I sat by the window, watching the white flakes flutter down from the sky. Across the road, families were running outside, a mother laughing as her husband chased the children around the house. Laughter became a melody that drifted across the sleek ice.

Sighing, I pulled my knees up to my chest, hugging them close. I placed a finger on the window, feeling the cool glass freeze the veins in my fingertip. Winds bristled past the trees, covering them in a thick white blanket and leaving a trail of sparkly dust, too pure for the world. The snow shined, begging to be punctured by feet and ruin the perfectly smooth surface.

"Want to go outside?" a deep voice asked, startling me.

"What?"

Ibrahim stepped forward from the shadows, his casual hoodie clinging to his muscular form. He slipped his fingers into the pockets of his sweatpants, blowing the onyx hair from his eyes. His long eyelashes shielded the dark abyss that always lured me in.

"Bashir's outside hanging with his friends. It'd be a shame to let this wintry weather go to waste," he mused, pulling a hand out to me. "Come on."

I eyed his hand hesitantly. "I thought you had work today."

"Well, I can't exactly drive if there's a mountain of snow on my car," he chuckled.

I placed my hand in his, smiling from the warmth that his touch ignited within me. Letting him pull me up, I felt Ibrahim pull me close to his body, an arm wrapping around my waist. I was pushed towards him, steadying myself by placing my palms on his broad chest.

Ibrahim was significantly taller than me, his height towering my small frame, yet as I felt his lips lightly brush against my cheeks, I seemed to forget all about his height. My cheeks heated, feeling his hot breath on the area that his lips had previously touched.

"I think the winter suits you," he whispered against my ear.

I had to hide my smile. "Is that so?"

He smirked against my skin. "Let's go outside before you give me any ideas."

"Like what?" I asked, innocently.

He placed a soft, airbrushing kiss against my nape, letting his words vibrate on the sensitive nerves. "I have a million thoughts that will make you red instantly," he murmured. "But that's for later."

Just the thought of Ibrahim becoming intimate with me soon was enough to send my insides into overdrive, becoming a jumble of desires that desperately needed to be put out. Nonetheless, I managed to pull myself out of his grasps.

He frowned. "Why'd you do that for?"

"You promised to take me outside," I pouted.

"Fine."

Grinning widely, I ran upstairs quickly tying my hair into a bun as I leaped up the multiple flights of stairs. I felt giddy on the inside.

Since Ibrahim's confession of his past, it seemed as if we had gotten impossibly closer. He was much more attentive towards me than before, holding onto me every night as if it may be the last time.

Every nightmare, every tear, every scream that he would wake up with, I was there to comfort him. Some days he could be a bit more reserved than usual, reliving his past in a painful way, but I knew that he needed time to cope. Even nine years wasn't long enough to erase the horrors he faced.

* * * *

"Tasneem! Where'd you go?" Ibrahim shouted, his body pushing through the storm of ice.

He squinted through the howling winds, pressing his feet firmly against the ground. White flakes dusted the top of his winter hat and brushed against his shoulders. The tip of his nose turned pink from the dropping temperatures.

"Tasneem!" he called out again.

I felt the wet drops of snow on my hijab, the snowflakes melting into the white fabric. Bending down, I grabbed a fistful of snow, compacting them together in the palm of my gloved hands. The soft snow became hard, the small sphere glistening as a gust of wind blew passed me, making my feet skid against the slippery surface until I balanced myself again.

Narrowing my eyes at Ibrahim's black coat and large frame, I aimed the snowball, breathing in deeply. Right as he turned to face me, I swung my arm, letting the snowball fly towards him. To my delight, it hit him square in the jaw.

Ibrahim froze.

Slowly, he lifted his gloved hand to his jaw, feeling the powdery substance on the small hairs of his face. Running his hand over it only made the snow melt into his facial hair. I couldn't contain the laughter from bubbling within me no matter how hard I tried to stifle it. Narrowing his dark eyes, he bent down, balling a handful of white into his hands.

I ducked my head, letting the snowball fly over me. "Missed me!" I grinned.

I spoke too soon because before I knew it, something cold had hit the side of my body. The ice dissipated down my jacket in trails of white, sparkling dust. Ibrahim's deep chuckle flicked my attention back to him. A warm feeling began to build, feeling the comfort of his relaxation like a blanket warming me from the frosty storm.

"You're going to regret that," I said, picking up more snow.

"I'd like to see you try," he smirked.

"Challenge accepted."

I threw two snowballs his way, watching him duck and bend in an attempt to dodge, which he successfully was. Feeling even more determined, I managed to collect a heap of snow and compacted the glacial molecules into a massive ball of ice. Satisfied with my creation, I looked up, only to find my husband missing.

I frantically looked around, wondering if the chills had finally gotten to him. "Ibrahim?" I asked, my eyes searching through the mountains of snow that kept piling on top of each other. "Ibrahim! This isn't funny!" I shouted as I dragged my feet through the soft snow.

What if he fainted? Or if he slipped when I wasn't noticing?

I bit my lip, worried that he could have hurt himself.

Come on, Tasneem. He's a grown man, I told myself.

It was extremely cold, the water droplets from branches turning to icicles that dangled downward. My face felt numb like tiny needles were prickling it. The storm still raged on. The winds became harsher and I dropped my snowball as I tried not to fall.

An arm slipped around my waist, making me jump. I didn't need to look up to know that it was Ibrahim. Scowling up at his cheeky smile, I tried my best to stay mad at him for giving me a heart attack. I pushed at his chest.

"You're a horrible person."

He shrugged. "I can't deny the facts."

"Ibrahim!"

"What?" he chuckled, bringing me closer to him.

He leaned his forehead against my own. The warmth from his body melted the wintry air away from me. All coherent thoughts vanished as I felt his lips coming nearer.

Maybe it was because of the snow falling around us in millions of tiny white flakes, drifting endlessly from the gray sky. Maybe it was because there was no longer an emotional wall between us. Maybe it was because, for the first time in my life, I felt the tremors of love rocketing through me.

But as soon as I felt his lips capture mine, everything around us disappeared. There were no worries, no work, no stress. There was only us. There was only Ibrahim and I as we shared our kiss under the falling snow. A world covered in pure white surrounded us.

His lips gently probed at mine, biting and nibbling at the tender skin. His tongue caressed my lip, urging me to open my mouth for him.

One of his hands came up to cradle my cheek, but instead of the smooth glove, I felt something frigid touch my heated cheeks, the snow melting into my skin, and I immediately recoiled.

"I win, sweetheart."

"You kissed me just to throw snow at me? You are not as classy as I thought you were," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Now, you're just being rude."

"Me? What about the fact that you tricked me?"

"Trick is such a strong word," he mused, "I prefer calling it a use of wits."

I gave him a blank stare, clearly not amused.

"We never made rules," he grinned like he was completely innocent.

"I thought no trickery was implied," I mumbled under my breath.

"Number one rule of business, always specify."

"Number one rule of marriage, no stealing kisses for unjust purposes," I countered.

"Unjust?" he questioned. His dark brown eyes twinkled as I saw the small smile he tried to suppress. "Stealing a kiss isn't wrong if you willingly gave it to me."

"I did not."

He put his hands in his pockets, leaning forward. His eyes darkened as he gazed at my lips. "So if I kissed you again, would you move, wife?" he asked, lowly.

Ignoring my desires, I nodded. I'm not giving him the satisfaction.

His lips slowly curled into a smile. "Let's test that theory," he whispered, his hot breath fanning my face. His breath erased the numbness away.

Before he could connect our lips, I turned my cheek the other way, allowing his warm lips to brush against my skin. Ibrahim pulled back, gazing down at me with an unreadable expression as if he were surprised.

"I'm not trying to test theories, Ibrahim."

"I don't need to test it."

I rolled my eyes. "How pompous of you."

Chuckling he reached out to grab my hand, holding it tightly. "Only for you, Tasneem. Only for you."

We stood, side by side, watching the winter storm unfold before us. The winds blew ice and snow towards us, but it didn't seem to bother Ibrahim. I moved closer until I was pressed against his arm, leaning my head on his shoulder. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, reassuring me that he was really there.

The snow seemed to swallow us, but between Ibrahim and I we created our own warmth through the fondness that we had for each other. I peeked at Ibrahim through my lashes, watching as his eyes seemed captivated by the dusty illusions of light and ice.

"I wish we could stay here forever," I said, softly.

He brought his gaze down to me. Snow sat on the stray black hairs that fell over his forehead and thick lashes. His cheeks, cold from the wintry air, were tinted a rosy pink. I couldn't see the horrors that used to lurk in the depths of his dark eyes. Instead, I saw a jovial glint that never existed before.

I saw the real Ibrahim. The Ibrahim that didn't wake up screaming, the man that didn't fear love, the boy that wasn't scared of his demons. I saw my husband, my lover, my friend.

"Me too."