9 ɴɪɴᴛʜ.

She is staring outside, watching how the snow falls from the sky. It's Christmas Eve but there she is, doesn't have the energy to celebrate it even with her family. She is supposed to attend the remaining class days before the winter break but she didn't because of what happened to her back.

She sat on the stone stairway outside their house, wearing one of Yamasho's warm jackets. She decided not to talk to him and he respected that. She smiled faintly and started to write various letters on the snow using her fingertip.

"I miss you." She mumbled as the snow kept on falling. She is freezing but she doesn't bother. She took a deep breath and rested her chin on her knees.

"What are you doing here outside?" A pair of shoes appeared in front of her and she lifted her head to look at the person who just arrived.

"Sho.." She slowly stood up and then Yamasho took his gloves off to wear it on her hands. She watched him, feeling her eyes getting teary.

"It's so cold and you're staying outside." He added and then, he removed his scarf around his neck to wear it on her as well.

"Sho, I--" She didn't finish what she wanted to say since he started kissing her lips deeply. She felt his warm palms against her freezing cheeks and she held on his hands gently.

"You don't need to say anything." He mumbled between the kisses. She slowly nodded and wrapped her arms around his nape.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer while kissing her more. She tightened her hug around his nape and just accepted his kisses. She longed for him. She missed him so much. Despite everything happening, he never looked for another woman.

She started questioning herself. Does she deserve him? How can she accept someone who can love her more than she loves herself? She tried to forget about him but her heart keeps on reminding her how much she loves him.

The kiss lasted for a few minutes and she felt cheeks heating up even though the weather is so cold. She smiled softly when he rested his forehead on hers. She can't help but to chuckle as he keeps on leaving quick and little kisses on her lips.

"Chotto. I need to give something to you. Wait for me here." She immediately went inside the house and ran to her room to get her gift for him.

She got the knitted scarf from her closet and smiled while staring at it. She still doesn't know how to knit a sweater, so she got a couple sweaters for them. She went back to him, carrying a paper bag and the knitted scarf.

"Here. My first gift." She gave the paper bag to him while hiding the scarf behind her. He took it and opened it, pulling out the couple sweaters.

"It looks good. Should I wear it already?" He asked. She nodded her head while smiling widely. She held the paper bag for him and then, he took off the sweater he was wearing to wear her gift.

He didn't notice the embroidery at the hem since she asked for the same color of the thread. She blushed faintly, knowing that it was her initials. And then, she gave her another gift. He smiled when he saw the knitted scarf.

"That's why you bought that book." She blushed more, taking the other sweater from him to hug it. It has his initials at the hem. She can't talk about it. She doesn't want to.

"I'm not yet that good on knitting though." She mumbled while hiding her crimson face with his scarf around her neck.

"It's cute. I love it. Arigatou." He smiled. He slid his hand inside his pocket and took out a small box.

"Here. My gift." He showed the small box to her and she stared at it. Somehow, she is feeling thrilled to see what it contains.

Her hand slowly reached for it and held it carefully. When she opened it, a pair of silver rings was shown. The design is so simple and it has a diamond at the center. She took the smallest one and saw the engravings on it.

"It has our initials." He took the ring from her and then, he removed the gloves on her hands to wear it on her ring finger.

"Rings are much better than necklaces." He smiled. She took the remaining ring from the box and she wore it on his ring finger.

"I'm yours and you're mine." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight. She can't contain her happiness. Her heart is overflowing with happiness.

"Yes, I'm yours. Only yours, Sho." She whispered, hiding her tomato face on his chest. She felt his hug getting tighter and she heaved a deep sigh of relief.

He brought her necklace a few days ago to the jewelry store to fix it. They changed the chain into a new one and she has it on her neck once again. She can't forget how the group of girls destroyed everything that she got that time. They didn't even give his jacket back to her. Even though he told her not to worry about it anymore, she can't stop thinking about it. She let other people get something important from her.

"Arigatou, Fuyu. Thank you for staying with me. I can't bear to lose you. I've never been like this before. It is my first time to feel afraid, afraid that I will lose the person I love. You're one of the most important to me. And also, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you suffered because of me. You don't deserve to be treated like that." Her tears fell when she heard those from him.

She knows that being in a relationship with him will give her hard times but she ignored it. She loves him. Adults may think that it is only a puppy love or an unserious one but for her, she realized many things.

"I'm happy, Sho. I'm happy that I'm your girlfriend. I'm sorry if I pushed you away. I was so selfish that time. I was hurt. It made me think that you failed to protect me. It was hard for me but I know that it was also hard for you. I'm sorry for making you shoulder all the blame. I'm sorry for what my friend did that time. Experiencing that moment, it made me realize that I'm afraid to lose you." She lifted her head to look at him.

She smiled, knowing that her tears are still falling. She placed her palms against his cheeks and gently nuzzled it. They shared another kiss under the snowy Christmas Eve. They don't care anymore if there are some people passing by. All she wants is to stay in his arms and tell him how much she loves him.