Graham stood on the shoreline and stared out at the lake. It was cold, and the wind off the water made it worse. He was up to his ankles in the snowdrift.

As if to mock him, a pile of snow fell off a branch overhead and landed across his hair and shoulders. Graham let out a sigh. “Alright, I get it,” he grumbled. “I should go home and get warm.”

Tapping his toes against the ground to get the snow off his shoes, Graham turned around and started the trek back to his truck. It wasn’t far, but his feet dragged and he moved slowly.

“You sure are a mean one, Mister Grinch,” he said softly as he unlocked the door. “Making me be alone on Christmas and all.” He snorted as he got into the vehicle. “And now here I am, covered in snow and talking to myself. Like some stupid idiot.”

Graham brushed the snow off his shoulders and shivered. “I am an idiot,” he whispered. “I screwed up. Again.”

The heat was finally starting to melt the snow a bit as he shifted into gear and pulled out onto the road. “I really, really screwed up,” he muttered with a huff. He glanced over his shoulder at the lake and wondered why he hadn’t just told Richard the truth. It shouldn’t have been hard to say.

It was just - Richard.

Graham remembered going to school with the other man. Richard had always been in the library back then, too. He knew all the little nooks and crannies that were good for hiding.

And he was always too absorbed in his books to pay attention to anyone else.

That didn’t seem to be true anymore. Richard noticed all the things that Graham thought no one appreciated, and Richard even seemed to know how hard it was. There was that playful side, too, acting like some old-time knight and that savior act pulling Graham from the lake.

But Graham had pushed Richard away. He’d put up a wall and said ‘you shall not pass!’ like that wizard in that one movie, and Richard had just… backed away. Given Graham space.

“I guess that’s it then,” Graham said softly. “Another year alone.” Like always.