The next morning, Heat Miser walked over to the flowershop. He had gotten up early to make sure his human appearance was the way he wanted it. He had taken care to make sure his clothes weren't wrinkled and his hair was neatly combed.

When he arrived, he entered the shop and saw Mr. Bennett adding lime to some soil. Mr. Bennett greeted Heat with a smile. "Good morning, Harold."

"Good morning, sir. Is your son here?"

"Melvin is in the storeroom. I'll go get him." Mr. Bennett left the room.

Heat looked around and saw a framed newspaper article hanging on the wall. It was written by Melvin, and it was about a Christmas event that had happened the year before.

As Heat was reading, Melvin entered the shop from the storeroom. "Harold! It's great to see you again!"

Heat handed Melvin a small loaf pan. "I made banana bread. You and your father can share it."

Melvin smiled. "I love banana bread! We don't get to have a lot of baked goods. Mother was the one who always baked." He looked up at the article. "I see you've been reading one of my articles. I'll go get that story I was telling you about." He set the pan down next to a briefcase on a table. Opening the briefcase, he got out a folder and handed it to Heat, then picked up the pan again. "We could sit outside while you read it."

"Okay. Lead the way," Heat stated.

Melvin opened the door for Heat, then told his father while standing in the doorway, "I'll be back in a little while, Dad."

"Alright, Melvin. Have fun," Mr. Bennett told him, waving.

Melvin and Heat Miser sat down on some steps at the back of the building. Heat opened the folder while Melvin tore off a piece of banana bread with his hand. "I can't wait to try this! I haven't had banana bread in ages!"

Heat smiled a little. "I hope you like it. I don't usually have a lot of people to bake for."

"That's a shame. You should open up a bakery; your cooking is fantastic!"

"Thank you," Heat stated, his cheeks turning pink. "I don't think I could run a business, though." He pulled the first page of the story out of the folder. "I'm looking forward to reading this story. I haven't read a good book in awhile."

"Aw, but reading is so much fun, and so important. A world without books..." Melvin shuddered. "I don't even want to think about it!"

Heat nodded, and they were both quiet while he read, save for when Melvin make several compliments about the banana bread.

The story was about a peasant who was given a daunting task by a wizard to save the world. Heat was quickly absorbed in it and read straight through to the end. When he finished, he put the papers back the way they originally were. "What do you think?" Melvin asked, hopeful.

"I couldn't put it down. I was hooked from the first sentence," replied Heat.

Melvin beamed, relieved. "Oh, good. Sometimes I worry that my stories aren't that great. It's nice to hear someone else's opinion, someone who doesn't really know me."

"I...I would like to change that," Heat said, hesitantly.

"What do you mean?"

"I'd like to get to know you better, if you'd be alright with that. I want to be friends."

"Friends? Why, sure, Harold! I'd like that a lot!" Melvin held out his hand and heartily shook Heat's.

Melvin's grip and reaction startled Heat a bit. "I don't have a lot of friends," Heat confessed. "This whole friendship thing is kinda new to me."

"I know what you mean. I don't have a lot of friends, either, except for Nina. I never was very popular in school."

"I was never popular either, not even in my own family," Heat said, leaning back to get more comfortable.

"Why? You seem like a good guy."

"My mother favored my brother a lot. He was always more outgoing and sociable. I was pretty withdrawn as a kid."

"You deserved just as much attention as he did. I was an only child, so I guess I'm lucky I didn't have to deal with sibling rivalry or anything."

"You are lucky. Family can be nothing but a pain in the neck."

Melvin suddenly looked away, frowning. Heat noticed and immediately apologized. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't offend me. It's just...My mother died a few years ago."

Heat said, "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"It's alright. Talking about family stuff is still a little difficult for me."

"We can talk about something else."

Melvin took a sharp breath. "No. It's okay. I need to talk about it, and I feel you're a safe person to do that with."

"I am?" Heat asked, startled.

Melvin nodded. "You've been nothing but kind and warm to me, and I trust you with my feelings."

"Melvin...That means a lot to me," said Heat, touched. "You can talk about whatever you need to."

"I don't want to overwhelm you, especially since we've pretty much just met."

"No, no. Don't worry about that. I want you to tell me anything that's on your mind."

Melvin looked at the ground, his lips pursed. When he finally spoke, he said, "I'll try. It's really hard, but I'll try." After another pause, he said, "I miss my mom. She died way too young."

"What happened to her?"

"She got sick, and the doctors couldn't do anything for her. Every day of my life, I wish she was here again." He wiped his eyes.

Heat's face fell. He ached to comfort Melvin, but he didn't know how. He didn't know what to say or do, so he just let him continue.

"Then, after she died, I fought with my dad. I was just so angry about everything. And I felt so guilty for fighting with him. I apologized a long time ago, and he forgave me, but I still can't help feeling bad about it. Nothing has been the same since Mother has been gone."

Heat spoke, attempting to say something reassuring. "Melvin, I...I don't know what to say. I wish I could help you and make things better."

"There's nothing anyone can do, really," Melvin sighed.

"Well, I'm here for you," Heat told him. "And you still have your father and Nina and her family, so at least you're not alone."

"You're right. I know you're right." Melvin began to compose himself. "What about your family?"

"What about them?"

"Tell me about them."

"Oh, they're just a regular family, I suppose," Heat told him, awkwardly.

"I know your brother. What about your parents? What are they like? You said your mother paid more attention to your brother than to you. She doesn't sound very nice, to be honest."

"Oh, she's not a bad person," Heat stated. "She took care of me and made sure my needs were met. I guess she just didn't think we had much in common. Maybe I'm too different from her." Heat looked down at the ground.

Melvin gently put his hand on Heat's shoulder. "Do you have the chance to talk to her about it? Is she still around?"

Heat looked up at him. "Yeah, she's still around, but I don't want to start any trouble."

"What about your father? Won't he back you up?"

Heat rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really see my father much. He's been kinda on again, off again throughout my life."

"I'm so sorry. You deserve better."

Heat said, "You sound like Nina. She would tell me the same thing for some reason."

"Because you're a great guy. She sees that, just like I do." Melvin looked at the loaf pan and saw that half of the banana bread was gone. "Oh! I better put this back inside before I eat the rest of it! Dad should have the privilege of trying it, too." He stood up.

Heat stood up, as well. "I should be going. You're probably really busy, and I don't want to keep you from doing what you need to do."

"Wait! Don't go!" Melvin cried out, and Heat shook, a little startled. Melvin calmed down. "I mean, I'm not busy. I was hoping we could hang out a little longer and take a walk around town."

"Okay."

"I'll just pop inside and be right back out. Will you wait for me out front?"

"Of course," Heat replied.

Melvin went in the shop while Heat waited by the front door. Soon, Melvin came outside. "I'm ready."

"I'll follow you since you live here and know the area."

They began to walk down the sidewalks and streets of Southtown. The sun was up high in the sky, and the weather was beginning to get a little warmer with each passing day. Heat turned his head and looked at Melvin. The sunlight accentuated his blonde hair, and he noticed that the human already had gray strands among the gold. Heat wondered how someone so young could already be starting to look old, but he also thought the look was quite charming.

Melvin glanced at Heat and noticed him staring. "Is something wrong?"

Heat Miser was also able to plainly see Melvin's eyes in the light. They were a clear, crisp green, like dewy grass on a spring morning. "What?" he asked when he finally processed that he was being spoken to. "Oh! Nothing's wrong! I just..." Heat became nervous. "I just noticed...how nice your hair looks."

"My hair?"

"Yeah. It's like the sun, and the sun is one of my favorite things."

Melvin blushed and almost walked into a mailbox. Heat gently pulled him away and said, "Whoa! Be careful."

"Sorry. It's just nobody has ever told me anything like that before," Melvin said, brushing himself off.

"It's the truth. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I don't really think my hair is special, well, except for the fact that I got it from my mom. The bad thing is, it'll all be gray in around a decade's time, I imagine." He touched a few strands of hair on the right side of his head and sighed.

"Even if it does, you'll still look great," Heat assured him.

"Thank you," Melvin told him, gratefully. "By the way, there's going to be an festival here this weekend to celebrate the beginning of spring. Would you like to go with me?"

"A festival?"

"Yeah!" Melvin told him, enthusiastically. "Every year, Southtown has a fair when spring begins. The weather isn't too hot or too cold, so it's the perfect time for an event. People sell food and crafts, and there's music. You should come."

"I don't know. I'm not very good with crowds," Heat stated, uneasy.

"You could set up a stand and sell some of your baked goods. People would love them!"

"You really think they would?"

"Of course, and I could even help you. I'll be taking pictures and writing about the event, but I could help you with the baking and setting up the stand. What do you say?"

Heat quickly went back and forth in his mind about the decision. At last, he nodded. "Okay. I'll do it as long as you help me with it."

"Absolutely! And I'll help you sell your stuff, too. It'll be great!"

"I hope so," said Heat.

"Well, it's about lunchtime. I really should be getting back. I had a great time with you. Do you think we could go to the store tomorrow and get the supplies?" Melvin asked.

"Yeah, then we can go to Nina and Sam's and start baking," Heat nodded. "I'll just have to make sure no one gets in our way."

Melvin smiled. "I'm looking forward to it. See you then!"

The two men said their goodbyes, then went their separate ways. Heat walked slowly, taking his time to get back to the house. Millions and millions of thoughts and feelings ran through his head, but there was one emotion that stood out the most:

Hope.