The city outside was a hushed dreamscape, the thick fall of snow painting the streetlights in soft, hazy halos. Each gust of wind against the windowpane was a whisper against the profound silence that had descended with the heavy snowfall. After a relentless day that had left my senses frayed, the promise of her warmth was a tangible craving pulling me through the door. She stood just inside, a delicate dusting of snowfla...