Chapter 261

Just as Yannis and Zinnia were about to leave after finishing their meal, a sudden burst of noise erupted in the restaurant. Someone called out, "It's snowing!"

People started chattering excitedly, clearly thrilled by the news. Many didn’t even bother finishing their chili con carne–they rushed toward the entrance, eager to see the falling snow.

"Yannis, they said it’s snowing." Zinnia, still sipping the last of her milk, heard the commotion and set the bottle down, turning her head to look outside.

Through the sparkling clean glass window, she could clearly see snowflakes drifting down from the sky. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Yannis, come on. Let’s go see it," she said, darting past him in a rush.

"Put your coat on first. No need to hurry, it’s not gonna stop anytime soon." Yannis caught her by the back of her collar and grabbed her jacket from the chair, motioning for her to put it on.

"Alright." Zinnia quickly threw on her coat, and as soon as she finished, she tugged Yannis along to go see the snow.

The entrance of the restaurant was packed with people. Holding tightly to Yannis, Zinnia struggled to squeeze through the crowd. Outside, more people were taking pictures.

Once they made it out, Zinnia reached out her hand to catch the snowflakes drifting from the sky. She curiously examined the small, round flakes landing on her palm.

She had never seen snow before. Back where she used to live, the weather was warm year-round–it never snowed.

"It’s cold," Zinnia murmured, feeling the chill as the flakes melted against the warmth of her fingers, leaving her skin damp.

Around them, people were marveling at the season’s first snowfall. Everyone was snapping photos and soaking in the moment, full of joy.

Suddenly, Zinnia closed her eyes and brought her hands together in front of her, as if making a wish. Yannis noticed the gesture but didn’t say anything, letting her be.

After a moment, Zinnia opened her eyes again.

"Were you making a wish just now?" Yannis asked.

"They say wishes made during the first snowfall of winter will come true," Zinnia said with a smile, catching more snowflakes with her hands, eyes gleaming with joy.

"What did you wish for?" Yannis asked again.

"If I say it out loud, it won’t come true," Zinnia replied, unwilling to share.

"Come on, just tell me. I won’t tell anyone else," Yannis coaxed.

"Nope," she said with a shake of her head, still not telling.

Zinnia had made three wishes: one – for Nathan’s safety; two – for Yannis to finally be free from his insomnia; and three – that everyone she loved would be safe and healthy.

She didn’t want to say them out loud. And for a moment, Yannis didn’t know what to do–after all, snow couldn’t really make her wishes come true.

Yannis didn’t manage to get Zinnia to share her wish. Seeing her glance toward the people taking pictures nearby, he asked, "Do you want a photo?"

"Yes. You take it for me," Zinnia said. "There’s a big Christmas tree up ahead–I want a picture with it."

It was her first time seeing snow, and she had to capture the moment. She broke into a small run toward the huge Christmas tree in the center of the plaza.

Yannis followed behind and saw her stop in front of the tree. It was enormous, and plenty of others were already posing for photos around it. Zinnia joined them, standing among the crowd.

"Make sure you get a good shot of me–I’m posting this on Instagram," she said seriously, glancing over at Yannis, who had his phone raised and ready.

It was Yannis’s first time taking pictures of her, and Zinnia wasn’t too confident in his skills. She’d heard guys were usually bad at taking photos, and she was worried he might mess it up and make her look awful online.

"I’ll make sure you look amazing," Yannis promised.

Only after he reassured her did Zinnia start posing. She lifted her right hand and, with a bit of playful perspective, pretended to hold the giant Christmas tree in her palm.

Yannis looked at her through the camera lens. Her lips were a soft red, curved into a relaxed smile. Snowflakes drifted gently onto her head. He captured the scene.

He took several shots in a row before Zinnia finally told him to stop.

"Let me see." She jogged over, leaning in to peek at the screen.

"Here. What do you think? If you don’t like them, I’ll take more," Yannis said, holding out the phone.

The moment Zinnia saw the pictures, her eyes lit up.

In the photos, she looked charming and lively, her eyes curved like crescent moons. The Christmas lights reflected off her delicate face, perfectly capturing her dazzling smile. She looked just like a little fairy.

"How are you this good at taking pictures?" Zinnia asked, genuinely surprised.

She’d expected the usual awkward angles that made people look short or boxy, but Yannis’s photos were unexpectedly amazing–way better than her own face-squishing selfies.

His photography skills were practically professional, like he’d been trained or something. That made her wonder if he had taken photos for someone else before.

The thought brought a faint pang to her chest, and for a moment, even the beautiful photos didn’t excite her as much.

"I used to take pictures for my mom when I was little," Yannis said.

Over time, he’d taken many photos of Zinnia without her knowing–eating, doing homework, watching TV, drawing, or running through the living room.

He knew her well. And the moment he noticed Zinnia’s scrolling slow down, he could guess what she was thinking. A subtle smile flickered in his eyes as he realized that she did care about him.

He looked down slightly and explained gently that he used to take photos for his mother when he was a kid.

Grace had always been a demanding mom. When they went shopping together, Yannis had to carry her bag, hold her umbrella, buy her snacks, take pictures, and buy her things.

Grace would strut ahead while little Yannis chased after her, clutching her handbag. She’d tease him about his stubby legs and say he’d never grow tall like his older siblings.

When he was little, Yannis was picky about food. He refused to eat many things–sometimes just because a certain food had touched another, or if there were more than three colors on the plate, he wouldn’t touch it at all.

His fussy character nearly drove the Perkins family’s cooks to tears. One chef after another ended up quitting. Even Grace didn’t want to deal with him anymore–she would’ve loved to beat him just to vent her frustration, but her father and others stopped her.

Everyone else said Yannis being picky wasn’t a big deal, that all kids were like that and he’d grow out of it. But because of his eating habits, Yannis ended up shorter than most kids his age.

Thinking back to those times with Grace, a hint of sadness crossed Yannis’s face.

Grace never got to see him grow taller–taller than his older siblings. Too bad she would never know that seventeen years later, the Yannis she once worried wouldn’t make it had grown up just fine.

He didn’t turn his nose up at food anymore. But Grace was gone for good.