Chapter 65 - The Full Snow Cave Experience (1/2)

”Have you ever done this before?” Al asked as he dodged the snow I was flinging behind me.

”Nope!”

”That's comforting,” he muttered. ”What happens if it collapses in on you?”

”Then you'll have to dig me out or I'll freeze to death and you'll become a young widower,” I said dryly. ”Don't worry about it. It's not going to collapse on me because I'm building it to last! Aren't you going to help?”

I turned back to look at him and he was like a deer in headlights. ”Me? What do you want me to do?”

”Help me make it wider. It's no fun if only one of us fits in it.”

”Oh, alright.”

Al knelt beside me and copied my motions, flinging snow behind him. I showed him how to pack the walls of the cave as we dug so it wouldn't collapse in on itself so much and we got into a groove.

I'm not sure how long it took to dig our cave but in the end it was barely wide enough for two people to slide down into side-to-side. I fit into it completely but since Al was so much taller than me his head stuck out.

”It needs to be deeper,” I insisted. ”You're missing out on the full snow cave experience.”

”I think I'm fine with missing out on the full snow cave experience.”

”Don't be such a killjoy! We both need to fit.”

He sighed dramatically. ”You're the queen.”

”Ugh, I don't even want to think about being queen. Too much tea, not enough fun,” I said while screwing up my face to indicate my disgust.

”That's a fair point. You have a hard time just being a princess. So what do you want to be once you're free from the palace?” he asked conversationally as he continued helping me dig.

”A librarian.” I really hadn't minded my job at the school when I wasn't in excruciating pain and hadn't been on earth long enough to find a more suitable career path.

”I can picture it now—Katie McLeod, librarian extraordinaire. You certainly read enough. I imagine the inside of your head is a library all its own.”

I purposely shoveled a bit of snow into his face with my hand while rolling my eyes at him. I was in a good mood.

Building a snow cave was more fun than I expected though the makeshift snow clothes were not nearly as insulated as the stuff back home so my extremities were going a bit numb. We would have to head inside soon.

”I think that's good,” I declared, leaning back on my knees and admiring our handiwork. ”Let's test it!”

We slid down next to each other head first. Al didn't stick out of the top this time. Mission accomplished. I giggled to myself. If only Abby could see me now, two feet under the snow. She would never believe it.

Al gazed at my giddy face with adoration. ”I stand corrected; the full snow cave experience isn't so bad.”

My breath hitched in my throat a bit. His face was so close to mine that I could see every tiny crinkle in the corner of his eyes as he smiled. He was really cute when he was happy. What was I thinking?! Al wasn't cute!

These were just lingering emotions from the kiss yesterday. Anybody would be a little moved after being kissed like that but this girl wasn't about to fall for his tricks.