Upon realizing that Aurora was out of sight, Phillip apologized to the driver and quickly closed the door of the cab. Within seconds, the car had set off too, the tires screeching against the black tar road. Phillip ran his fingers through his hair with a worried sigh as his eyes searched the crowds for Aurora. The pavement was filled with people walking in every direction, most of them brisk-walking in attempt to reach their destination sooner to avoid the snow that now fell from the sky. Phillip tried calling out Aurora's name, but in vain. Instead of hearing her response, all he received were strange looks from the people who passed by. At last, he decided to squeeze himself through the crowd in attempt to find her. His heart lifted every time he spotted a blonde young woman or heard a female voice, but each and every time he was deceived by his own illusions.

As the seconds passed, his heart grew heavier with worry. "Aurora!" he called out, but still no response. "Aurora, where are you?"

The snow fell with more intensity now, obstructing Phillip's vision partially and making his nose and cheeks feel sore from the cold. He kept muttering words like "Excuse me" and "Forgive me" as he accidentally bumped into people, but after some time gave up because his thumping heart made it too hard to speak.

He stopped when he saw a man leaning against the lamp post and brushing the flakes of snow off his coat. "Excuse me, sir," Phillip panted. "Have you seen a young woman within the last few minutes? She's not very tall but she's slim, long blonde hair, dark blue eyes…"

The man shook his head. "Sorry, kid. Let me know when you find her, though. Every man's looking for a girl like that."

Phillip eyed the man, but quickly erased any possessive thoughts from his mind. "Thank you," he said hastily before turning around and praying to God he'd see Aurora. In return, however, he saw no one but some random tourists still walking across the pavement and some of the vendors hurriedly trying to protect their things from the snow. "God dammit, where have you gone?" he muttered to himself.

He pulled his Blackberry out of his pocket and looked at the screen. He had no text messages or missed calls, which meant that Aurora hadn't tried to contact him yet. At that moment a short chubby woman darted right past him. "Excuse me, ma'am! I'm looking for a-" He would have continued, had the woman not shot a glare at him then hurriedly continued her way. Phillip sighed, beginning to worry if he had come running in the right direction or not. He checked his Blackberry again then slipped it back into his pocket before continuing brisk-walking down the street. He looked back and side-ways in search of Aurora, finding that it was easier now since the streets had become slightly emptier. When he found himself enough space, he began to run.

Only five minutes had gone by, but already Phillip had run far enough to realize that he had lost his mind. There was no way Aurora could have come this far. He pulled out his phone and tried to call her again, but her phone continued without a signal. He turned around and started running back, until he stood exactly where he had last seen her. Running his fingers through his long thick hair, Phillip let out a sigh and tried to calm himself by slowly looking around and carefully eyeing each and every person to make sure he didn't accidentally miss Aurora.

Having not found her, Phillip pulled out his Blackberry once more and speed-dialed Aurora's number. He pressed the phone against his ear and waited for it to ring as he looked around. Suddenly, his eyes rest on the corner of the street where an old woman stood trying desperately to open her umbrella. Phillip held up his call and quickly shoved his phone in his pocket as he hurried over to the woman. "Do you need help, ma'am?" he asked politely, reaching out his hand.

The woman looked up at him, her face filled with wrinkles and her gray hair tucked nicely underneath her black beanie. "Oh, I… I can't seem to get it open!"

Phillip took the umbrella and inspected it for a moment before figuring out how it worked. "It appears to be stuck, actually. But here, let me just give it a slight… push!" Phillip used his strength to force the umbrella open. He then gave it an once-over glance to make sure nothing was broken before handing it back to the woman with a faint smile. "There you go, ma'am."

"Oh, wonderful!" The woman took back the umbrella and held it over her head. "Why, thank you so much!"

Phillip nodded in response, realizing for the first time that the woman spoke in a British accent. Had this been any other time, he would have stopped and made conversation with her, asking where she was from, and if she was enjoying New York City. But right now, his mind couldn't stop worrying about Aurora.

"You're standing in the snow!" the woman pointed out with a hint of concern in her voice. "You seem awfully worried too. Is there anything I can do to return the favor?"

Phillip sighed. "I think I've lost my girlfriend." It sounded horrible now that he said it.

"Oh, now isn't that awful! But, rest assured! Surely a lovely man such yourself will not be troubled to find himself another kind lady…"

Phillip shook his head and wiped the condensed snowflakes off his forehead. "No, no. I mean I literally lost her. Just minutes ago she was standing here, and now she's nowhere to be seen!" His face lightened up slightly when he recognized a new hope in the woman's face. "Perhaps… perhaps you've seen her?" Phillip went on to describe Aurora, ready to share every detail with the woman. To his surprise, however, the woman stopped him before he could finish his first sentence.

"The woman you describe sounds awfully familiar to someone I just saw standing somewhere over there…" She turned around and pointed down a dimly lit street right around the corner. It was empty compared to the busy and crowded street that Aurora and Phillip had been walking down. The only thing that stood out was a small Italian pizza place which had a huge banner outside advertising their pizza slice promotion: "Buy One, Get One Free!"

Standing a few feet away from the snack bar, just off the curb, was Aurora Hale. She held her hands up and her eyes closed, smiling blissfully at the night skies. Her orange beanie was already partially white due to all the snow, as well as her coat. But Aurora did not seem bothered by this. If anything, she seemed pleased by it!

Phillip's first instinct was to rush to her and scold her for disappearing like that. How dare she make him worry so much – he could have died of a heart attack! However, for some reason, simply watching her as she stood there made all of his frustration disappear into thin air. His feet were almost glued to the floor as he gazed at her lovingly, swaying her arms around and laughing softly as the snowflakes landed on her nose.

"Now, isn't that a sight?" the old woman mused. Her faint smile turned into a worried frown. "That poor girl is going to get sick if she doesn't look for shelter soon! And God forbid she should walk into the middle of the street! It's awfully dangerous here. The cars seem to come out of nowhere!"

Phillip shook his head and blinked as the woman spoke. "Yes… yes, thank you," he said hesitantly, politely putting his hand on the woman's shoulder as he kept his gaze on Aurora. "I'll see to her now."

The woman looked up and instantly recognized the look on Phillip's face. His hand slipped off her shoulder as he slowly started making his way to the girl (who was, no doubt, a foreigner, for never had she seen someone stand there so mesmerized by something as trivial as snow). She shrugged with a small smile and wished him a good evening before turning around the corner and hurrying off to her destination.

Once Phillip was standing only a few feet away from Aurora, he came to a stop and leaned against the lamp post. Now that he was close enough, he could hear Aurora humming, and instantly recognized the tune as "That's All I Ask Of You" from The Phantom of the Opera. At any other time he would have joined her duet and embraced her softly, but right now he could only watch her, study her, and be blown away by her overwhelming beauty and grace. A small smile crossed his lips as he folded his arms over his chest. He tilted his head to the side and sighed very quietly, hoping he would not give his presence away just yet. He also watched attentively as she absentmindedly wandered off into the middle of the street. It was at this moment that Phillip stepped away from the pavement and took a few more steps closer to her. He stood by the curb and continued to watch her with his hands in his pockets.

A few seconds later, Aurora let down her hands and slowly opened her eyes. She gasped and took a quick step back in surprise when she realized she was standing in an unfamiliar place. She looked right and left and noticed she was standing in the middle of the street. Her instinct told her to hit the pavement as fast as she could, but something about this felt so… liberating. The adrenalin made her forget about the cold, and she didn't even seem to be bothered by the fact that most of her clothes were already damp from the snow.

She turned around slowly, absorbing each moment that passed and trying to take mental photographs of it all so that she could remember it later. Her body stopped when her eyes rested on a tall slim figure standing by the curb, gazing back at her with that familiar gleam in his eyes. Her mouth broke into a huge grin. "It's snowing!" she said, clutching her hands together and holding them against her chin. "It's snowing and we're in New York City!"

Phillip chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Yes, it's true. And not only that, but we're also covered in snow." He shook his head. "If your aunts could see us now, they would not be impressed with me."

Aurora bit her lip with a smile. "Oh, but I don't want to leave just yet… I just…" She opened her arms again and looked up at the sky. "I just feel so happy."

Phillip smiled. "Well, that's mighty comforting to hear." He looked left and right to make sure no cars were coming then joined Aurora in the middle of the street. He took her hand and twirled her around.

Aurora giggled as she stretched herself away from Phillip then spun herself into his arms again. "Are you not happy too?"

Phillip looked down and gently tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. "I'm always happy as long as I'm with you. It doesn't matter to me whether we're in dancing on an empty street in Manhattan or living under the bridge in God-knows-where."

Aurora smiled. "I much prefer the first option," she teased.

Phillip pretended to consider it very seriously. "Well… living under a bridge does have its perks."

Aurora wrapped her arms around Phillip's neck. "Such as?"

Phillip responded by embracing her around the waist. "Well, for one, we wouldn't have to pay rent. Secondly, we could live close to the river… and I know how much you love the river."

Aurora laughed. "Well, we would have to find a calm river so that you could swim in it every day. It would also help if the water was clean, seeing we would most likely have to use it to cook and clean and wash… But, what will we eat?"

Phillip sighed heavily, as if the question were a serious and profound one. At the same time he discreetly dragged Aurora with him to the curb, not being at rest until he was sure they were out of danger. "I suppose we'd just have to get used to eating grass."

Aurora stepped up onto the curb so that her eyes were at the same level as Phillip's. "G-grass?"

Phillip nodded. "We couldn't eat the fish in the river because you're a vegetarian. I've never heard of fruit trees growing along the river shore…" He shrugged and sighed dramatically. "Grass it would have to be. Lets just hope we don't pick a place full of concrete! Then we'd most probably be in trouble."

"Hmm… I don't quite know what grass tastes like," Aurora remarked, trying to play along with Phillip (although it was much harder for her to keep such a straight face).

"Well, horses and cows eat it, so it can't be that bad." He paused and pulled a face. "How in the world did we end up having such a strange conversation?"

Aurora laughed at last as her arms slipped around Phillip's waist. She rest her head on his chest and sighed. "I don't know… and yet, I really don't mind." Aurora smiled to herself, realizing how lucky she was to be in love with a man she could talk to about anything. Anything. They often had strange conversations which led to strange outcomes (and usually ended with Aurora unable to contain her laughter). However, it was also very usual to catch Aurora and Phillip in a very serious – and sometimes heated – conversation about the things they read in the news, about school, or even about ethics.

As she rest her head against his chest, Phillip ran his hands over her shoulders. He could tell her coat was damp even though he couldn't feel it because he wore thick leather gloves. It reminded him that it was best to head back to the hotel as soon as possible, yet at that very moment he desired only to reward himself with this comforting and heart-warming feeling. He looked up at the skies and noticed that it snowed less now, though under the dim light of the lamp post one could still make out a slight drizzle.

They both remained in silence for almost a minute, simply standing there in an embrace and letting the world slip by them. Perhaps because he was in such a peace of mind, Phillip was in no way prepared to hear what Aurora was about to say.

"I don't want you to go."

Her words, apart from confusing him, dragged him back into reality. He pulled back and looked down at her, seeing that her once radiant smile had now given place to a heartfelt frown. There was no longer a transparent happiness in her gaze… just concern and sadness.

"I…" Phillip's voice sounded croaky when he first tried to speak. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Aurora shook her head, making it clear that Phillip had not understood what she meant. She pulled away from him and slowly walked up to the lamppost. Leaning against it, she embraced herself and looked down at the ground, her back facing Phillip. "To Harvard," she said bluntly. "I don't want you to go to Harvard."

Phillip felt a lump in his throat. He was finally hearing Aurora say what he had already grown suspicious of for quite a while now. They had never really spoken about him going to Harvard at the end of the school semester. They talked about Harvard a lot – and Aurora was always keen to learn more about his plans for the future – but somehow none of them had actually wanted to discuss the fact that Phillip studying at Harvard meant that they could no longer be together. They would be hundreds of miles apart, leading different lives, meeting new people, studying dissimilar things… How could a long-distance relationship – or any relationship, for that matter – survive something like that?

Phillip opened his mouth to speak, and at that moment realized that he didn't really know what to say. "I… I don't understand."

Aurora sighed in a way that allowed Phillip to tell that she was clearly upset. "I'm so happy for you, I really am," she began, her voice already starting to crack up. "I know you really want this and have worked your whole life to get it. I feel so… cruel and selfish to be saying such a thing to you right now. It's not that I don't want you to go to Harvard, I just… I just don't want you to go away."

Phillip lowered his head and frowned sadly. Truth was… he didn't want to go Harvard either. He had never really told Aurora that, but he had never lied to her either. Going to Harvard Law School was something his father wanted for him. It was a family tradition. An honor. A requirement for a decent career in law. Phillip didn't want to let his father down, so he made his best effort to turn his father's dream into his dream. He could never deny that he was ecstatic when his admission letter from Harvard arrived. He had even gone out with Aurora and some friends to celebrate that night (and woke up with a mighty headache the next morning). He had almost conformed himself to the thought of following his father's career, but now Aurora's concern was resurrecting his own hesitance.

"I… I have to go," he said quietly. "You know that." Phillip wished now that Aurora would turn around and face him, because not being able to see her face was making it harder to understand her emotions.

"I know… I know." She finally turned around and leaned her back against the lamppost. The light seemed to emphasize on her tear-filled eyes. "I just wish it didn't have to be so soon."

Phillip smiled faintly, wishing he could bring a smile to Aurora's face again. "But… I don't have to go for another five months!"

"Yes, but after that…"

Phillip took a step forward. "After that we'll only be a six hour drive away from each other." He held Aurora's hand. "Six hours. I can do that with my eyes closed!" He paused. "Well, not really, because driving with my eyes closed sounds awfully dangerous," he joked lightly, then scanned Aurora's face hoping to find a smile. She smiled very faintly, but it cheered him up nevertheless. "I'll come visit you, you'll come visit me… and it's not like we won't have Internet. We'll still get to see each other every day! I know I'm not as attractive on webcam as I am in real life," he joked lightheartedly, "but it will have to do."

Aurora let out a small half-hearted laugh before wiping a tear from her eye. Then she tilted her head and sighed silently. "I'm so sorry, Phillip."

Phillip frowned in confusion. "Why are you apologizing?" He almost feared the answer.

"It's just…" She held onto his coat. "I'm not in position to tell what you should or should not do, and I feel awfully selfish for asking you to stay when I know you want to go."

Phillip sighed with relief, much to Aurora's surprise. He held onto the lamppost and leaned in closer to Aurora until their faces were only mere inches apart. "Aurora Rosemary Hale," he said calmly. He often called her by her full name whenever he was growing impatient or uptight, though this time he appeared to be… simply amused. "We are a couple," he stated. "You are my girlfriend. That means that you are in every position to tell me exactly how you feel."

Aurora hesitated, but decided to follow Phillip's suggestion. "Well, I feel nervous whenever I think that in five months you and I will-" She stopped herself, wondering if it even made sense to be thinking of such a thing. Why couldn't she just enjoy the moment like Phillip so often did? Why did she always have to stop and think about whether or not this was the right thing, or if they were going in the right direction? Oddly enough, she knew too well the answers to all those questions, but often chose to ignore them.

"We'll what?" Phillip urged, swinging his body around the lamppost. Aurora seemed reluctant to give him an answer, so he stepped in for her. "Do you honestly think that I'd break up with you because I'm going to Harvard?"

Aurora felt slightly guilty upon hearing Phillip's question. Yes, the thought did cross her mind at the oddest of times. "Well… you're going to meet lots of wonderful new people," she pointed out. "You'll be working hard all the time, and surely you'll get involved in a lot of activities, and…"

"And so will you!" Phillip cut in. He stood in front of her now, staring at her intently. "It's all right to do new things," he said reassuringly. "It's all right to meet new people."

"Yes, but… what if you meet someone?" She hoped Phillip wouldn't ask her to clarify. She was having a hard time expressing her thoughts as it was!

"You mean, what if I fall in love with someone else?" The words flowed out of his mouth so easily, as if he had no worries at all.

Aurora shook her head quietly. "Hm-mm."

"Well…" Phillip took Aurora by the hands and pulled her towards him. Then he embraced her tightly and looked down at her with a small comforting smile. "I cannot guarantee that I will not fall in love with someone else while I'm away." He noticed Aurora frown but purposely ignored it. "But one thing I can guarantee you… In order for me to fall in love with another girl, she has to meet the following requirements. One, she must be the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. Two, she must sing like an angel. Three, she must be intelligent… but modest about it. Four, she must be a great dancer, and be willing to waltz with me at the oddest of times."

As he finished his sentence, Phillip put his hand on Aurora's waist and held up her other hand. He began waltzing around the pavement with a grin, enjoying the surprised look on Aurora's face who waltzed with him. "Five," he continued as they danced, "we must enjoy the same things – music, movies, musicals!" He stopped and twirled her around before embracing her again. "Six, she must be able to make me appreciate vegetarian dishes, even if I'm not a vegetarian myself. Seven…" Phillip leaned forward and teasingly brushed his nose against Aurora's. "Her kisses must behold the power to send me to the moon and back." She automatically closed her eyes, waiting for a kiss, but Phillip pulled back and turned her around until her back was facing him. He put his hands on her shoulders and stood behind her.

"Eight! She must be kind and caring, and not only to those she cherishes. Of course, this includes animals too." He slipped his hands underneath her arms and rest his chin on her shoulder. "Nine… she must have a lovely family who treats me as their son." At last, he turned her around and faced her again. "And ten… she must love me for who I am, and always find new ways to remind me of it."

He sighed then smiled down at her. "If I find a girl who meets all those requirements, then she'll be almost as good as you. But there's one requirement no girl will ever be able to meet." He leaned forward and whispered, "She'll never be you."

Aurora looked up and offered Phillip that radiant smile she knew he loved. Her worries had all faded away and she found herself falling deeply in love all over again. "Well," she began cheerfully, "in that case, I shall list my requirements too!"

She slipped away from Phillip's grasp and started taking small steps along the curb, spreading her arms out like a ballerina and looking down at her tiny feet as they moved across the line. "One, he must be charming and polite… like a prince!"

Phillip put his hands on his hips playfully and whistled. "Wow, you're not demanding at all!" He slowly walked behind Aurora, following her along the curb with his hands in his pockets.

Aurora glanced back at him and giggled before resuming her ballerina pose. "Two, he must be a man with good taste."

"Refined and classy, I quite agree," Phillip remarked, faking a posh British accent.

"Three, he must be a fine dancer and whisk me away when I least expect it!" Aurora stroke a small pose with her foot up in the air, then laughed as she stood upright again.

"Now, now, you stole that one from me!" Phillip reprimanded playfully.

"Four," Aurora continued, pretending to ignore Phillip's little side remarks. "He must be an excellent cook, and not mind preparing delicious vegetarian dishes for me even though he loves steak and chips."

Phillip rubbed his stomach and licked his lips. "I almost feel like I haven't had a steak in years!"

Aurora stuck her tongue out playfully before hopping back onto the pavement and spinning around. "Five! He must know when to finish my duets, and it won't hurt if he has a dreamy voice too," she added thoughtfully.

"My, my, you really are picky!" He caught her hand as she spun around then pulled her closer to him with a smile.

Aurora smiled back dreamingly. "Hmm, six… He must have the patience to teach me new card games every week, and not feel bad whenever I beat him."

Phillip pressed his hand against his chest and shook his head dramatically. "The world is filled with bad losers these days."

"Seven…" Aurora smiled faintly as she wrapped her arms around Phillip's neck. "He must know how to play a good Zorro, and amuse me with his funny Spanish accent."

Phillip wiggled his eyebrows. "Aye, aye, señorita!"

Aurora threw her head back and laughed, then cupped Phillip's face in her hands and gazed at him lovingly. "Eight." She lowered her voice into a whisper. "He must be willing to take a four-hour drive on New Year's Eve just to surprise me in front of all my friends, then sing with me on the rooftops without a care in the world!"

"Even if you wake up with a cold the next day?" Phillip whispered back teasingly.

Aurora grinned, grateful for his remark as it reminded her of another thing she loved about Phillip. "Nine!" she said out loud. "When I'm sick, he must tend to me, make me soup, and lay by my side all night in case I wake up."

Phillip nodded his head slowly. "I daresay – you'll never find a man like that!" he joked. He spun her around then pressed her back against the wall.

Aurora laughed, unable to contain her cheerfulness. "I used to think so too," she confessed. "But then…" Her laughter died out as she considered the importance of what she was about to say. "But then I met you," she said quietly. "And suddenly fairytales don't exist only in books anymore."

Phillip smiled faintly. "And love doesn't just exist once upon a dream?"

Aurora let her head fall back and sighed blissfully. "Exactly."

Phillip pulled his glove off his hand with his teeth then shoved it into his pocket. At first Aurora frowned in confusion, wondering why he was taking his glove off when the air was so cold, but then it quickly hit her. He raised his hand to her cheek and softly caressed it. She knew very well that Phillip loved to touch her, for he did so many times whenever they sat out on the lawn on a sunny day. She could feel the warmth of his skin as it injected her whole body with a new adrenalin. Aurora closed her eyes under Phillip's touch and felt him draw nearer to her.

"What about number ten?" he whispered, his gaze fixed on Aurora's lips (which had turned slightly purple from the cold). He let his fingertips slide gently across her lower lip, touching them softly. He savored the moment, enjoying this sense of intimacy which, unfortunately, he wasn't allowed too often.

Aurora eyelids opened slowly as she smiled beneath his touch. "Ten…" she whispered back slowly, letting the suspense fill the air. "He should know exactly how and when to kiss me."

Phillip grinned at the hint and, without hesitating, leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Snowflakes continued to fall from the sky, but none of them seemed to be bothered by it. They lost themselves in a deep kiss, forgetting the world, their worries, their studies, their families… and anything else that could ever dare to come between them.

After a few seconds, Phillip pulled back and smirked as he licked his lips.

Aurora looked at him in confusion. "What? What is it?" she whispered, disappointed that he had pulled back so soon.

"Nothing," Phillip murmured, leaning forward again. "It's just that I can still taste that caramel macchiato," he added before kissing her again.