurry her home, indeed quite the opposite. He wanted her to stay with him forever, and for her to never move out of his arms.
But they were coming up to the door of her tenement building, and he knew it was time to say goodbye. As he leant in for one final kiss, one that had to last four more days, snow began to fall in New York City. And in that very moment, right then, they were more alive than ever before.