Chapter 60: Twilight After the Snowfall

Four years ago
Boston had a heavy snowfall overnight.
Steven and Eric stayed up late last night to redo the case for their irresponsible team member, and finally submitted the assignment to the professor's email in the early morning, just in time for the deadline.
As the sky outside started to brighten, they confirmed that the email had been sent and turned off their computers, heading back to their respective rooms to get some sleep.
But before they could sleep for more than two hours, the piercing sound of the doorbell abruptly shattered their slumber. Seeing that there was no response from within the room, the person outside grew impatient and pressed the doorbell persistently, causing their hearts to race.
Even the most good-natured person would have a bit of emotion at this moment.
Expressionless, Steven lifted the covers and walked to the door, forgetting to even look through the peephole, and forcefully opened the door.
Accompanied by the extremely cold air outside, a handful of icy snow sprayed in his face, landing on his hair and face. The wet and cold snow corroded the warmth, and a few pieces even slipped into his collar.
"Surprise!"
A cheerful and sweet female voice sounded, and Steven furrowed his brows, brushing off the snow on his face, impatiently intending to scold the person.
However, as he saw the person in front of him, he froze.
The girl was wearing a white down jacket with a fluffy hat on her head. She had a small face, bright clear eyes with a captivating curve at the corners, and a slightly red nose due to the cold.
She was looking at him with a playful and satisfied expression, obviously very pleased with her "attack."
The messy canvas in the software of the Buddha was cleared with a single click, and all the pent-up frustrations vanished instantly.
The irritation in his heart disappeared in an instant.
But when the other person also saw Steven's face clearly, their expression instantly changed from surprise to panic.
Monica thought Eric would be the one opening the door, so she prepared a "gift" to tease him, but she didn't expect to mistake the person.
Embarrassment and awkwardness arose, and she tiptoed, frantically brushing off the snow on his hair, repeatedly apologizing.
"It's alright." Steven slightly lowered his head, facilitating her actions, his gaze inadvertently falling on the fur balls hanging down from the sides of her hat, swaying with her movements, resembling a bunny's tail.
So adorable.
Ten minutes later, three people sat on the couch in the living room.
"Who let you come?" Eric, with a disheveled appearance, propped up his legs, with no good tone, "You came all this way alone, does Mom know?"
"What's with that expression? I sat on a plane for almost thirty hours! Boston doesn't have a direct flight, so I had to transfer in Dubai."
Monica was quite dissatisfied, "I came all this way to see you, and you treat me like this?"
"Oh, so Mom doesn't know." Eric disregarded her attempt to appeal to emotions, coldly took out his phone, slid it open, and gestured as if to make a call.
"Eric!" Monica quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, "How can you be like this?"
Eric threw his phone aside, forcefully pinching her cheeks on both sides.
“You didn't report to the family or even tell me, just impulsively ran to the United States alone. What if something happened on the way? Relying on the fact that you just turned eighteen, feeling that your wings are strong?"
With her cheeks pinched and her lips pressed together, Monica couldn't speak clearly, she could only look at him pleadingly with her eyes.
Eric was truly a little angry at his sister's impulsiveness, and coupled with the exhaustion from pulling an all-nighter, his mind wasn't very clear.
For a moment, he didn't control the strength in his hands, and Monica's tender skin quickly had red marks from his grip.
He realized his reaction and let go of his hand with a click, "Tsk," he said, "Forget it."
"When is your return ticket? I'll drive you to the airport."
"In three days, so I need to make the most of my time and have some fun."
Monica, seeing that Eric was no longer pursuing the issue, casually rubbed her cheek and took out her tablet excitedly.
"I did a lot of research before coming here, like Revere Beach, Quincy Market, and..."
"Monica." Eric interrupted her, "It's winter now, and if I'm not mistaken, Boston will have a blizzard starting next week. Do you think this weather is suitable for sightseeing? If you go to the beach now, you'll probably just be blown away by the wind and never want to come to this city again."
Seeing her instantly dejected expression, Eric sighed in surrender, "Museums and schools are still worth visiting, I'll take you there when the time comes."
"Great! I'm prepared, so shall we..."
"Not today, I need to sleep." Eric stood up, "We were up all-night last night, not feeling too well. I'll take you out for dinner tonight."
His thoughts were simple; winter was not the best time for tourism in this city, and it's not very good timing for Monica to come over this time.
Many scenic spots can't see the most beautiful scenery. But it's not a big problem. As long as she wants to come in the future, it's just a matter of a plane ticket, not a few days.
"Oh...then I'll do it myself..."
The lingering tone with obvious disappointment.
In the tranquility, Steven, sitting on the side, suddenly spoke up, "I can take you."
The brother and sister both turned their gaze to him at the same time, not hiding their surprise.
"But you guys just stayed up all night..."
"It's okay, I managed to get some sleep last night," Steven casually lied, "since we're here, we should take advantage of the snow-free day and go for a walk."
Eric looked at Monica, hesitated for a moment, and sighed, "Then, thank you."
The two of them packed up and went out, walking on the snowy path.
The thick layer of snow was soft, making a "crunch" sound when stepped on.
The streets after the snowfall were quiet, with only occasional car horns honking and tires crushing the snow, leaving faint water marks on the asphalt road.
The two of them took turns stepping forward, and no one spoke for a long time.
Monica broke the silence first, "You..."
"Steven." He interjected at the right moment, "This is our second meeting."
It has been over half a year since their first encounter on the basketball court, from summer to winter, and from China to Boston.
But it seems that their state of mind hasn't changed much.
"Yes, I remember." Monica was still a little reserved in front of unfamiliar people, "Thank you, brother."
He replied lightly, "You're welcome."
And they fell into silence again.
Although it was winter, the park was still crowded with people.
Monica took photos along the way, while Steven followed leisurely, always maintaining a distance that wouldn't make her uncomfortable.
With his tall and long legs, and his handsome Eastern features, he quickly attracted the attention of a group of Chinese female students.
Someone approached him and chatted briefly, confirming that Steven was also studying in Boston, and wanted to add him on Facebook.
He declined.
The girl looked disappointed, but asked if they could take a photo together.
He politely refused again, "Sorry, I don't like taking photos."
The conversation fell into Monica's ears.
When they returned, Eric had also woken up and was ready to drive Monica out for a meal.
Even if he was studying in the United States, Eric had still wanted to ensure comfort and didn't want to take crowded subways and buses, so he got his driver's license and bought a car as soon as he arrived.
But everyone overlooked one fact, which was that there was heavy snow in front of the door, and the car couldn't drive out.
So, he could only call Steven, and the two of them shoveled snow at the door.
Monica didn't do such things.
She held a newly bought instant camera, capturing Eric's labor figure, occasionally mocking him, which was quickly interrupted by an unwilling Eric, "Can you stop taking pictures of me?"
"Then who should I take pictures of?"
"Him." Eric gestured to the person beside him, "...if you can take a photo with him, I'll buy you the bag you wanted last time when Mom didn't want to buy it."
"Are you serious?"
Of course," Eric said casually, "I never break my word."
Steven stood by, absentmindedly shoveling snow, but Monica did not come to find him for a photo.
After a while, her cheerful voice rang out from behind, "Look, a photo."
Eric fell silent for a moment. "Does this count?" he asked.
"Why wouldn't it? Both of us are in the picture," Monica said confidently. "Even our backs count as being in the picture, right?"
"...You're becoming more and more mischievous," Eric replied.
"You never specified; I think the mischievous one who refuses to admit defeat is you!" Monica retorted.
They were originally shoveling snow, but the siblings started arguing and bickering. In the end, they even began picking up snowballs from the ground and throwing them at each other.
Steven stopped and turned around to look.
The sunset dyed the horizon a hazy yellow, casting a layer of residual light on the pure white snow, like caramelized cream.
Her laughter was like tiny bubbles rising from boiling milk, popping one by one in his heart, leaving behind a sweet residue.
He stood there, motionless, and watched for a long time.
Often, the heart flutters without warning, just like when they first met at the basketball court, just like the Boston dusk after the snowfall.
He didn't think that the current feeling could be called love, but the irresistible attraction was definitely the beginning of surrender.
As long as he was given a little more time, he would fall in love with her uncontrollably.
After the two of them tired from their arguments, they ended up bringing in the person in question.
Eric asked, "Do you think these counts as a photo?"
Monica desperately signaled to Steven with her eyes, and he looked away as if he hadn't seen anything.
"It doesn't count."
The small square photo should not frame the backs of two people. He hoped that they could stand side by side.