Snow had already swallowed the mountains by the time Aarush and Noah returned from the village temple. The crisp evening air smelled of pine, burning wood, and something soft—something like belonging. Noah had never liked winters before, but here, wrapped in the quiet peace of Aarush’s ancestral hill home, everything felt different.
As they walked up the stone path, their shoulders brushed. It wasn’t entirely intentional… yet it wasn’t accidental either.
Aarush cleared his throat. “Cold?”
Noah huffed a small laugh. “Freezing. But the view was worth it.”
He wasn’t talking about the mountains, and Aarush knew it. His ears warmed despite the cold.
Inside the house, warmth enveloped them instantly. Aarush’s mother had lit the fireplace, and the crackling flames seemed to welcome them back
