Lacey was as excited as a child on Christmas morning. New York City was a fluffy winter scene. The first snowfall of the season in Manhattan brought the outside world to a dead stop. The streets were lined with kids playing and adults shoveling sidewalks. Quiet fell on the normal bustle of the Big Apple. Usual sirens and crowds couldn’t be heard for blocks. A welcomed hush washed over the chaos and ushered in the serenity of a silent night.

With the island of Manhattan covered in snowfall, getting around wasn’t an option. Lacey and Brooke couldn’t leave their house for the usual shift at the bar they worked at together. The common grind for cash came to a screeching halt. Lacey was over the moon to be stuck at home. Money could wait. Tonight was about a cozy evening in her condo with her girlfriend. The setting couldn’t have been better. There were no distractions or places to be; it was a snowfall and a blanket with her love by her side.

The sight of snow was a foreign one for the Californian. She had only seen the white substance in holiday films. As a resident of a warmer climate, she never imagined being able to witness such sights.

“You see this?!” Lacey exclaimed, pointing to the scene outside her condo window.

Brooke couldn’t help but laugh from the small kitchen at the sweet reaction from her beloved girlfriend. She had already been a citizen of Manhattan for a few years, so she was well-accustomed to snowfall. Her first experience with snow was exciting, but she didn’t remember her reaction being this pure.

“Yes, I see,” she said with a quiet laugh. She joined Lacey at the window with a hot chocolate in each hand. She handed a mug to Lacey and placed her own on the coffee table so she could join Lacey underneath the blanket around her shoulders to cuddle on the couch.

Lacey accepted the hot drink with a contented sigh. Blowing on the contents, she couldn’t help her dreamy expression.

“What?” Brooke laughed.

“I’m soaking in the moment,” Lacey shrugged with her smile still clear.

“The moment?”

“Yes, the moment. I’ve known you for under a month and somehow we’ve landed in our very own Hallmark film,” she teased. She said it in jest, but the hopeless romantic in Lacey was thriving in the current interaction. She considered nights like this fictional and never imagined one happening to her.

“Well, I demand payment for such parts,” Brooke laughed.

A comfortable silence fell into the room as they cuddled on the couch and watched the snow fall outside. The calm in the storm had found them. The newness of their relationship often saw Lacey filling the silence between them. This moment didn’t call for performance; it was a time for gratitude. There was no need to fill the noises, only the need for the comfort of each other’s company.