Page 76 of Deck the Fire Halls

The laughs and the friendships were a big part of that. But also voicing my concerns over this crazy whirlwind romance with Soren too. Acknowledging, to myself at least, that I already had feelings for him but it was normal to be scared and excited at the same time.

Was it a silly Christmas Cupid thing?

My rational brain said no, but my heart was saying maybe... maybe it wasn’t as silly as I thought.

I took the pizza box and the four of us walked outside. It was still snowing, just flurries and dustings, but the way it all looked by thestreetlights and the Christmas lights in shop windows and on awnings, it really was like something out of a Hallmark movie.

We each said our goodbyes, and I stood there for a second taking it all in. How utterly serene it was. And pretty. And how even something as simple as waving goodbye to friends before I took a pizza to my boyfriend at work was just so surreal, I couldn’t believe it.

You just called him your boyfriend.

You said boyfriend. Like he’s your boyfriend, but he’s not. Not yet, anyway.

“I know. Shut up,” I grumbled to myself, fully aware I was now talking out loud to myself.

But the voice in my head was, thankfully, silent as I carefully walked to my car. I drove the short block to the fire station, and taking the pizza, I walked to the door. The rolling door was down, so I wasn’t even sure he was here, but I rang the buzzer anyway.

Suddenly feeling very foolish, I regretted not texting first. Would he mind me bringing him food? Was this out of line? Would his colleagues tease him?

Oh god. Did they even know about me?

This was bad.

Before I could turn and leave, the door opened and a man who was not Soren stood there in coveralls and a beanie. “Uh...” He said, confused. Then he did a double take. “Hey, Captain? Soren!”

“Yeah,” a familiar voice called out from somewhere. A few seconds later, Soren appeared. He was wearing his coveralls and beanie, and his huge firefighter coat, looking a dozen kinds of incredible.

He broke out into a grin. “Hey.”

“I’m not interrupting, am I?” I cringed. “I was just having pizza with the guys and thought you might like some.”

The other guy’s face lit up. “That’s for us?”

Well, Soren, but yes. “Sure.”

He took the box like a kid who just got a candy bar, and he began walking backward to what looked like an office or break room. “You got two minutes before this is gone.”

Then it was just Soren and me. The fire engine was parked just a few feet away, there were ladders and gear, but the place was immaculate. But Soren... he was smiling at me in a way that made my heart two sizes too big.

He took my hand and pulled me into the fire station, and cupping my face, he pressed his lips to mine. Clearly he didn’t care who saw, and neither did I.

But then, without a word, he took my hand in his, wrapped his other arm around my waist, and he began to lead us in a waltz. Slow and ridiculously romantic, all I could do was laugh. He kissed the side of my head before he spun me out and under his arm, bringing me back in for a soft kiss.

And yeah, those feelings I’d thought about earlier tonight, that I’d tried to ignore, that I was too scared to name?

There was no ignoring them now.

CHAPTER TEN

SOREN

He brought me pizza.

And that might be nothing to anyone else, but it meant the world to me.

Because it wasn’t just pizza. It meant that he was thinking of me. That I was on his mind, that he was considerate and thoughtful, and he went out of his way for me.

He might have only been just down the road, but that wasn’t the point. He could’ve very well had just gone home. I wouldn’t have even known he’d been out for pizza.

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