A December to Remember: a Holiday Romance Anthology

by Howe, Olivia

  Every minute that ticks by brings us both another minute closer to finding out. We’ve talked about getting an apartment together after graduation, but with her possible internship at the biggest publishing house around it may not be in the cards. At least she’ll be close to Will and I won’t have to worry about her being alone.

  “I’m going to run into town.” I tell Becca and Will. “Do you guys need anything?”

  “No—but maybe Eric does. Maybe he’ll want to go with you!” Becca says excitedly.

  I try hard not to burst her bubble. “Um, Becca? This kind of needs to be a solo trip. Personal stuff and all.”

  “Oh…” a look of understanding crosses her face. “I get it. My bad. Go do your thing, Fliss.”

  I give her a tight grin while Will studies the wall. “Thanks. I’ll be back.”

  The truth is I’d rather they think I have to go buy something embarrassing then have Eric tag along. I mean, yeah—he’s nice and all.

  But he’s not my type…

  I make my first attempt (possibly ever) to contemplate just what my ideal type is…

  In high school I dated two guys. The first—Jared—was a musician. His mood was mercurial and he was hopelessly romantic when he wanted to be. I hadn’t known it at the time, but it’s an extreme pain in the ass to be in a relationship with someone who’s basically bi-polar. It gets romanticized these days, but let me assure you—it sucks.

  It was due to Jared’s constant highs and lows that we finally called it quits. All of his sweet words couldn’t compensate for the cut by my eye when he broke a chair into the wall next to me. That was the end of that.

  My senior year the captain of the basketball team decided he had a thing for me. He pursued me relentlessly for weeks—so much so that I finally gave in and agreed to let him take me out. Rick was the ideal boyfriend. He came from a good family, was going to an Ivy League college on a basketball scholarship. He had the world at his fingertips and looked perfect on paper.

  Unfortunately, that paper never noted how controlling Rick was. I was never a person to him, just a possession he could show off. My parents were far more heartbroken than I was when we parted ways.

  I dated all throughout college, but none of the guys ever seemed to be a good fit…

  Maybe it’s not them…maybe it’s me.

  It’s a definite possibility. But I’m an all or nothing kind of girl. So if it can’t be all, I’ll take nothing happily.

  Nothing can’t hurt you.

  I don’t really have a destination in mind so I pull into a strip mall. I buy a small expensive coffee and plop on a nearby bench. It’s chilly, but my coat’s thick and I’m rocking thick socks inside my boots. It only takes a moment to dig out my earbuds and pull up a playlist.

  I sip my coffee and rock out while the world passes by. People-watching is sort of a habit of mine. As they go I make up fake lives for them. It’s so engrossing that I don’t notice the person sitting next to me until I reach for my bag to get lip balm.

  He’s different. I can tell that right away. I just can’t decipher if it’s a good or bad thing…

  “Are you listening to The Deftones?” He asks.

  No ‘hi.’ No introduction.

  “Yeah, but is that seriously your intro?” I say with a bit more attitude than I actually possess.

  My words seem to fluster him. “It’s just—I mean…most girls around here don’t really listen to that kind of music.”

  “One, I’m not ‘most girls’ and two, I’m not from around here.” I find myself saying to this random stranger. Suddenly my legs feel the chill of the cold air. I realize my coffee isn’t even warm anymore. “I really should get going.” I say quickly and get up.

  He stands with me.

  Well, shit.

  “I’m Trent.”

  I stare at him for a moment while I try to decide whether or not to tell him my name. “I have to go.” I repeat to buy myself some time.

  My hand reaches for the door handle and I can see he still stands behind me. “Felicity,” I say just loud enough to be sure he hears. “My name’s Felicity.”

  Then I get into the car and drive away, wondering what in the world came over me.

  ***

  Later that afternoon the group of us returns to town to pick up Becca’s must-have Christmas tree. After we spend a solid hour in the cold while Becca picks the perfect tree, all of us decide that something warm to drink sounds pretty damn good.

  A few doors down from where we parked there’s a coffee shop. Becca and I bustle inside away from the chill while the guys secure the tree to the roof rack of the SUV. I turn to look at the menu when I see someone that causes an instant heat in my cheeks.

  Trent stands behind the counter. I don’t know why my heart skips a beat when I see him, but it does. I frown. This is terribly inconvenient.

  “What are you doing over there?” Becca asks. “I just watched like five different emotions go across your face in two seconds.”

  The guys walk through the door and I know this is not the time to explain. “I’ll tell you later.” I say quietly. “Why don’t we grab a table and let the guys order.”

  Becca allows me to take her arm and lead her to the booth. The guys wander over without question.

  “You ladies know what you want?” Will asks—ever the gentleman as I’d hoped.

  “A hot chocolate sounds wonderful.” I reply happily and maybe a bit too quickly.

  “I’ll have the same.” Becca says, but never takes her eyes off me.

  “Okay, babe. We’ll be right back.” Will does some weird guy chin thing to Eric and they go up towards the counter.

  Becca pinches my upper arm kind of hard.

  “Ow!” I hiss as loudly as I dare.

  “What is going on?” She hisses back.

  I never could hide anything from Becca. “Fine.” I say quickly and quietly. “That guy behind the counter? His name is Trent. I met him when I went out earlier and I guess I must like him because my heart does this weird jump thing when I see him and I know that you want me to hook up with Eric—”

  “Hold it, woman.” Becca says softly while I inhale deeply. “Yes, breathing is important.” Becca chuckles and then stares momentarily towards the counter. “He’s cute…I approve.”

  My jaw drops. I’ve read about it, but this is the first time it’s actually happened to me.

  “What?” Becca asks. “Yeah, it’d be hella-awesome if you and Eric hook up, but if your heart gets all jumpy for Trent, who am I to judge?”

  This is what best friends are for. Unconditional acceptance and love.

  “I feel kind of bad for Eric.” I confess.

  “I wouldn’t feel that bad.” Becca nudges me as she says this.

  When I glance up I see Will chatting with Trent as he gathers the drinks. Trent’s gaze catches mine and I look away quickly. I got to get used to this shit.

  My line of sight now falls upon Eric, deep in a conversation with a leggy blonde that looks way more like Becca than me. Maybe this will work out after all…

  Chapter Two

  “Where words fail, music speaks.”

  ~Hans Christian Andersen

  Felicity

  The fact that Becca gave me the okay to let Eric slide and focus on Trent means nothing…at least this is what I tell myself as the car navigates itself back toward the coffee shop the next morning.

  What? I really like coffee.

  Okay—maybe I’m hoping to catch Trent again. Can’t say it’d be a bad thing.

  The bell jingles when I walk through the door. I don’t realize I hold my breath in anticipation until I release it. My chest deflates along with any expectations. Trent’s nowhere to be seen.

  The smell of properly made coffee helps ease the blow slightly. I approach the awkward-looking twenty-something kid at the counter and order a latte. While I wait I look around. I’d been too distracted b
y Trent yesterday to notice how charming the place is. I already spot a comfy chair with my name on it in the corner.

  It’s not super busy and those who are ordering are taking their coffee to go. When mine comes up the chair is still empty. I pop in my earbuds and take a sip. Totes worth the trip even sans Trent.

  I rock out to A Perfect Circle while I scroll through Facebook. My coffee is perfect and I have no issue as I spend the better part of an hour sitting there.

  It’d be rude to stay out all day so eventually I cave. I stand and stretch before disposing of my now empty coffee-cup. I only take two steps outside before I plow into something warm and hard.

  Before I can utter a word a pair of strong arms wrap around me and keep me from what I’m sure would be a terrible face-plant on the pavement below. I glance up to see who it is, but somehow I already know…

  “Hi,” I say breathlessly. Hopefully he realizes this is because he literally just knocked the wind out of me. Not because he does things to my insides…that’s not it at all.

  “Felicity!” Something about the way he says my name almost makes me melt. “I didn’t think I’d see you here again.”

  I’m still in awe that he remembers my name so I don’t respond right away.

  “Are you okay?” Trent asks as his smile falters slightly.

  I give him my brightest smile. “I’m good. I just didn’t expect to see you, either.” Good. My brain is back. “Are you going in?” I point to the door behind me.

  “Yeah, um—but not for work or anything. Just for coffee.” Trent stumbles over the words.

  I can almost see him berate himself internally, but somehow it just makes him more endearing. I know that feel. I know it well. “Maybe—if you’re not busy, I mean—we can go for a walk or something?” I offer before I realize I wanted to.

  “That’d be kind of great.” Trent smiles and relaxes. “Did you want more coffee?”

  I grin again. “Sure, thanks.”

  While we wait I shoot Becca a text so she doesn’t worry. She responds with a shit-ton of emoji’s that makes me giggle. Trent glances at me and I blush.

  “Sorry,” I offer, feeling impolite.

  “Don’t be. That might be one of my new favorite sounds ever.”

  The way this guy speaks sends chills to the small of my back. That’s never happened to me before. “I was just checking in with Becca.” I say once my brain kicks back in.

  “You definitely don’t have to explain.” Trent assures me.

  “It just feels rude,” I attempt to explain.

  He considers this. “That’s incredibly refreshing.”

  I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face any more than I can help the words that spill from my mouth. “Know that feel.”

  Trent’s coffee is up and he offers to show me around his town a bit. It’s cold, but not horrendously so. We walk slowly and I’ll admit I focus far more on Trent than I do our surroundings. I can see the top of a tattoo that creeps out from his collar on the side of his neck. It’s killing me not to see the rest of it and I wonder how I didn’t notice it before.

  I have a couple tattoos—none that are visible in these temperatures, that’s for sure. I’m definitely pro-tattoo, one hundred percent.

  Before I can wonder where else this man conceals ink on his person, Trent snaps me out of it by taking me to a hole-in-the-wall comic book shop. Before I can do a thing about it, my inner nerd takes over and freaks the fuck out.

  “Shut up! They have freaking Etrigan comics!” I do a little happy dance. “I’ve been looking everywhere for these things.”

  Trent’s mouth hangs open while he watches me…I wait for him to talk, blink—breathe…shit…I think I broke him.

  I manage to subdue myself, a little self-conscious now—but still clutching the stack of comics to my chest. No way am I going to leave without them.

  Trent shakes his head and comes back from whatever dimension he was in. “Sorry, I kind of blanked out after you said Etrigan. I’ve never met a chick into comics before.”

  My cheeks warm. “Yeah, sorry…I went all nerd on you for a minute.”

  Trent grins devilishly. “Nerds are hot.”

  ***

  Trent has work so we part ways mid-afternoon. My phone chimes early in the evening while we decorate the tree and I smile when I see his text. The stupid grin stays on my face long enough for Becca to grin back knowingly. She’s sure to drill me on it the first chance she gets. After all, what are best friends for?

  For now I have a reprieve. When Becca does something, the girl goes all out. We have a fire going in the fireplace—a real one, too. There’s hot cocoa and Christmas music. Some of the decorations are a little cheesy and all of them are new to us, but they still mesh together well enough to make a decent looking tree. It certainly seems to satisfy whatever Becca was looking for.

  As the night progresses, cocoa turns into wine and we begin to get a little silly. Becca and Will take off to their room, leaving Eric and I alone. Suddenly I’m hyper-aware of the dim lights, fire and my current state of inebriation.

  Eric’s eyes have that hooded-drunk look to them. Something in the air changes and I decide it’s time to call it a night.

  I go to stand up when I feel a hand clasp around my upper arm. “Where are you off to?” Eric’s words slur slightly.

  “I’m tired.” I say plainly while I stare at his hand.

  “Oh,” He follows my lie of sight and seems to notice his hand on my arm for the first time. He releases it and gives me an odd smile. “Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight.” I say.

  I can’t help the chill that runs through me while I go upstairs.

  Chapter Three

  “If music be the food of love, play on.”

  ~William Shakespeare

  Trent

  I tap my foot impatiently. I want to text Felicity, but I don’t want to wake her up—but I definitely want to see her before I go to work.

  Basically, I can’t decide what the fuck to do.

  This chick has got me so fucking intrigued it’s not even funny. First time I saw her I thought she was beautiful. I knew she wasn’t from around here so I figured I’d introduce myself. But when I sat down next to her, I realized she was lost in a world of music. Then I realized what kind of music. Holy fuck. A chick that listens to real music? Unheard of shit around here.

  Yesterday at the comic store was insane. In-fucking-sane. She said Etrigan and my heart skipped a beat. All I could think was ‘I think I found my soulmate.’

  The problem is my soulmate is going to fucking disappear in a few days. That means I have a very limited amount of time to convince her of said soulmate status.

  How in the fuck do I manage that?

  A glance at the clock tells me it’s now nine-thirty. That’s a respectable time, isn’t it? Fuck it. I shoot off a quick text:

  Me: Morning! Coffee?

  Then I wait. After a few anxious minutes my phone pings.

  Felicity: Sure! Give me fifteen?

  Me: See you there.

  The excitement starts in my stomach. From there it works its way all over. She got right back to me. She got right back to me and she wants to see me again.

  Maybe I stand a chance with this whole soulmate thing after all…

  ***

  I swear Felicity gets more beautiful every time I see her. I’m not quite sure how she does it, but it never fails. Have you ever met someone and their personality just envelopes you? They instantly make you feel like you’ve known them forever, but more so they make you feel…where everything was dull before, they brighten it by simply being.

  Felicity reminds me I’m alive. She’s interesting—and somehow thinks I am, too. The fact that she’s also incredibly awesome astounds me.

  I’ve never had anyone get me like this before. I’ve always been the oddball in this well-to-do community. Being working-class since a child h
asn’t helped, but then again neither did being the town-drunk’s kid. I’ve also always been the only one here all about music. Well, rock and metal. They’re all about country or that damn pop garbage.

  Don’t even get me started.

  I like other kinds of music, too. It just has to be good. Music should make you feel.

  Music should make you feel like Felicity makes me feel.

  How’s that for a fucking metaphor?

  “Hey, good morning!” She says with a smile.

  “Good morning,” I grin and hold the door to the coffee shop open for her. “My treat today.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I want to.” I insist.

  “Thanks.”

  Soon after we step outside, “I was thinking about something different today. It’ll require a short drive if you want to go?” I ask with my fingers crossed behind my back.

  “Absolutely,” Felicity agrees. “I have a car we can take if you want?”

  “Nah, mine’s okay. Follow me.”

  I probably should worry about what Felicity will think about my car, but I try not to. She doesn’t strike me as someone materialistic enough to care about it…and if she is, maybe she’s not my soulmate after all.

  Only one way to find out.

  I manually unlock her door with a key because my car’s that old. Felicity doesn’t even seem to notice. I open the door for her and she climbs inside without hesitation.

  See? No worries here.

  “Where are we going?” She asks when I climb in next to her.

  “It’s a surprise, but I think you’ll like it.” I give her a wink.

  ***

  There’s a much larger comic book store a little less than an hour away. I figure if Felicity enjoyed the small one in town, then this should make her really happy. Plus, maybe I have a comic book to pick up…maybe.

  Either way, to find out she’s into more of the same stuff that I am astounds me. I keep waiting for something to happen—some reason for me to dislike her.