Author's Note: This is just a little oneshot that I thought I'd write for Wattpad's WattPride and #PenYourPride campaign, in which Wattpad donates a dollar to a foundation helping LGBT+ people for every story tagged with #WattPride. I decided to take part in the festivities but didn't have time or inspiration to write a proper story, so I decided to do a oneshot instead. I know it's a bit too Christmas themed for June, but to me Christmas is the most magical time of the year, and where the most romance takes place. Of course, that could just be the endless number of Christmas Hallmark movies I've watched with my mom, but oh well. I stand by my decision. Who says you can't have Christmas in June, anyway? I hope you all like it!

Asherah bundled her coat tighter around herself, so as to combat the blustery wind of another icy cold day in New York City. Lights twinkled above her head, dancing in beautiful shades of red and green. Jolly Santas in cheap, red suits danced along every street corner, some ringing bells for the Salvation Army, which added to the almost unbearable din of noise circling the frosty city. Rudolphs, holly, and mistletoe adorned every stoplight and apartment building that wasn't infested with rats yet; even the shops had already put out Christmas trees, decorated from head to toe with gaudy plastic balls and enough tinsel to make Santa want to run back to the North Pole. "The skyscrapers are the only part of this city worth looking at right now,"  Asherah scoffed to herself in disgust. The amount of enthusiasm New York put towards the holiday always irritated her.

The bustle of downtown traffic wound it's way into Asherah's ears as she hurried up the street, clutching her brown handbag to her side. While New York was a beautiful city, filled with the kind of chaos that she lived for, the crime rate had skyrocketed in recent years.

The wind was blowing furiously that day, and despite all of her efforts, Asherah's shoulder-length, straight as a pin brown hair kept blowing into her pale blue eyes. Her thick khaki pants, which she had thought would be warm enough, were quickly proving to Asherah that she had seriously underestimated the weather, or at least, the chill of those angry winds. 

"Just a little while longer," Asherah reminded herself. "Then I'll be at the library, and I can get my books for the holidays and go back home to a nice, warm fireplace." This thought gave her renewed energy, and she shouldered her way through the crowds, determined to get to the library as quickly as possible. 

"I should have drove."

No sooner than the statement had left her lips, a large hand grabbed Asherah, who was walking beside an old, beaten-down alleyway, and dragged her into the darkness. It all happened so fast that she had no chance to cry out for help, and judged by the way everyone was plowing towards their destinations as she had been doing a moment before, no one would have noticed, anyway. 

Looking around, Asherah saw that she was indeed inside a back alley of some sort. Graffiti plastered the brick and concrete walls, clad with horrible slogans that she wished she didn't have to think about. Her attention was brought back to her situation when she felt a tug on her wrist.

The hand that had gripped her tightly a moment before had now loosened its grip, though only slightly. Asherah began to fight, trying to pull her arm from the person's hold, but they were too strong. 

"You're not going anywhere," a male voice muttered, and it took Asherah a few seconds to connect the dots and realize that it must be a man holding onto her. A quick glance up the street to see if there might be help nearby made Asherah realize that they were not alone; a woman, equally as formidable-looking, was standing a few feet away, watching the scene play out.

"This will be easier if you just stop struggling," the man said in exasperation. Finally finding her voice, Asherah tried to scream, but the man clapped a beefy hand over her mouth, silencing her. "Quiet!" Tears began to form in her eyes as she realized the predicament she was in. There was absolutely no one around, other than the girl.

"So," the man sneered, pinning Asherah to a wall, her wrists held above her head by another of the man's large hands, and her legs trapped between the man's body. "Now," the man said, "Give me all of your money, and you can walk away from this unharmed. If not..." The man gestured to the woman, now standing beside him, and a quick glimpse of a knife attached to her belt assured  Asherah that the threat was not an idle one.

They must be working together, Asherah thought hopelessly. Great, now I know there's two of them. There's no chance I'm getting out of this one.

She was about to hand over her handbag and it's contents to the two thieves when she heard a sound come from behind her. Asherah turned, and saw another woman, tall and intimidating, racing into the alley from the street.

"What's going on here?" The woman asked, her tone low and menacing as she addressed the couple who currently had Asherah pinned to the wall. "Nothing at all," the man said, releasing Asherah and moving back, directing his partner to do the same. Asherah fell to her knees on the dirty street below.

"W-we were just leaving," the female of the two criminals stuttered nervously. She and her male companion turned and ran off in the other direction, away from the mystery woman, around the corner and out of sight. Asherah watched them go, feeling relief crash over her head like a tidal wave. 

"Cowards, those two were," the woman who had helped her said suddenly, making Asherah turn her gaze to her. "They wouldn't have hurt you; it was all an act. All bark, and no bite. Need a hand up?" Asherah accepted the woman's hand gratefully, allowing her to pull her up from the street. 

"How'd you know that?" Asherah asked as she brushed off her backside from the filth of the street. "Hmm?" The mysterious woman hummed in response, her eyes occupied elsewhere - the huge office building across the street.

"How'd you know they wouldn't hurt me?" Asherah said, bringing the woman's focus back to her. "Oh, that. Well, I used to be a police officer back when I lived in L.A.," she answered nonchalantly, as if she had just given out the most boring piece of information in the world.

"Really?" Asherah exclaimed. "That's amazing!" The woman laughed at Asherah's excitement, her green eyes twinkling with amusement. "I'm glad you think so," she said, a broad smile perched on her face. 

Suddenly, Asherah realized that, so caught up was she with the woman, that she had been incredibly rude. "Oh, I'm sorry, I meant to say, thank you! For helping me up, and for-for saving me." 

"No problem," the woman replied, the green orbs that were her eyes seeming to dance at Asherah's words. Asherah smiled in response and said, "Seriously, thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up when you did." She realized she might be laying it on a bit thick, but the woman was beautiful and kind and interesting, and she wasn't about to let a chance like that slip away without at least playing her hand. So, Asherah added, "What could I ever do to thank you enough?" She added a laugh at the end of her question, to make it seem a bit more in the normal way of responses in case the mystery woman didn't 'play for her team'.

"What's your name?" the woman asked, startling Asherah a bit. Of all the things that she could have said, 'what's your name' hadn't struck Asherah as a possibility. "Asherah Canaday," she responded proudly, thanking the heavens above that her mother had chosen such an odd first name to go with their odd last name. Hopefully the unusual name would strike the other woman as interesting, though Asherah already couldn't imagine anyone being more interesting than her.

The moment her name left her lips, the blonde woman in front of her had tilted her head, her lips piqued in a position of delicate curiosity. "Well, it's good to meet you, Asherah," she said, extending a hand for Asherah to shake. "My name is Chance Connor Linley."

Chance relayed her name to Asherah so fast that the woman had a hard time processing it in her mind. It was a few seconds before she realized what she'd been told and what Chance was waiting on. Asherah took the hand that was poised in midair, waiting for her to shake, and said, "It's good to meet you, too, Chance."

"In response to your question," Chance said when they let their hands fall, "Yes, there is something you can do to thank me." Though thoroughly surprised, Asherah immediately pounced on the bone she had just been thrown and replied, "What's that?"

"Well, there's a wonderful little cafe on the corner of Main and Birch that makes the best glazed doughnuts for miles," Chance said, her eyes twinkling once more, with a spark of something that Asherah couldn't quite make out. "Would you like to walk down there, maybe get coffee and a doughnut? My treat." 

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly let you -" Asherah started to protest, but Chance cut her off. "Come on, please?" Asherah hesitated, but one look at the begging face of the woman standing next to her had her giving in before she even had time to think it through. "Oh, all right. Thank you!" "Great," said Chance, and started off in the direction of the coffee shop.

While trudging the short distance to the cafe, Asherah and Chance were silent, but unlike some silences, it was comfortable and easy, rather than tense. Asherah saw no need to fill it as she walked along beside the blonde woman, who's long hair was now blowing behind her like a flag. Asherah noticed that she was wearing a coat not unlike her own, and casual jeans that hung off of her waist in all of the right places. Her feet, however, were covered with a pair of Converse patterned in daisies. The sight of the daisy-patterned shoes amidst all of the other relatively normal-looking clothes almost made her laugh out loud; already, she could tell that her companion was just as eccentric as she.

"We're here," Chance announced ceremoniously as she and Asherah reached the front door of the small cafe, which looked exactly like the kind of place Asherah pictured Chance going to. The outside of it was painted a pretty sky blue, and a sign with it's name was perched on top of the building. The building's windows were frosted and rimmed in pink paint, the only deference to the all-blue style of the outside. 

"Welcome to the A La Carte Beignet Maison," Chance said, throwing open the door to the cafe with a gleeful sense of pride. "Sounds French," Asherah commented as they walked inside, a small bell above the entryway tinkling their arrival to a round woman wearing a pink teddy bear dress behind the counter. "It is," Chance said. She bent closer and whispered in Asherah's ear, "Don't tell the other customers - they think this is some fancy place with breads homemade by French people - but I Googled it, and the name just means, 'on the menu doughnut home'. I don't think the lady who owns this place knows that, either." She giggled.

"What'll you have?" Chance asked Asherah as they approached the counter. However, at the moment Asherah was too busy gawking at the food on display. As Chance had promised, there were many doughnuts, but there were also breads, cakes, pastries, and muffins. 

Realizing that Chance had asked her a question, Asherah straightened up, and replied, "Umm...I'll have one of those glazed doughnuts you mentioned, and maybe a small vanilla latte?" Chance stepped up to the counter and ordered. After she had left their requests with the teddy bear dress woman, she led Asherah to a little secluded booth in the corner of the cafe. 

Looking around, Asherah pointed out several abstract paintings on the wall, and a few others that were depictions of gods or goddesses in Greek mythology. "I can see why people would think this place is a fancy French place filled with quality goods made by French people." Chance chuckled lightly at her statement and replied, "Yeah, those paintings were actually made by the owner's son. He's quite the artist; going to go big places one day. By hanging them up here in the cafe, with nothing but the name he uses to sign all of his work, MidnightThoughtz, he's given the shop quite a reputation."

"They're so good," Asherah said, gazing around the small space in awe. "No one would ever know they aren't made by a rich, famous artist in France." Chance laughed in agreement.

It wasn't long after that before their orders came, delivered by the same woman in the teddy bear dress that they had met at the counter. "Thanks, Viv," Chance said as she took the food and drinks from her. 

"That's the owner of the place right there, Vivian O'Flaherty," Chance informed Asherah as she handed her the doughnut and steaming vanilla latte she had ordered. "She seems nice," Asherah commented as she picked up her doughnut from the napkin it was carefully wrapped in. "She is."

Asherah took a bite of her doughnut and immediately let out an exclamation of happiness. "Oh my god, you weren't kidding! This is like, the best doughnut I've ever had!" Chance laughed, smiling across the table at Asherah. "Yeah, they're really good here." 

For a few minutes, neither of them spoke as they enjoyed the good food, their coffee, and each other's presence. However, after about half of her doughnut and a few sips of her latte, Asherah turned to Chance and said, "So, how long have you lived in New York?"

"Only a few months," Chance said with a grimace. "I'm still getting used to it. I mean, it's not that much different from L.A., but at the same time it is, if you know what I mean." Her companion nodded in understanding. 

"What about you?" Chance said, gesturing to Asherah, who had taken another bite of her doughnut. "How long have you lived around here?" "Ever since I turned eighteen," she admitted. "I got a full ride to my college and I've lived here ever since." After a moment's pause, Asherah added, "I love it here. It's my home." Chance nodded, smiling. "I know what you mean. I lived in L.A. and went to the police academy, trying to make my own way, but it just never fit right. So, I moved here and started over. Despite having only been here for a while and having to get used to everything, I have to admit, it fits me more than L.A. ever did." 

"I'm glad," Asherah said, smiling at the other woman from over the top of her mug as she took another sip of her coffee. Finishing off her doughnut in a few quick bites as she noticed Chance had already finished hers, Asherah wiped her hands on the napkin and had just started to dab at her face when Chance said, "So, umm...what do you do for a living?" 

"I'm an author," Asherah said, smiling. "I write romance novels. I'm also a 911 operator, though. It's my night job." Chance smiled. "Really? That's great!" "So, what about you?" Asherah asked as she took another sip of her hot coffee. "Now that you're here, what are you doing?" 

"Well," said Chance slowly, "I haven't told anyone about this yet, but...I was thinking about trying to start up my own business. Something in the restaurant field. Like this, I think. Just somewhere people can go to get out of the cold and feel some peace before they're rushed back into their everyday lives." 

"That sounds great," Asherah told Chance honestly. "Seriously, I think you'd be amazing at that." Chance blushed, a smile perched on her lips. "Thanks." "Any hobbies?" Asherah asked, eager to know as much as she could about the person sitting across from her. "Hmm," Chance tapped the wood table thoughtfully with her long, tapered fingernails, which Asherah noticed were painted a deep midnight blue. "Well, I really like to read. I recently took up quilting, although I don't think I'm very good at it." She grimaced in a way that made Asherah laugh. "I really enjoy long walks through the city, especially if it's through a park. Oh, and I love to collect quotes!" 

"Really?" Asherah exclaimed. "Me too!" "No way!" Chance said, laughing. "That's great!" The two women grinned at each other for a minute, observing the coincidence. "What's your favorite quote?" Chance asked after a few moments of silence. "Easy," Asherah replied. "'I have late-night conversations with the moon. He tells me about the sun, and I tell him about you.'"

"Wow, that was fast," Chance said, impressed. "Well, what's your favorite quote?" Asherah asked, smiling. "Ugh, I wish you hadn't asked me that," her companion groaned. "I have so many!" "But if you had to choose one...what would it be?" "Hmm," Chance said, thinking hard. After a few minutes of her racking her brain for one that she liked the most, she suddenly said, "Oh, I've got it! It's one I found a long time ago, when I was a teenager. 'She wasn't doing anything that he could see; just standing there, leaning over the balcony railing, and holding the universe together.'" 

"Ooh, I love that," Asherah said softly from her side of the booth. "That's a great quote." "Thanks." "So, what about you, then?" Chance asked. "Hobbies?" "Well, aside from writing, there's collecting quotes, and I really enjoy reading and walking too. I'm also really into Yoga. Seriously, it's amazing. Umm...I'm kind of a binge watcher and a fangirl, so I really enjoy binge watching my favorite TV shows and movies." "Hmm, that's great, too."

 A silence fell over them then, and Asherah decided to do something relatively bold and completely out of character for her; she placed her hand on top of the table, palm open. 

Chance seemed to be startled by her action, but slowly a small smile crept on her face. Asherah looked away, taking a long drink of her vanilla latte, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible. Soon, she felt a warm touch on her hand and looked back at the table to see that Chance had placed her own hand next to Asherah's, and was carefully drawing circles on it with her thumb. 

When she had no reaction other than a smile to the touch, Chance lifted her hand and gently placed it in Asherah's, intertwining their fingers.

A fire, a flower, or a something bloomed in Asherah's chest then, and she smiled even wider. Chance looked down at their hands, then back up at Asherah, and quickly asked, "Is-is this okay?" The other girl smiled at Chance and replied, "Very much so."

The two of them sat in the cafe for a while longer until they had both long since finished their coffee. However, neither of them made a move to get up, content to sit across from each other in a booth, holding hands, for the rest of their lives. 

It was only the orange glow of the sunset outside that brought them to their senses. "I'd better get home," Asherah replied, disappointment lacing her tone. "It's going to get dark soon." "Yeah, me too," Chance said, in the same tone of voice that Asherah had. 

They stood up together and brought their mugs back to the counter for Vivian to put away. They bid her goodbye and were on their way out when Chance stopped Asherah and said, "Hey, wait! Why don't I walk you home?" A grin lit up Asherah's face, making her blue eyes twinkle in the light of the cafe. "I'd love that."

The pair walked down the crowded New York street together, pressed close together due to the fact that it was even colder outside than before. Somehow, through the chilly wind, Chance's hand found Asherah's, who readily accepted the new source of warmth, and clung onto it as if it were a lifeline. 

It didn't take them too long to reach Asherah's apartment building. The pair stood outside of it, huddled in the cold, waiting for some invisible thing to happen. It happened when Asherah took out her phone and said, "Hey, can I have your number?" "Sure," Chance replied, and they swapped phones, each putting their numbers in.

"So, I was thinking maybe we could do this again sometime," Asherah ventured carefully after they had both gotten their phones back. "Maybe this Saturday? I could take you out to dinner?" 

"It's a date." Chance smiled, and the decor hanging atop the building entrance caught it in such a way that, seeing her standing there bathed in blinking reds and greens, suddenly Asherah thought that the Christmas lights looked just right. 

Author's Note: Wow, 3,500 words! I outdid myself. I was shooting for more than 1,000. I mean, I know I can take off when I get on a roll, but I never expected 3,500  words! So, yeah. There you have it. My story for the #PenYourPride campaign. What did you guys think of it? I know it's pretty cliche, but hey, who doesn't love some good cliche, cute, and sweet in their romance? Or maybe that's just me. Either way, please don't forget to vote and comment, I really enjoy hearing what you guys think! Also, how do you like the names? Chance's name was invented solely for the purpose of the title, I admit, but Asherah Canaday is one that I came up with on my own and I, personally speaking, absolutely adore. I've been naming a lot of my characters in new books that recently, or something similar to it. What do you guys think about that name? 

All my love,

Em