“Yeah, but when you say you’re mad, that scares me,” Ravi says as they walk through the woods.

“You’ve never actually witnessed my pissy side,” Rylee says. “What you saw was simply… ‘upset’.”

“When you’re mad- especially at me, that makes me scared more than… well, anything,” Ravi shrugs in the chilly air.

“More than ghosts?”

“Yep,” Ravi replies.

“More than me hugging you?”

He hesitates, “More than that.”

“More than a kiss?”

It takes Ravi awhile to answer that. Rylee watches the ground as they walk, waiting for a reply. Ravi is a shy person, he gets nervous around girls. Rylee was the only one he felt calm around for the longest.

“Maybe,” he says, looking away.

“Maybe,” Rylee repeats, punching his shoulder gently and grinning.

“Girl,” he says, knocking her back softly.

“Come on, what’s up?” Rylee puts her hands up like she’s going to fight Ravi, then laughs, dropping them and jogging ahead on the path.

“If you fall I’m laughing,” Ravi calls.

“I won’t fall,” Rylee squeals.

“You fell this morning.”

“I didn’t fall… I uh, you know… laid down.”

Ravi laughs his cute laugh, “On the ground?”

“Yes,” Rylee says, smiling as Ravi jogs up beside her. When he slips and trips, Rylee sputters a laugh, her voice hoarse from the cold air.

“You just busted your ass,” Rylee bends over, hands on her knees while laughing, “are you okay?”

“I thought it was laugh last, ask if I’m okay first,” Ravi says, picking himself up from the damp ground. Rylee is too busy laughing to notice the key he finds nestled between the leaves and pinecones.

“Rylee,” Ravi wags the key back and forth.

“Ooh, what’s that?” Major mood swing, Rylee is now calm and serious, reaching for the key.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Ravi jerks away, putting the key above his head and smiling down at Rylee. She puckers her lips and narrows her eyes, reaching for Ravi’s hands, the key resting in his palm, a foot above her head.

“Hey, hey,” Ravi starts laughing, “don’t do that.”

“Gimmie,” Rylee laughs along, taking the key after climbing up Ravi’s side and yanking on his arm.

This time she doesn’t run. She stuffs it inside her shirt, raising an eyebrow, she knows he won’t try to get it there. Ravi looks away and clears his throat as if he’s totally forgotten about the golden key.

“What do you think it goes to?” Asks Rylee.

“Your cold heart,” Ravi does a fake pout.

“Like ice,” Rylee agrees, laughing.

They cut through the chilly woods together, the key with them. Rylee beams up at the sun. Then she says a phrase Ravi taught her; “Subh savar.” Then she laughs, because she knows she didn’t say it right and she has no idea what it means. Ravi pulls her close and gives her a noogie, kissing her forehead.

The key might not be important- but the memories they made along the way sure were.