Let It Snow

To: Stace

Love: Secret Santa

Gabriella sighed, tapping her pen lightly against the desk before stilling and shooting an apologetic look to her neighbour who'd surreptitiously glared in her direction. Around her, she could hear the scratching of pens on paper, the shuffling of uncomfortable classmates, the occasional cough. At the front of the hall, the exam proctor looked bored, lazily surveying the room in between glances at his watch. Gabriella fought the same impulse, knowing that the last few minutes of the semester would crawl by if watched.

Turning her attention to window beside her, she gazed out at the half-darkened sky. Two weeks before Christmas, the weather was still relatively warm in the way it could only be in California. Only the slight chill to the wind heralded the winter season and though she knew it was silly, she wished it was colder, she wished it would snow. There was something…magical about snow, about standing outside as delicate snowflakes twined in your hair, melted on your cheeks. She'd always loved it, though she had to admit, it had become even more special to her after that New Year's Eve. Standing on that patio, snow swirling with fireworks in the sky, hands wrapped around hot cocoa, with the shy smile of the boy who'd become the most important person in her beaming at her, was a memory she'd cherish for the rest of her days.

Speaking of said boy, Troy was supposed to be driving down tomorrow for one, hopefully uninterrupted, week of alone time before the craziness that was splitting Christmas between their respective families commenced. She hadn't seen him in person for three weeks since they'd agreed to focus on their exams for the time being. Well, she'd insisted, he'd complained and it was only after one rather fun session of persuasion that they'd comprised on the three week period albeit with nightly phone calls which most of the time defeated the purpose of staying on their respective campuses in the first place. Even so, she missed him. She missed waking up next to him every weekend, missed being able to wrap her arms around him, missed the way his hands were able to make her come apart at the seams…

Gabriella ducked her head, a blush rising at the direction her thoughts were taking her. Still, even a little embarrassment wasn't enough to lessen how much she longed for tomorrow to come.

"Time's up. Leave your papers on your desk and remember results will be posted the first week of January. Happy Holidays."

The proctor's announcement heralded a flurry of activity, everyone anxious to escape into the now dark early evening and leave every thought of studies and exams behind till the new year.

Breathing in the fresh air when she finally managed to leave the building, Gabriella set off slowly across campus to the residential halls having every intention of curling up in bed with a good book and a carton of chocolate ice-cream in a post-exam de-stress session. Her roommate Stacey had finished her exams yesterday and left that morning for her hometown of Chicago, so Gabriella would have their room all to herself.

Nodding hello at various people in the dorm's foyer she'd become acquainted with, she eventually made it to her floor but came to a stop outside her door with a puzzled expression stealing over her features. The door was shut, but there was a flickering light licking underneath it, casting tiny shadows on the hallway floor.

Biting her lip, Gabriella pushed open the door with a tentative touch, stepping inside the room with an amazed gasp. It was aglow with light, candles of all shapes and sizes lined up along the dressers, the desks, the windowsills in an array of flickering warmth. While Stacey's bed was untouched, her own had a beautiful bouquet of pink calla lilies lying across the pillow, tied together with a single white ribbon. Grinning delightedly, she dropped her bag to the floor and crossed the room in one fluid movement, lifting up the bouquet to inhale its fragrant scent, losing herself in the aroma until she heard a chuckle from behind her.

Whirling, she saw Troy leaning in the doorway to the closet, arms nonchalantly crossed as he smiled at the sight before him.

"Surprise," he grinned, only managing to straighten up minutely before Gabriella threw her arms around his neck, the lilies still secured in her hand as she buried her head against his neck. He smelt like spice, like masculinity, like home.

Pulling back after a few moments, she cupped his cheek with her free hand as his slipped down to encircle her waist.

"I thought you weren't coming down till tomorrow mister," she scolded lightly.

"And miss the opportunity to put that smile on your face? Not a chance," Troy grinned, before leaning down to gently press his lips to hers in a sweet greeting kiss. However, after having spent three weeks apart Gabriella was not satisfied with sweet and tugged his head down, moving her lips against his more aggressively till they both pulled back, out of breath and more than just a little aroused.

"Maybe we should spend time apart more often," Troy commented dazedly as Gabriella pulled him determinedly across the room, the two of them tumbling onto the bed with Gabriella ending up straddled across Troy's hips, hands on either side of his head.

"Mmm, maybe we should," she whispered, rolling her hips against him experimentally, grinning with female pride as she could feel something hard pressing against her. This was going to be a far better form of de-stress than ice-cream and Austen.

"Then again, spending every night together also has its merits," Troy groaned, pulling her flush against his body till their noses were touching and she could feel his muscles underneath her chest. Capturing his lips, Gabriella lightly ran her tongue along his lower lip, tangling her tongue with his with a low moan, tasting the subtle hint of mint she recognized as his toothpaste.

His hands ran up the back of her top, resting against her heated skin before he rolled them over, his weight coming to rest fully on her.

"I missed you," he breathed in between kisses, lips trailing a line of kisses down her jaw, along the column of her neck.

"I missed you too," Gabriella replied, hands easily tugging Troy's shirt off over his head, "God, you don't know how much I've missed you."

He pulled off her shirt in turn, his hand coming up to cup her breast with his thumb rubbing small circles she could feel even through the lace material of her bra.

"I'm beginning to get the idea," he mumbled into her chest, lips encasing one material covered nipple as he ground his hips against her more fully, drawing another moan from her mouth.

She danced her fingertips up his spine as he nimbly unclasped her bra and she could practically feel his smug smile at the feat (the first time they'd done this? Well, let's just say that his fingers weren't quite as talented with tiny clasps as there were at spinning basketballs). Her little trip down memory lane didn't last long, her back arching off the bed as Troy swirled his tongue around one pebbled nub.

"Troy…" Gabriella whispered, hands reaching down to pull futilely at his belt buckle, grunting in frustration when she was unable to undo it, mind full of the pleasure her boyfriend was currently lavishing on her breasts.

"Having trouble babe?" he asked cheekily, lifting his hips off of her long enough to undo the buckle himself, kicking off his jeans before shifting his hands to tug at hers.

"Shut up," she protested lightly, voice dissolving into a breathless exclamation of bliss as Troy pressed his hand against her center, fingers dancing across the dampened cotton.

Usually Gabriella was all for extended foreplay, but at this particular moment, in this room lit by candlelight, all she wanted was to feel Troy inside of her, to be joined with him in the most intimate way possible.

"I love you. I want you. Right now," she demanded breathlessly, pushing down his boxers as he pulled down her panties in turn, fingers dancing up the inside her leg as he kissed her thoroughly.

"I love you too," he groaned as she encircled his member with one hand, gently guiding him inside her.

She'd never tire of this, never not want to feel him held so deep within her, to feel his muscles straining beneath her fingers, his mouth peppering tiny kisses against every inch of skin he could find.

Letting Troy set the rhythm, she wrapped her legs around his waist, back arching upwards as she met his every thrust, his every movement in a way only known to two lovers who knew each other inside out. Fire rushed through her veins, pleasure swirling low within her, voice reduced to whimpers and cries of Troy's name interspersed by the occasional incoherent moan.

Troy buried his head against her neck as his thrusts became faster, a litany of loving words mumbled into her neck as every downwards stroke filled her completely till bliss spiralled out of control throughout her, metaphorical stars exploding in her vision as she felt him come, her name exhaled in a benediction through his perfect lips.

Rolling to the side, Troy pulled her against his chest, brushing a tender kiss against her forehead as she basked in the sated feeling which made her limbs heavy with lethargy.

"I think that was the best hello I've ever gotten," he grinned, hand running soothingly down her back.

"Mmm-hmm," Gabriella replied sleepily, the long day combined with their strenuous activity having zapped her of energy, "Now if only it snowed tomorrow, it would be perfect."

"Snowed?" Troy questioned curiously.

"Yep, I want it to snow…I met you when it was snowing," she murmured before darkness overtook her.

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In the early morning light, Gabriella slowly awoke, becoming award of something soft overing her skin. Eyes blinking open, she looked down at her arms to see that they were covered in something white and fluffy that looked suspiciously like snow. Sitting up with a gasp, she scanned the room in shock to see that it was everywhere, covering every surface just as the candles had mere hours before. It even coated the ground in a thick layer.

"What…" she trailed off, glancing to the left to see Troy lying on his side, head propped up by one hand, covered in the same substance she and the entire room was.

"Good Morning Gabi," he grinned, idly sweeping a stray curl of hair behind her ear, "Never let it be said I don't make my girl's wishes come true."

"You brought snow, fake snow, into my dorm room?" she questioned disbelievingly, looking around her in wonder.

"Yep," he replied smugly, "Lucky you're a deep sleeper."

"How…wait, don't tell me. I just want to enjoy it," she smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to his lips, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, anything to make you smile like that."

Grinning like a little girl, Gabriella dived off the bed, throwing up handfuls of fake snow into the air, giggling all the while. She felt like she was five again, lying in her front yard creating snow angels till the cold turned her nose red. Suddenly, a thought hit her and she turned to Troy with one eyebrow raised.

"Uh, honey?"

"Yes?"

"Who's going to clean this up afterwards?"