Natty's faint smile lingered as he took the kettle off the stove. "I'm always thinking of you", he said by way of reply, and it was true; even when Winny did not directly dwell in his mind's eye, Natty's feelings for him were ever-present, feeding the coals of his soul even on the coldest day.

And at the young man's bashful confession, the older one went over to where his partner was seated, and rested his hand on the table to lean down towards him — "kissing you is already a dream", he murmured. Oh a line of some of hackneyed romantical epic, perhaps, but one that came from the heart. Evident as he lifted the professor's chin and kissed his Winter-touched lips.