Chapter Twenty-Nine

Caliegh's POV

Standing out in the cold of December, just walking in the snow, and suddenly hearing the sound of a guitar playing can really get a girl's attention. So of course, when I heard the instrument being played, with familiar chords being strummed, I had to find the source. And when I did, I wasn't surprised the slightest. There was a crowd surrounded around none other than Alfred F. Jones, who was playing a more upbeat and peppier version of Little Things by One Direction. At first I didn't understand why; I thought perhaps it was just for the fame. But as I got closer, standing on my tip-toes to see over the crowd, I noticed it wasn't just him singing.

He was actually serenading my sister. Who, in fact, was tearing up with happiness. I smiled to myself when I saw this scene. I couldn't really help myself; it was adorable. When Alfred finished the song, Gabby immediately threw herself at him, pulling their lips together. A series of "aww"s rang out through the courtyard. I slid my hands into my pocket, smiling softly. She deserved this…after all she's been through.

The crowd broke apart, so I took this as my cue to go inside so I wouldn't get frostbitten. However, turning to go back inside, I ran into someone. "Oh, sorry," I muttered, glancing up at who it was. Once again, the smile returned to my lips. "Matthew, what're you doing here?"

He huffed; he had obviously been running. His cheeks and nose were practically stained red from the cold, and when he breathed the cold air would catch his breath in white puffs. "You need to come with me," he urged, "please." He added after a short pause. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, but still let him grab my hand and drag me aside.

"Where are we going?" I questioned. I didn't need him to answer, though. I knew we were going to the same place where we always sat when we went outside to the gardens. The bench by the pansies and lilies, something I considered our special place. He pulled me the whole way there, though eventually my hand found its place in his. He didn't sit like I expected him to. Instead he wheeled around to face me, taking both of my hands in his. "Alright, this is suspicious." I said, staring down at our hands.

"Kay…please look at me when I say this." I gazed up at him. "I…never realized this, but…I love you." I paused.

"C-come again?" I chuckled nervously under my breath.

"I want you to be my girlfriend." He said, his grip around my hands tightening. He seemed nervous, but it was kind of cute. After a moment, I smiled.

"You're so straight forward." He gave me a flustered look.

"W-was I not supposed to? I'm sorry, I've never…!" I slipped my hand out of his, reaching up and touching his cold cheeks.

"No, it's okay." I moved closer to him. "I'm just…relieved. Because I finally heard those words out of your mouth." His eyes widened behind his glasses, causing them to slide down his nose. He adjusted them immediately.

"U-um, then, is it okay…if, we, you know…"

"Kiss?" His shoulders fell with relief, nodding. I pressed up against him, linking my arms around his neck. I stood on my tip-toes, putting our noses together. "I thought you'd never ask."

I must've been dreaming, because I swear I had had a dream exactly like this once. I bet I passed out because of the cold, if that's possible. I was dreaming, and this was not happening.

But no. When he closed the small gap between us, pressing his chilled lips to mine, I knew that this couldn't possibly be a dream. It felt all too real, not like my normal dreams. I pulled away, closing my eyes and lowering my heels to the ground.

"Oh, maple…" Matthew sighed, staring down at me, his hands linked together behind my back. Just when I thought it was over, he cupped his palms around my cheeks, bringing me in for another kiss. This time it lasted longer, and I really felt like it was a dream. As our lips moved together, my dreams became reality. The taste of maple syrup was strong on his lips, just as I had imagined it would be. Our hands moved from their places to meet between us, and I entwined my fingers with his. We pulled apart, gazing into each other's eyes.

"My answer is yes, Matthew." His eyes lit up, clearly not expecting that answer to come out of my mouth.

"R-really? Oh…thank you…!" He pulled me into a tight hug, and I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him back.

"I love you…so much." I buried my face in his chest, nuzzling up against him. His warmth spread through my whole body, even in the brisk air. He perched his chin on my shoulder, and his hands moved to my lower back, pressing lightly in order to move closer together.

"I love you, too, Kay." He pulled back, cupping his hands around my cheeks and making me look up at him. He smiled softly. "Now let's go inside, I'm sure you're cold."

O~O~O~O~O~O

"What is wrong with you today, aru? Can't you snap out of it?" I jumped at the sound of Yao's voice, and I looked down at the cutting board to see that I had chopped a shrimp right in half, quite unevenly. Yao had hands on his hips, and he was giving me a look that clearly said he was annoyed with me. As usual.

"O-oh, sorry." I chuckled, and smiled airily. "I'm just really happy right now."

"So happy that you can't concentrate on cooking right, aru?" He huffed, beginning to skin another bowl of shrimp.

"Yeah, actually."

"And why is that, aru." I tilted my head to the side, smiling at him.

"Because I got a lovely boyfriend." He froze.

"That's why you're so happy, aru…" I nodded. "I wish I could have one, aru. But if I did, then people would give me funny looks because of who it is." I nodded slowly, then did a double-take.

"Whoa, wait, what?! Are you gay?!" My eyes lit up, and I could practically feel the sparkles shining around me. Yao's face flushed a deep shade of red, and he smacked his hand over my mouth.

"Shut up, aru! Not so loud!" I pulled his hand from my mouth, grinning from ear to ear.

"You aren't denying it! So, who's the lucky guy?" He stabbed the knife he was using into the cutting board, and I jumped back slightly. He was silent for a few seconds.

"…I…Ivan Braginski." My eyes widened, covering my mouth with my hands.

"No way. He's in my homeroom, I could totally set you two up toge-"

"No, aru!" He snapped. "I mean…it's fine." He glanced away. "I understand how you feel, aru. To be in love. And Ivan doesn't seem to really love me, but he does so many things that just make me think otherwise." He sighed, an aggravated expression crossing his face.

"Mm, like what?" The conversation seemed to get more casual, so I figured I could continue it.

"One time he wrote me this letter and snuck it into my bag, aru. I still have it." A blush crept to his cheeks as he turned the burner up. I raised my eyebrows. Now this was interesting.

"May I read it?" He frowned slightly, paused as if thinking it over, then nodded. He slid his hand into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper. He handed it to me, and I unfolded it carefully. The letter read, "Ivan loves his little Yao-Yao~" with a heart at the bottom. I smiled, handing the letter back to Yao. "That's really sweet, you know. Maybe someday you two can get together. Tell me when that happens, alright?" I grinned at him.

"I just hope it works out, aru…"

"It will. Trust me." Being optimistic was a new thing for me; after all, I wasn't usually so happy and believing that these sorts of things would happen. But after recently, I think I'd be happier more often.