‘I am so rubbish. I’m moaning about seeing my family and you don’t even get to see yours until after the big day.’
‘Not at all. Merry Christmas, Alice.’
‘Merry Christmas, Marco. Thank you for everything.’
Alice reached up to hug him and they held each other a moment longer than necessary.Take care of my Bear, she was trying to tell him through her arms.He’s all I have. And when they pulled back she kissed his cheek which was stubbly and warm. Everything about Marco was warm.
But still they held on, perhaps just for a couple of seconds, but long enough for the lightest snowflake of a kiss to pass between each other’s lips. It was so fleeting it was almost hard to be sure it really happened, but Alice stepped back and into the train without another word, and they waved at each other through the window, both a little surprised.
Her heart tugged when she boarded the train and it pulled away. Could she do this? But as it made its way further from Mürren, crawling down the mountain and edging her closer to home, her phone tinkled.
She’d received a gift through iTunes. She opened it with curiosity, and smiled a grateful smile.A Rat Pack Christmashad been gifted to her, along with a note from Marco: ‘Maybe this will help get you in the Christmas spirit, or at least distract you from sad thoughts and remind you of us up here in the snow, missing you, and looking forward to you coming (to your second) home. Love, Marc and Bear xx.’
‘Merry Christmas, Marco,’ she whispered again, looking through the glass and up the mountain she would soon be back to climb.
