Something Like Winter Read Online Free Page A

sketch on. No one had been in this room since
his mother finished decorating it. His hands shook with excitement
as he squeezed paint on to the palette, but grew steady again when
he dipped in his brush. Sometimes he worked cautiously, every
stroke bringing his vision into reality. That had been his
intention today, but as soon as the brush touched canvas, his joy
was too great.
    Like fevered sex after a
long period of abstinence, Tim gave into instinct, letting passion
dictate his every move. He started with greens, browns, and whites,
thinking of the trees he’d been running past and the way light
filtered through their leaves. Then he went for purple, just for
the sheer hell of it, dragging it through this world of branches
over and over again and creating segments, each separated by dark
borders like stained glass. A forest of stained glass… stained
wood. He liked that.
    “ Tim.”
    He spun around. Usually his
mom was the first one home, but not today. His father eyed the
surroundings, the mess Tim had made, everything but the painting
itself. “Your mother is going to be furious.”
    And that was that. Thomas
left the room, not needing to say more. Tim looked around, noticing
paint splatters on the carpet. He should have put down newspaper
first.
    “ It’s not like anyone ever
comes in here!” Tim shouted after him, but there was no
reply.
    He considered the painting
once more. For a first try, it wasn’t bad. He’d have to go over the
purple with midnight blue to pull in the theme of sky, but it had
potential… if he ever found a place to finish it.
    * * * * *
    As if to prove him wrong
about the guest room, Tim’s aunt and her husband came to visit the
following week. As aunts went, Emily was all right. She was usually
good for a laugh, unlike her stoic brother, but as the
24 th of
August rolled around, Tim began to worry. Like a rare eclipse, his
mother’s obsessive focus on her husband ceased briefly on one
special occasion, but his aunt’s visit threatened to ruin
that.
    As it turned out, he had
nothing to fear.
    On Tim’s birthday, balloons
and streamers invaded the house, turning the perfect décor garish.
There was cake and ice cream and only one present—but holy shit—it
was a big one! The wrapped gift was no larger than a ring box, and
inside was a key. Tim knew what that meant. He was out the front
door in seconds, his family close behind.
    “ Oh, wow!”
    The car was sleek and
black, its curves designed for minimum wind resistance. The three
diamonds on the hood screamed Mitsubishi, and that company made
only one sports car this boner-inducing: The 3000GT!
    Tim jumped and punched the
air. “I can’t fucking believe it!” His mom’s eyes went from bright
to flat in the fraction of a second. “Oh, sorry, mom. It’s just so
fu- freaking awesome! Thank you!”
    “ Happy birthday!” Aunt
Emily chirped. “We pitched in on the rubber floor mats. They’re a
godsend on a muddy day, believe me. Oh, and the air freshener. Ha
ha!”
    “ Just be careful,” his
father warned, but his cheeks were flushed, perhaps from the memory
of his own first car.
    “ Thank you so much!” Tim
opened the driver’s side door and jumped in. He couldn’t get the
key turned quick enough. The engine roared to life with a ferocity
that would make a lion piss its furry britches. Tim checked out the
dashboard and was about to adjust the seat when he remembered his
family standing outside. Finding the right button, the passenger’s
side window lowered.
    “ Wanna go for a ride?” he
shouted.
    He watched them debate over
who would go, surprised when his father got into the car with him.
He hadn’t let Tim drive him anywhere since a few basic lessons last
year.
    “ I have an errand to run,”
Thomas said.
    Tim grinned. “Hold on
tight!”
    He put the car in gear and
hit the gas, the car’s engine more powerful than he was expecting.
He nearly ran over some guy who was gawping at him instead of
walking his dog.