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Five in the morning is a weird time. I don't think it's the time that I find weird, more like the number. Five in the morning is that time when things are in between dark and light, it's not quite afternoon but it's not quite evening. Five feels like a full number yet it is an uneven number at the same time.

It's currently five in the morning, and it's now that the train starts moving. The woman who's been giving us free coffees has already been around to say we'll be on the move, but it'll be a slow ride to Cardiff Central. We have the option to get off at the next stop and source a free coach ride instead, but the train needs to go to Wales anyway, it'll just be slower than usual.

Both Wyatt and I decide the train is the way to go; we're already here, we won't have to wait for any kind of transport, and they say the fault is fixed, so we might as well do the two hours plus journey here.

I stare outside as the train begins its weird movements; smooth, yet weirdly ragged at the same time. It feels like you're trudging through the snow, but it's not quite right. I keep my ear against Wyatt's chest as I try not to let the sleep overtake me. The pound, pound, pound of his heart makes a rhythmic music beat in my ear, his hand rubs up and down my shoulder through my cardigan, and with every second, I know it's a second closer to us getting off this train.

A hard and long buzz shoots my heart, forcing me to jump out of my skin.

"It's all right, it's just my phone." He grabs his phone, and a smile appears on his face. "It's Rose."

He answers the video call as I sit up to stay out of view to give them privacy.

"Rosy, hey, what're you doing up so early?" Wyatt says.

I catch a glimpse of her: long, brown hair splayed like a halo around her oval face, which is void of much colour. Dark circles under her light-coloured eyes, and although a smile adorns her mouth, she looks like she's sick.

It snaps my heart like a bow string to see the pure love the two of them clearly have as they stare and laugh, but you can sense the pain behind each of their voices and eyes with the heavy reason they're in this predicament.

"Hey, look, you know I said I met someone on the train? Come say hi, Lily!" Wyatt says and moves the phone so I'm in Rose's view.

He's already told her about me. I hope it's good.

"Oh, Wyatt met a girl, huh? About time, bro! Hi, Lily! I've heard a lot about you via text already, and in the past two minutes. I'm Rose," she says. Her voice is thick with sleep and probably pain.

"Hi, Rose! Yeah, I feel like I know everything about you; I've heard nothing but for the past six hours," I joke.

"Oh, you two have something in common already: I hate you both," Wyatt jokes.

I giggle. "You love us really. You just don't like being called out."

Rose's laugh fills the carriage from the phone. "Oh, bro, I love this girl. She has you down. Hey, if you can't make it here today, you should both totally come here on Christmas Day. That is, if you're not busy, Lily. I'd love that. Mum's already promised to bring me in a Christmas dinner."

"They're not letting you home?" Wyatt asks.

She shakes her head. "I don't think so. I mean, the doctor will give me the final verdict later, and I don't see why I can't have the painkillers and stuff at home, even if it's just for dinner. But he'll tell me in a few hours. If not, I've given Mum the menu I want. You'll have to put up with it."

I squeeze Wyatt's free hand. My other hand starts playing with the loose thread from my sleeve, batting it like a playful kitten, but with the anxiety of a threatened housecat.

"Then I'll be on my way as soon as this train comes into Cardiff," Wyatt says. "I'm not spending Christmas without you."

"Wyatt, you sound like you need sleep. Plus, you got your new girl," she says with a slight sibling tease to her voice.

"I'll come too," I pipe up. "If you'll have me."

Rose grins like the cat that's got the cream. "Of course, I'd be honoured. I need to give you the sibling chat anyway. Plus, I'd love to meet you in person. I can't believe after everything, he found a girl on a train to Wales, who also lives in Wales. Typical Wyatt Larsen."

Wyatt scoffs. "We haven't even been on a first date yet!"

I arch an eyebrow and giggle. "I think being stuck on a train in the middle of a blizzard is romantic enough, don't you, Rose?"

She laughs, and any sign of her illness is suddenly dulled by her amusement. I can see what Wyatt meant earlier about her personality shining like the sun. She could melt the whole blizzard if she's constantly this happy.

"I think so, too. Anyway, I'll let you two go. It's so early. You'll be here soon, anyway. Just message me when you get into Cardiff," Rose says.

"Will do. Love you, sis," Wyatt says.

"Love you too. I'm happy for you two already," she replies.

"Bye, Rose!" I call and give her a wave.

•❅──✧❅✦❅✧──❅•

Twenty minutes of slow-moving later, I suddenly remember something from earlier.

"This is going to sound weird," I start.

He sits up, alert. The time and exhaustion are getting to him, as it is with probably everyone by now.

"Go ahead," he says.

"Your ex-girlfriend, what was her name?" I ask.

He furrows his brows at me. "Danielle, why?"

I glance away, my fingers dancing with each other under the sleeves of my jumper. He's staring at me intently, but I can't bring myself to look him in the eyes for this one.

"You said you broke up because you wanted to go to France, right? Well, now you're not in France anymore," I mention.

Silence.

Apart from the twirling of my fingers as they dance away under the sleeves of my clothes, the ragged breathing of Wyatt as he realises what I'm asking, and the chugging of the train in the snow outside.

"I... I see what you mean," he says eventually. "But I'm not with her. I broke up with her because our lives just... went in different directions. She wanted marriage and kids and careers straight away, and all at once. I wanted to develop my career and travel. We weren't compatible. I'm not interested in her anymore. That was six years ago, Lily."

"And I'm a twenty-year-old with no direction—"

"You're a beautiful woman who I think I've fallen for. Sure, we're in weird circumstances and we need to explore them outside of this damn train, but don't worry about anything else. Plus, you do have direction. You're working on your degree; you have a job, plus a job lined up if you want it when you graduate. You have plenty of direction, and you have me."

I finally stare into his light eyes that are sparkling with hope and happiness. He seems to be home, despite the little time I've known him.

While five might be a strange time, it's been enough hours, plus some, to get to know Wyatt. We've been on this train for six hours now, and that one extra hour has been enough to fixate in my mind that five is a magic number, because it was enough time for me to forget all about Bruno, it's been enough time for me to secure myself into Wyatt's life and heart and him into mine.

It's forty-five minutes past five in the morning on Christmas Eve, and though it's not quite how I'd like to be spending my time, this is a better Christmas so far than I could have imagined. So maybe five isn't a weird number, but a magical number. Or maybe it's the past six hours that have been blessed with magic. 

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