Jake Spencer is a man on a mission.
Ignoring the cold December air biting at his skin and the weight slung over his shoulder, he strides toward Kelly's, picking up the pace as he gets closer. Not that he expects much of a crowd; Kelly's is always a bit slow on Thursdays.
Once he's close enough to make out the daily specials posted by the door, he slows down, wanting to peek through the glass before stepping inside. A quick glance through the icy window shows he's right. There are only two people inside - one customer sitting at a corner table sipping coffee and the girl behind the counter.
Briefly, he lets his eyes linger on the girl, her long brown hair falling out of the sloppy ponytail she wears, slightly obscuring her face as she leans forward, against the counter, with her nose stuck in a book.
Emma.
The same mission he's been on at least once a week since he was ten years old.
He can't stop from rolling his eyes as he pulls open the door, the little bell ringing, alerting Emma to his presence.
"Hey," she says, smiling as she closes the book. "The usual?"
She doesn't wait for an answer, already turning to place the order for the chili cheese fries and get the extra chocolate-y chocolate milkshake as he walks up to the counter and sits down, eying the book she's left there. European history. "Nope."
She stops abruptly and turns back to face him. "No?"
"No. That's not why I'm here."
"Okay …" she says, stepping back to the counter. "Why are you here?"
"I am here," he says slowly, pausing dramatically, "to get you to go ice skating with me."
"Jake …" She starts to shake her head. "I'm at work. I can't just -"
"Go!" a voice suddenly shouts from the back, causing Emma to spin around toward it.
"Thanks Mike!" Jake calls back, over her shoulder. He could always count on Mike.
Emma gives Mike a long look before turning back to Jake and gesturing to the book on the counter between them. "And I have this paper -"
"I have the same paper and I know it's not due for another two weeks. Two," he emphasizes, holding up his index and middle fingers. But she still looks unconvinced so he drops his hand and leans closer, resting his weight on his forearms and tries a different approach. "It'll be fun."
"Fun?" she asks skeptically.
"Yeah, you know, fun. That thing you never have because you're always doing homework."
She opens her mouth but before she can argue, and he knows she will – she would list out each and every instance of fun from the past five years to prove him wrong – he quickly continues, hoping it will distract her.
"Come on. Can't we just skip the discussion and go straight to the part where you walk out the door with me?"
"I don't kn -" She stops mid-word, noticing for the first time the pair of size 6 pink-laced ice skates slung over his shoulders. "Those are my skates," she says, pointing at them. "Where did you get those?"
Jake shrugs. "I stopped by your house first. Your mom gave them to me. That should tell you something, by the way. Everyone thinks you should take a break."
Emma shifts her weight from one foot to the other, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully.
It's obvious she's relenting, so he decides to give one last push. "Come on, live dangerously."
This time she's the one who rolls her eyes and, with an exaggerated sigh, she finally gives in. "Okay, okay," she says, smiling despite herself. She reaches for her backpack and stuffs her book inside, calling back over her shoulder, "I'll make up the time next -"
"Don't worry about it."
Still smiling, she walks around the counter and Jake can't keep the matching smile off his face as he turns and makes his way to the door, Emma a couple of steps behind him.
He waits for her to put on her coat and opens the door for her. She's about to step through but hesitates, her eyes darting up. His eyes follow hers to see the sprig of mistletoe hanging above them. He laughs nervously and lets his eyes fall back to her face, noticing the blush now warming her cheeks.
She ducks her head and pushes past him playfully. "Let's go."
Jake takes one last look at the mistletoe before following after her, a new mission taking shape in his mind.