We first met working together in the kitchen at Cordillera. From the beginning, I noticed her. She always greeted me with a smile when I walked into the kitchen, helped me finish dishes after service, and walked out to the parking lot with me at the end of the night. Some days she took the bus to work, so I’d offer her a ride home. If I was lucky, I got the full thirty-minute drive home to Gypsum. We talked, laughed, flirted just enough to pretend it was harmless, and sometimes sat quietly listening to music, both of us aware there was something there but too shy to say it out loud. We are eight years apart in age, after all. That summer I met Logan, I didn’t have a car and relied on the bus to get to work. One night I stayed late and missed it, and Logan offered to drive me home that was the first night of many he drove me home. By winter, we were working together more often and became close fast. He made every shift more fun, and I’d get excited whenever I saw we were scheduled together. He made me laugh constantly, and I couldn’t help but smile when he walked into the kitchen. If I was the last one to leave, he waited. If I needed help, he was already there. Being around him just felt easy, and I definitely noticed how cute he was. One winter night, a snowstorm rolled in during our shift. The restaurant sat high up the mountain, and by the time we clocked out, everything was covered. She admitted she was nervous about driving home, so I told her I’d follow her. My car was already cleaned off, but hers wasn’t, and she didn’t want to keep me waiting. As soon as we pulled out, I realized she was going painfully slow and quickly pulled over. When I walked up to her car, she was gripping the steering wheel with only a tiny patch of snow cleared on her windshield. I laughed and asked if she had a snow brush. She smiled and said no, and somehow that made the moment even cuter. That winter was my first time driving in the snow, and I was completely terrified. I wiped part of my windshield with my sleeve and hoped for the best before pulling over almost immediately. When Logan walked up to my car he asked if I had a snow brush, I looked at him and said no, smiling out of embarrassment. He ran back to his car for his brush and cleaned off my windshield and mirrors, I was embarrassed but incredibly grateful. After he cleaned my car, He stood in front of me and gave me tips for driving in the snow, telling me to go slow and promising he’d be right behind me. I remember looking up at him, thinking how cute he looked, and feeling my nerves turn into butterflies. After that, She thanked me with a hug that stayed with me long after I drove away. I followed her the entire way home, making sure she got there safely. Later that night, she texted me to let me know she made it home, and I couldn’t stop smiling. From then on, whenever it snowed, I would offer her a drive to work and back home or I would follow her home. Sometimes I even did when it didn’t snow. I also made sure she always had a snow brush in her car. After that night, if it snowed, Logan would drive me to work and home. I secretly hoped winter would last forever because it meant more time with him. Those car rides became my favorite part of the season, filled with music, laughter, and quiet moments that said more than words. Even when the roads were clear, he still followed me home just to make sure I was okay. Somewhere between snowy nights, late-night drives, and a little innocent flirting, we realized we were falling for each other.