Chapter Thirty-Eight: Snowfall and Forever
The morning they left for Kashmir, the energy shifted.
Gone was the peaceful reverence of Ayodhya. Gone was the chaotic enthusiasm of Puri. This was something new—anticipation, excitement, the promise of snow.
Keiran had been vibrating since dawn.
"MAMMA! PAPPA! SNOW! WE'RE GOING TO SNOW!"
"I know, baby. We're all going."
"REX NEEDS SNOW BOOTS!"
Jay looked at the tiny dinosaur. "Rex doesn't have snow boots."
"Rex needs! Rex FEET COLD!"
Keifer, packing nearby, raised an eyebrow. "We're buying Rex snow boots."
"We're absolutely buying Rex snow boots."
---
The flight to Kashmir was shorter than expected.
Mountains appeared beneath them, white-capped and majestic. Keiran pressed his face to the window, gasping at every peak.
"MAMMA! LOOK! BIG SNOW!"
"Gorgeous, baby."
"Rex says WOW."
"Rex has excellent taste."
Percy, across the aisle, was also pressed to his window. "THIS IS AMAZING! I'VE NEVER SEEN MOUNTAINS LIKE THIS!"
Honey patted his arm. "Babe, you've seen mountains before."
"NOT LIKE THESE! THESE ARE INDIA MOUNTAINS!"
"That's... not how mountains work."
"IT IS TODAY!"
---
They landed in Srinagar to air so cold it stole their breath.
Keiran shivered dramatically. "Mamma! Cold!"
"I know, baby. We'll get you warm clothes."
"Rex already cold."
Rex, tucked inside Keiran's jacket, peered out with button eyes.
Jay laughed. "Rex is resourceful."
---
The drive to Manali was long but beautiful.
Mountains rose on all sides. Pine forests stretched endlessly. The air was crisp and clean and utterly different from anywhere they'd been.
Percy narrated, but softly now. "Look at those peaks. Look at the snow. Look at—" He stopped. "It's so beautiful."
Honey squeezed his hand. "It really is."
C.N. was quiet, watching. Rakii took photos, but slowly, savoringly.
Mica was actually still. Calix had his arm around her.
Felix and Bridget sat close, sharing earbuds, listening to something soft.
Even Yuri had his camera down, just looking.
---
They reached Manali in the late afternoon.
Snow everywhere. On the ground, on the roofs, on the trees. Keiran couldn't contain himself.
He ran—well, toddled as fast as three-year-old legs could manage—into the nearest pile of snow and flopped down.
"SNOW! SNOW! REX! SNOW!"
Rex, still tucked in his jacket, seemed to approve.
Percy joined him, also flopping. "SNOW! HONEY! SNOW!"
Honey sighed. "I'm married to a three-year-old."
"THIRTY YEAR OLD!"
"Close enough."
---
The hotel was charming—wooden cottages, warm fires, views of snow-capped peaks.
Everyone scattered to their rooms, eager to change and explore.
Jay and Keifer's cottage had a window seat overlooking the mountains. Keiran immediately claimed it, Rex beside him, both staring out at the snow.
"Pappa? Mamma? Can we play in snow?"
"Tomorrow, baby. It's getting dark."
"Rex sad."
"Rex can be sad tonight and happy tomorrow."
Keiran considered this. "Rex says okay."
---
Dinner was in a warm restaurant, traditional Kashmiri food.
Wazwan—rice, meat, bread, and more meat. Percy was in heaven.
"THIS IS THE BEST FOOD EVER!"
"You said that in Puri."
"PURI WAS BEST THEN! THIS IS BEST NOW!"
"Consistency is not your strength."
"CONSISTENCY IS BORING!"
C.N., surprisingly, agreed with Percy for once. "The food here is incredible."
Percy pointed at him. "C.N. AGREES WITH ME! MARK THIS DAY!"
"It's about food, not politics."
"STILL COUNTS!"
---
After dinner, Jay stepped outside for air.
The cold hit her immediately, but it was clean and sharp and beautiful. Stars blazed overhead—more stars than she'd ever seen. The mountains loomed in the darkness, silent and eternal.
Keifer appeared beside her.
"Couldn't stay inside?"
"Too beautiful out here."
He wrapped his arms around her from behind. "It really is."
They stood together, watching the stars.
"Keif?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for bringing us here. All of us. This is... I don't have words."
"You don't need them." He kissed her neck. "Just being here with you is enough."
She turned in his arms, facing him. "I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her softly. "More than all these stars."
"That's a lot."
"Not enough."
---
The next morning, snow.
Lots of snow.
Keiran woke them at dawn, bouncing on the bed. "MAMMA! PAPPA! SNOW! WAKE UP! SNOW!"
Jay groaned. Keifer pulled a pillow over his head.
"Five more minutes, buddy."
"NO! SNOW NOW!"
Rex, held high, seemed to agree.
They went to snow.
---
The day was magical.
They visited Hadimba Temple, nestled in a cedar forest. The temple was ancient, wooden, surrounded by snow. Keiran stared up at it, awestruck.
"Mamma, this god house?"
"Yes, baby. A goddess lives here."
"Rex wants say hi."
"Rex can say hi."
Keiran closed his eyes, held Rex up. "Hi, goddess. Thanks for snow."
Jay's heart melted.
---
They explored Old Manali—narrow streets, colorful shops, cafes with names like "Freedom" and "Dylan's."
Percy bought approximately seventeen scarves. "THEY'RE SO SOFT! I NEED ALL OF THEM!"
Honey tried to limit him. "Babe, you have scarves at home."
"HOME SCARVES ARE NOT KASHMIR SCARVES!"
C.N. found a bookstore and disappeared for an hour. Rakii found him surrounded by old books, completely content.
David and Freya discovered a tiny café and spent the afternoon drinking chai, watching snow fall.
Mica dragged Calix to every souvenir shop, buying things they definitely didn't need.
Felix and Bridget wandered hand in hand, not buying anything, just being together.
Yuri filmed everything, but softly now. Documenting, not intruding.
Aries and Ella found a quiet spot by the river and simply sat.
---
Jay and Keifer found their own moment.
A small path led away from the main streets, up a gentle slope, to a clearing surrounded by pine trees. Snow covered everything—perfect, untouched, sparkling.
"It's like a dream," Jay whispered.
"A good dream?"
"The best."
He pulled her close. Kissed her softly. Then deeper.
Snow fell around them, gentle and silent.
"I love you, Jasper Jean Mariano."
"I love you too, Mark Keifer Watson."
"When we get home, let's set a date. For real."
"For real?"
"For real." He kissed her forehead. "I don't want to wait anymore."
She smiled, tears mixing with snowflakes. "Okay."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Let's get married."
He kissed her again—long, slow, perfect.
Behind them, a small voice: "Mamma! Pappa! Look! More snow!"
Keiran appeared, Rex in hand, Percy trailing behind with Honey.
Jay laughed, pulling back. "We see, baby."
"Why you kissing? Again?"
"Because we love each other."
"Oh." Keiran considered this. "Rex says okay."
Percy grinned. "Interrupting romantic moment?"
"Always."
Honey smacked his arm. "Percy."
"What? It's funny!"
Jay shook her head, but she was smiling. She took Keiran's hand. "Come on, baby. Let's make snow angels."
"WHAT'S SNOW ANGELS?"
"You'll see."
---
They made snow angels.
Lots of them.
Keiran's was tiny and misshapen and absolutely perfect. Rex made one too (with assistance).
Percy attempted a snow angel and got stuck. Honey had to help him up.
C.N. refused at first, then made one so precise it looked geometric. Rakii photographed it from seventeen angles.
Mica made an angel and then started a snowball fight. Chaos ensued.
Felix was an easy target—too big to miss. Bridget defended him valiantly.
David and Freya teamed up against Mica and Calix. It was a massacre.
Yuri filmed everything, laughing.
Aries and Ella watched from a bench, sipping hot chocolate, perfectly content.
And Jay and Keifer lay in the snow, side by side, making angels and watching their family play.
"Look at them," Jay said softly.
"Chaos."
"Beautiful chaos."
He turned his head, looking at her. "Our chaos."
"Yeah." She smiled. "Our chaos."
---
That night, after dinner, after Keiran was tucked in (Rex beside him, dreaming of snow), Jay and Keifer sat by the fire in their cottage.
Warm. Quiet. Perfect.
"Today was incredible," she said.
"Every day with you is incredible."
"You're cheesy."
"Your cheesy."
She laughed, leaning into him. "I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her hair. "More than snow."
"More than mountains?"
"More than everything."
They sat in comfortable silence, watching flames dance.
"Keif?"
"Yeah?"
"When we get home, I want to start planning. For real. Wedding. Future. All of it."
"Me too." He pulled her closer. "I can't wait to marry you."
"I can't wait to marry you too."
"Let's do it soon."
"How soon?"
"Before Keiran starts planning it."
She laughed. "Deal."
---
Outside, snow began to fall again.
Soft and silent and beautiful.
Inside, two people held each other, warm and loved and home.
Wherever they were, together, was home.
---
End of Chapter Thirty-Eight