It was around 8pm and walked into the Hollis Bar and Grill that I had been to many times before. There wasn't much of a crowd there, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. It was December 23rd, and the place was decorated with white Christmas lights, which was surprisingly a nice touch. I was always a big fan of Christmas, for some reason it always made everything better. For example, when I was in middle school, my dad had cancer, and his last chemo treatment was the week before Christmas. A few years ago, my cousin came home from fighting overseas a few days before Christmas. It always seemed like this happy time of hope. I was hoping that this year would not defy my opinion of it. My ex-fiancé, Jackie, had recently broken off our engagement, and I wanted…no, needed…something to come along to get me out of my slump.

Even though I knew alcohol was not going to help these feelings, I had already tried doing that, I ordered a scotch from the bartender who probably knows me by name by now. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket to see if Jackie had sent me a text message or left me a voicemail, but there was nothing. I set my phone down on the bar beside my drink that the bartender had just set down. Looks like Christmas was letting me down on this whole hope and happiness thing. I picked up my phone and contemplating calling Jackie while flipping through my contacts, but in the end I decided not to. I was taking a sip of my drink when out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone come in. She was on the shorter side and had a slender figure. Her thick, long, dark hair was curled loosely and topped by an oversized beret. She had this look of responsibility about her, I could not exactly put my finger on it, but it looked like what she was bearing on her shoulders could crush her emotionally. I could have just eaten her up just by looking at her; it was that enjoyable. I needed to talk to this girl.

"You alright down there?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't think I was being too creepy or invasive.

"Yeah…the holidays aren't exactly a favorite of mine." She replied nonchalantly. She looked very young to be in a bar, but she was gorgeous, so I was not going to question it. "I feel like they always bring out the worst in people, at least in my experiences."

"I could see how some people might feel that way. I just always feel like they make everyone and everything happy."

"They make everyone act happy." She corrected.

I chuckled, she seemed like she could be a fiery one. "I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself!" I said, moving two seats towards her, "I'm Ezra, Ezra Fitz."

"Interesting name," she nodded, "I'm Aria. Do you go to Hollis?"

"I do, I'm getting ready to student teach in the Spring, and then I'll graduate."

"I think I'd like to teach."

"What are you majoring in?" I asked.

"Well…I'm leaning towards English."

"That's what I'm going to be teaching." I said with a smile. This was unbelievable, not only was Aria beautiful, but we were also interested in the same things. Maybe my Christmas hope came in a small package named Aria.

"What I really love though, is writing." She added. "I love the feeling of seeing my thoughts go from the jumble in my mind to what ends up being seen on a paper…" she paused for a slight second, "I love this song."

"They've been playing Christmas music here pretty much round the clock since Thanksgiving. This one is B-26 on the jukebox."

She let out a small laugh, "My dad used to sing this one to me when I was little, The Christmas Waltz."

"…by Frank Sinatra." I added, "…my Mom's favorite singer."

"I'm impressed," I confessed, "It's hard to meet a girl like you, Aria." At this, I saw her blush, "I'd like to know more about you."

"I'd like to know more about you too, Ezra Fitz." Hearing her say my name sounded nearly as sweet and soft as caramel.

It seemed as if the next few minutes blurred by and then we were together in the only bathroom that the bar had.

I picked her up and held her on the sink of the bathroom. We looked each other in the eyes, and then, another blur, our bodies were flush against each other's and our lips were pressed up against one another's, our tongues pushing into each other's mouths. I could not believe this was actually happening, I had just met a hot, smart girl at a bar, and now I was making out with her in the bathroom? Today must be my lucky day. I mean, Jackie and I used to come back here and make out all the time in college, but this was different. This was spontaneous. Jackie was by the books, predictable, and by the books. This was different, this was fresh. My hands fumbled over her body as I tried to figure out what she was okay with.

She pulled away for a second, "I can't believe this is happening."

"What?" I asked, panicked, "We can stop if you want to."

"Now where would the fun be in that?" she whispered, raking her hands through my hair.

"I have an idea," I said back, hoping this wouldn't backfire on me, "Do you want to go back to my place? It's only a few blocks from here."

She contemplated for a second, I could see the slightest hesitation, "Yeah," she nodded with a smile on her face, "let's do that."

We stood in the threshold of my apartment building; the snow was falling pretty heavily. Aria drove us here, which was good because I really did not feel like walking. On our ride over, we talked about our favorite authors and books. I was honestly surprised with myself. Over an hour ago, I was still stuck on Jackie, I wanted nothing but for her to call me back and tell me that she made a mistake. Now, there was an Aria, and I was wondering how a girl could be more perfect.

"I always loved snow," Aria stated while looking up into the dark sky that was spackled with white. "I always like when it looks like glitter in the air, it makes everything seam so surreal."

I quickly put my arm behind her and my hand on the back of her head and moved forward towards her. Our faces were nearly touching and I could feel the steam and warmth from her breath.

"Ezra Fitz," she said with a small laugh, "why don't you kiss me already?"

Sooooo...should I continue? Or should I just leave it there? Where should I go from here if I do continue?

Review my loves!