Thank you all!

Chapter 8

"I think Mummy likes him too," Drew said to his Aunt Mary, as the two of them worked on wrapping presents for her family.

"Oh you do?" Mary questioned her godson. He excitedly nodded.

"She kept looking at him, giving him googly eyes."

"Googly eyes?" Mary chuckled.

"You know, like she likes him," Drew explained.

Anna inhaled sharply and stepped into the room. She had been walking by the door when she caught them talking about her and John. Drew immediately glanced up and just smiled brightly at her.

"I was telling Auntie Mary about our time with John!" He told her.

"Yes, I heard," Anna said, narrowing her eyes. "Talking about me, I see."

Mary just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "No need to be dramatic."

Anna smiled. "I do like him," she stated. That made Mary's jaw drop. Then she stood.

"See! Told you!" Drew yelled.

"Alright, so tell me all about it, then!" Mary gushed. Anna could tell that her friend was excited for her.

"I don't know what to say," Anna honestly replied. "I just…" Her words faded, but her lips curled up slightly remembering her evening with John. "There's just something about him, despite his insane obsession with Christmas."

"Oh Anna!" Mary stated, happy for her friend. "You deserve this, really you do!"

"But what if he's like…" Anna paused, her eyes landing on Drew. Despite the fact that Mark was not in their lives, she never spoke negatively about him in front of her son. She only spoke in truths and knew that he would figure it out on his own when he grew older.

"He's not," Mary assured her, knowing exactly who she was referencing. "He's a very kind person, Anna. Saved my father's life."

"I know."

"He's noble," Mary added.

"We have a date tonight," Anna then admitted, chewing on her lower lip. "Well, not a date really, but I'll need you to watch Drew."

"Of course!"

"I can't come?" Drew asked, frowning.

"Not tonight, bud. It's going to be late, way past your bedtime."

"Oh alright. If you marry him, will he be my dad?" Anna's brows rose at his question.

"Sweetheart, we're nowhere close to talking about marriage," she finally answered. She could see Mary holding back a laugh and she narrowed in her eyes at her friend. "It's just a date. I mean, no…it's not really a date. It's just a night out as friends."

Drew squished up his nose. "But you like him and he likes you, so wouldn't that make it a date?"

Anna sighed. "No."

She then walked out of the room, but she could still hear Mary and Drew talking.

"Yes," Mary whispered to him. "You're correct. It's a date."

"I thought so!"

Anna just chuckled.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

That evening, John picked her up to take her to the light show. It was a ride through a small village and then at the end of the ride, they would be stepping out to see the big house lit up with the music. It had a walk through area where the lights were supposed to dance over your head.

They both wore their masks in the car, not being from the same home. But Anna found that she wished she could see John without his mask.

The ride was rather quiet, but Christmas music filled the car. Anna kept wanting to reach across to brush her hand against his leg. She didn't know where this bold feeling was coming from. She hadn't dated in so long.

They drove through the small village and Anna nearly wept. She had forgotten how magical the Christmas season really could be. But she didn't want John to know how much it was impacting her. So she hid her face and just stared out the window.

When they reached the large house, John pulled his car behind another one. Then he walked over to open her car door. For a brief moment, he put his hand out for her to take, but then he thought better of it and placed it into his pocket.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, absolutely."

Though she couldn't see his lips, Anna could tell John was smiling from the twinkle in his eyes. She stepped out of the car and wrapped her arms around herself, as a burst of wind hit her.

"Are you warm enough?" John questioned, worriedly. Anna offered him a kind nod.

"I am. I'll be alright."

John again, almost offered her his hand, and then remembered about the pandemic. He walked her down through the way until they reached the walkway where the lights danced overhead. Anna glanced up and her heart began to pound. The lights above danced perfectly in time with the music, making her feel as though she was in a movie.

"It's beautiful," she breathed.

"It's my favorite light show," he told her. "They do seven songs and rotate through them all night."

"I don't remember this one."

"It's fairly new," John informed her. "I think it started a few years ago."

He motioned for her to continue down the walkway with him.

"It's best to watch from over here, near the tree."

Anna followed along with, continually mesmerized by the lights. She couldn't remember the last time Christmas made her feel this way. But maybe it wasn't Christmas. Perhaps it was John.

They made it to the Christmas tree and there was a bench where they decided to sit. Respectfully, John sat at the opposite end of Anna, but she found herself sliding closer to him as each song passed by. Eventually, her hand slid into his and their eyes met.

"I haven't felt like this in a long time" Anna murmured.

"And how's that?"

Anna didn't know how to respond. It was a feeling that she couldn't quite explain. Instead she slid slightly closer to him and took in a deep breath. Their eyes remained connected. Her fingers itched to pull down her mask, but she remained stuck. Her confidence was fading slightly. What if she was reading this situation all wrong and he just wanted to be her friend?

But before she could question it even more, John's hand came up to behind her ear and he gently tugged her mask off of one side, before doing the same to his own. Anna smiled and he smiled in return.

"Hi," he whispered.

"Hi."

Then he bent down and caught her lips with his own and in that moment, everything felt absolutely magical.

To be continued...yay for first kisses :)