Page 102 of Sweet Nightmare

But I catch it.

The faintest smile touches her lips, revealing a small dimple in her left cheek.

That’s when I forget to breathe.

Fuck.

It’s not the polished smile she might give to the paparazzi. It’s not the practiced expression of a woman who knows exactly how beautiful she is.

It’s…real.

It’s also small and fleeting, like she doesn’t even realize it’s there.

And for one brief second, the Ice Princess looks almost sweet.

Thud.

Thud.

Oh, fuck no.

I stumble back from the window, one hand braced against the wall.

What the hell was that?

I look back at her.

She’s still standing in the snow, her hair blowing across her face, that tiny smile already disappearing as she returns her attention to her phone.

And I can’t look away.

White against white.

Moonlight against snow.

Cold and beautiful and so far out of my reach that I have no business thinking about her at all.

Then it happens.

A line.

Clear as a fucking bell.

Heart made of ice. Winter on her skin. Beauty like glass.

I freeze.

What the⁠—

Another line follows before I can finish the thought.

I shouldn’t let her in. Winter steals. Winter kills.

I stare at the window.

Holy fucking shit.

I haven’t written a decent lyric in two years.