The smell of warm chocolate and sugar draws me to a group of tables at the side of the square, and as I get closer, I can see a group of men and women handing out cups of hot chocolate and napkins filled with frosted sugar cookies. Now that the sun is down, the air has more of a bite to it and my hoodie isn’t doing much to keep the chill out, so a warm beverage sounds like just the ticket. As I approach the front of the line, the smile on my face widens when I get a look at one of the many people standing behind the tables. She’s changed her outfit, but there’s no mistaking the woman from the shop I first visited. Her eyes are bright as she smiles and chats with a small family, handing cookies to the children and hot chocolate to the adults.

While she’s otherwise occupied, I take a moment to get another look at the woman who has dominated my thoughts all evening long. Her hair is down, showcasing the light-colored tresses that fall to her chest in loose waves, her cheeks are rosy from the cold, and her lips are red and full. The sweater dress she’s wearing is only slightly hidden behind a thick scarf and cuts off above the knee. Her ankle boots go to just below, so I only get a small glimpse of skin, but what I can see is slender and fair. To say she’s wildly attractive is not an exaggeration, and I wonder how such a beautiful creature isn’t married already. Of course, she could have a boyfriend, but when I look over and see her eyes catching mine, the widening smile on her face and interested expression tell me she’s single.

“Well, well, well,” she says, her eyes dancing with amusement. The melodic tone of her voices soothes any nerves I might have felt, and I long to hear more of it. “It seems you stuck around for the festival after all.”

My cheeks pull tight as my smile takes over my face. “My plans changed,” I tell her with a shrug of my shoulder, as if it weren’t the first time that has ever happened in my life. My eyes roam over the rows of cups and cookies, looking for some signage for pricing. “So, are the treats for anyone, or is there something special I don’t know about?”

A shadow of sadness crosses over her face, but it’s there and gone so quickly I can’t be sure I didn’t imagine it. “Oh, well, they are for anyone who wants some,” she tells me. Her slender hand reaches out and offers up a cup of hot chocolate and a reindeer-shaped cookie which I take immediately. Our fingers brush slightly as I do, and a warm, tingling sensation travels up my hand, spreading throughout my entire body. It feels as though I am being wrapped in the most comforting hug, and we’re barely touching. “They’re free as an incentive for people to not drink alcohol.” She nods to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving banner and I nod in understanding.

“That’s a great idea,” I say, blowing over the top of the cup to cool the liquid down a bit. “I can’t imagine wanting to drink anything other than a hot beverage in this weather, but I could be in the minority.”

The woman chuckles lightly and shakes her head. “Then I’m in the minority too because I feel exactly the same. Nothing beats hot chocolate on a cold day, except maybe mulled cider at Christmas,” she confesses. She turns away momentarily, smiling wistfully as she hands a cookie over to some people next to me. When she’s facing me again, her teeth are biting into her lower lip, and I try not to think about how much I want to free that lip with my thumb before kissing the sting away. That thought almost has me rearing back. I’m never this instantly attracted to someone. “Can I ask you a question?” Her voice is musical and a welcome break from my own thoughts.

I lean in closer to hear over the din, but it’s also a great excuse to get near her. She follows my lead and our heads are close enough that her warm cinnamon-apple smell wafts toward me. It’s comforting in a way I didn’t know a smell ever could be. It smells like home, only no home I have ever had smelled like apple pie. “Go for it,” I tell her before I completely lose my mind and run my nose along her throat just to get another hit.

She narrows her eyes at me for a second before blowing out a breath. “What’s your name?”

My head tilts back slightly, but only just. I don’t want to be any further from her than I have to. “My name?”

Her head bobs, the golden curtain of her hair moving slightly as it does. “Yeah. This is the second time we’ve run into each other today, and I feel silly not knowing your name. I also don’t like thinking of you as simply ‘that guy’ in my head,” she admits. The fact that she thinks of me at all has a fluttery feeling erupting in my chest, and I feel almost giddy at the foreign sensation.

Pulling myself together, I try to come off a little less crazy than I’m feeling. “Jake,” I tell her extending my hand for a shake. “And you are?”

“Maya,” she tells me, her warm hand slipping into mine. It sends another wave of tingles through me and everything in my body is telling me to hold onto this woman and never let her go. “It’s nice to meet you, Jake.”

“Likewise.” The grip I have on her hand never lightens, and I know enough time has passed that I should probably let it go, but I can’t seem to find the will to do so. There’s not much time left before I must start my drive, but I want whatever time I have left to be spent with Maya. “Say, Maya. How long are you needed here?”

Her eyes sparkle and she smiles coyly. “I can be done right now. That is, if I have a good enough reason to leave.” My brain is already spinning up a million reasons to give her until she decides one is acceptable enough to leave with me.

My eyes flick to the band playing in the center of the square. “Would dancing with me be a good enough reason?” I’m not a big dancer, never have been, but I find that I’m doing all sorts of things outside my comfort zone today. The smile pulling across Maya’s face in response to my question tells me they’ve all been worth it.

“More than good enough,” she confesses. Leaning over to speak to another volunteer for a second, she finishes and steps out from behind the table.

I slam my hot chocolate, ignoring the slight burn as the rich liquid travels down my throat. After tossing the cup and pocketing the cookie, I lead her by the hand to where people are dancing. The band switches to a slower Christmas song I don’t recognize, and I spin Maya around before pulling her into my arms. Her free hand slides up and grips my shoulder while mine rests at her lower back, keeping her as close as possible while still being appropriate for public. As we sway to the light melody, our eyes meet and we stare at one another longingly and let the magic of the evening take over. The world seems to disappear around us. Maya smiles serenely before resting her head on my shoulder, my cheek brushing against the top of her head as I lean mine down to rest on hers. We’re a perfect fit.

As we rock back and forth, I try to memorize everything about the marvelous creature next to me. The way she looks, smells, sounds. All those things are committed to memory for me to pull out and reexamine when I get back to my routine. My heart already aches at the thought of leaving her, but no one uproots their life for one person after a small exchange of words and one dance. Something about Maya has me feeling like all my plans, all my little routines were just a way to lead me to her, but how can that be possible? It’s too good to be true, but I’ll be damned if I don’t embrace this while I have it.

The music stops, but we don’t part from one another. We stay close, our bodies practically merging as we listen to the mayor of the town introduce herself and start the countdown to the lights being turned on. Being with her like this feels like the most natural thing in the world. When the shouting of the crowd gets to one and the lights turn on, Maya looks up at me with the most beautiful expression that I can’t not kiss her. Leaning my head down toward hers, I pause only for a moment to give her time to back away if it’s not what she needs. Instead of doing that, she surprises me by wrapping both arms around my back and leaning up on her tiptoes until her lips meet mine.

It doesn’t take any time for my mind or body to react, and the next thing I know my hands are cupping her face as I lick her bottom lip and dive into her mouth. She opens for me readily, and we explore each other. Our lips are in sync with one another, and our tongues glide against one another in a dance not unlike the one we just shared. It’s slow and sensual with the promise of more, and my heart longs to do nothing but this for the rest of my life. When the band starts playing again, we break apart, our mouths only inches from each other’s, our breath mingling together visibly in the cold night air. Maya’s eyes search mine for a moment, and then she smiles, gripping my hand and interlacing our fingers together. “That was…”

“It was,” I agree. There are no words to describe the feelings I’m having, but they are more potent than anything I’ve ever felt. It’s like there’s a helium balloon in my chest and if she doesn’t keep a hold on me, I just might fly away. My phone buzzes in my pocket, probably a call from my parents wondering if I got in okay, but I ignore it. Denver can wait. I’ll get there eventually, but right now my sole focus is on getting as much time with this woman as I can. My eyes dart around the square, looking for a place we can go and get to know each other a little better, but all the windows are dark. I turn back to Maya. “Is there somewhere we can talk?” I ask. My voice is pleading as I hope she comes up with something. I need more of her, more than I need my next breath. “I suddenly want to know everything there is to know about you.”

Maya’s cheeks turn a deep shade of red, and I know it isn’t from the cold. “Well, most places are closed now,” she starts, biting that lower lip of hers again. “But, we can go back to my apartment if you want.” Her eyes widen and her blush darkens. “To talk, that is.”

A grin spreads across my face. “I’m not expecting more than that, Beautiful.” The endearment came out of nowhere, but I’m not at all surprised by it. Everything about Maya has me acting like a different person, and while the feeling is scary, it’s also king of amazing. My hand spreads out in front of us. “Lead the way.” Maya smiles and steers us through the dispersing crowd over to the sidewalk. It’s hard to make conversation with so many people around, so we just walk in comfortable silence, stealing glances at each other every now and then and smiling like a couple of kids with a crush, though this feels more like love at first sight. My heart soars at being able to spend more time with her tonight, but I can feel the heaviness waiting to set in as soon as I have to go. As we continue on our way, one thought plays on repeat inside my head as I look at the amazing woman next to me. I wish I could keep you.