Unfortunately, winter break came to an end far too quickly for anyone's liking. Christina felt as though she never had enough time to do all the things she wanted to do, but was extraordinarily happy for Kintra and Nick, who had started dating during the latter part of the break. Kintra, who had been attempting to teach Christina some sign language, had very slowly signed her news, and, to Christina's embarrassment for a couple of hours, she had jumped on Kintra in her excitement, laughing and squeezing the poor girl practically to death. Thankfully, Kintra had a large heart and simply laughed along with Christina, hugging her back.
Now, with only four more days left before Christina had to return to her life at school, she was out walking around a snow-covered park close to the latest venue that the boys were supposed to be performing at tonight. She breathed in the cold, crisp air and smiled as she watched her own breath appear in front of her before it was whisked away into the cold afternoon air.
"May I join you?" asked a voice behind her.
Christina whirled around, only to find Joe standing there, bundled up just like her. "Hey," she said softly, their way of greeting each other.
"Hey," he said back. He came to stand next to her and gave her arm a squeeze.
"How'd you get away from Nick?" she asked curiously, knowing that a long recording session had been taking place this afternoon.
Joe shrugged. "Nick knows now what it means to be in love. In his case, he almost lost Kinny."
"She was that sick?" Christina asked worriedly.
Joe nodded. "She thought she might die, but the doctors were able to give her more extensive treatments. She'd finished them before she came to Colorado." He grinned. "Anyways, pushing Nick's buttons is one way to make him let you leave."
"You didn't!" Christina cried, knowing the talent Joe possessed for annoying people to death when he wanted to.
The mirth left his eyes and he shook his head. "No," he said seriously. "All I did was mention the fact that I only had four days with you."
The light-hearted atmosphere dimmed almost immediately, and Joe fell in step with Christina as they walked around the park. How many times they made the same lap around the snowy park, Joe would never know. He soon lost count, for he wasn't really paying attention to where he was going. All his attention was focused on the young woman beside him. Finally, he broke the silence by clearing his throat and remarking, "You seem actually saddened to be leaving."
Christina turned and looked at him squarely. "How could I be anything else?" she asked. Realization dawned on her and she gave him an exasperated look. "Honestly! Do you really think after all this time that I don't really care about you?"
Joe shook his head. "No," he replied. "I know that you do, I just can't quite believe that I'm so fortunate that you do."
Christina looked up at him, surprised by the look of absolute seriousness that was on his face. Rarely did she ever see this side of Joe. "I assure you that I'm more amazed that you love me than the fact that I love you."
"Why?" Joe asked curiously.
"Because nothing like this ever happens to me," Christina blurted out. "I live in Dublin."
Joe snorted. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Christina blushed. "Nothing really," she admitted. "I'm not saying that Dublin isn't an interesting place, I'm just saying that no one would've expected this-"
"From someone living in Dublin," Joe finished for her.
She smiled. "From someone living in Dublin," she agreed.
A park bench was conveniently nearby, so Joe pulled Christina down onto it next to him and she immediately snuggled into her favorite spot at his side. His arm went around her almost protectively, and she smiled. It felt so wonderful to be loved. A thought flittered through her mind, and her smile faded. "Will you forget me when I leave?" she asked. She looked up at Joe's face. "Be honest."
Joe looked down at the girl in his arms and saw that she was not teasing. Her earnest question was asked out of desperation, and was not the actual question she was asking. She was actually asking, "Will I need to steel my heart for when you no longer love me?"
He tilted her chin up and leaned down so that their foreheads touched. "I will never forget you," he said earnestly. "Do you want to know why?" Christina was too last for words, so she just shook her head. "I will never forget you because I'll never be away from you long enough to forget you."
Christina tried to pull away. "Don't make promises you can't keep, Joe," she warned him.
He shook his head, tightening his hold on her so that she could not get away. "I'm promising you because I intend to keep it," he informed her. "I want to be near you. When I'm away from you, most of the time, I'm thinking about going and finding you so that I can be with you once more."
"Most of the time?" Christina asked mischievously.
Joe shrugged. "I wanted to be honest," he told her. "The rest of the time, I'm thinking about food."
Christina smacked his arm, yet laughed along with him, and the laughter dissolved any foreboding thoughts for the moment. She snuggled into Joe's shoulder and closed her eyes, never wanting this peaceful moment to end, yet knowing at the same time that it must, and far too soon for her liking.
"We should be getting back," Joe told her regretfully. "Everyone's waiting for us so that we can go out to dinner together before everyone starts leaving."
Christina nodded and stood up. "Right," she said, trying to hold back the sniffles she felt starting to come.
Joe pulled her close and kissed her gently yet firmly, and if Christina had ever doubted his love, she doubted no longer. His actions spoke volumes more than his words ever could. When he finally pulled away, Christina leaned into his chest and whispered, "Tá mé chomh mór sin I ngrá leat."
Joe pushed her slightly away so that he could look down at her. "What did you say?" he asked.
Christina looked up with a small smile. "It's Irish for 'I love you so much.'"
He pulled her close again and leaned down for another kiss. Just as their lips touched, Joe whispered, "I love you too, so very, very much."
A/N: Did you like it? Let me know!