The bonfire had been burning in the front yard of the fraternity for over an hour before Melanie finally appeared wearing a green Christmas sweater and a pair of apple red heels. A sense of relief washed over me when I saw her approach, almost like I'd been holding my breath until she showed up. And, in some ways, I had been. Finals started on Monday, and in a little over a week, I'd be back in Massachusetts until the new semester started in January. On the one hand, I was looking forward to the break, but I also knew that tonight would probably be the last time I saw Melanie in just under a month.

Sophie hopped up from the bench where she and Parker had been huddled to greet her friend, yanking off the Santa hat that she wore and placing it on Melanie's head before she could protest.

"It looks so cute on you," I heard Sophie say while hugging Melanie with her sinewy arms.

"Don't you want to wear it?" Melanie asked as Sophie let go, tenderly touching the giant pom-pom ball that hung off the hat's end.

"It doesn't really fit me," Sophie admitted. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but my forehead's the size of Alaska."

Melanie laughed, obviously unsure of what to say. As I watched her make the rounds and say hello to the people she knew outside, I felt myself growing both self-conscious and excited that she'd eventually have to greet me, too. Her gaze didn't drift my way once until she was finally standing in front of me with a nervous smile on her face.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey." Without thinking, I reached up and smoothed my hair down. "You came."

"Uh-oh. You sound surprised." Melanie tilted her head. "Should I leave?"

"No, no," I said quickly. "I just—I wasn't sure you'd make it, that's all."

"Well, you invited me."

She looked down at her shoes. I cleared my throat. "So, how've you been?" I asked.

"Fine, I guess." She shrugged. "How about you? You look better than you did the other day."

"Yeah, I, uh, feel a lot better, too. Thanks again for the crackers and everything."

"Any time." We lapsed into an awkward silence and Melanie touched one of the curls that framed her face. "Oh, did Parker tell you my thesis proposal got approved?"

"No, he didn't, but that's awesome. Congratulations."

The glow from the fire highlighted the pride that spread across her face. "Thank you."

With her hazel eyes trained on me again, I tugged at my collar; whoever thought wearing sweaters in the middle of an LA winter was a good idea must have been a sadist. Melanie adjusted her hat and then asked, "Are you ready for your kinesiology final?"

"I think so," I replied. "I've been studying a lot more than usual for it, so hopefully I'll be alright."

"You will be." Melanie's smile felt wholly reassuring. "I never really thought that you needed my help—well, at least not after our first few sessions."

"I wouldn't have made it through the semester if it hadn't been for you." I swallowed as I held her gaze. The next words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Sophie's right. That hat does look cute on you."

She blinked and someone slapped me on the back before I could say anything else to embarrass myself. "Hey," Parker said, and Melanie's attention drifted over to him. "Can you mix the next batch of drinks?"

"Who? Me?" I asked. Parker rolled his eyes.

"No, Melanie. Figured she should do some work since she's here."

I glanced at Melanie and wondered if Parker had chosen this moment just to be cruel. "Can't you ask a pledge?" I muttered, not caring if she heard me.

Parker shook his head. "You know the rules: no mandatory pledge tasks during the last week before finals. In case you haven't noticed, none of our elves are here because they're all busy trying not to fail out."

I sighed. Considering how many other people were standing around, I had a hunch that he'd asked me because he wanted to talk to Melanie out of my earshot. "I'll come find you later," I said to Melanie before shoving my hands into my pockets and heading inside. Sure enough, although I couldn't make out what they were saying, I heard Parker whisper something to her once my back was turned.

Although his timing was awful, I actually didn't mind mixing the holiday-themed drinks, in large part because Michael had introduced them to the house when he was pledging. Most of the recipes had come from our family, though they'd obviously been tweaked to serve a mass of college students rather than our aunts and uncles at Christmas dinner. I took stock of the available mixers when I opened the kitchen's refrigerator door and decided on making a batch of spiced peppermint eggnog.

As I poured the rum into the punch bowl, I heard the kitchen door open and close behind me with a soft click. "I'll be done in a minute," I said without looking over my shoulder, assuming that Parker had come to help me carry the giant vat to the bar.

There was no response other than the sound of heels against tiles and I felt my breath catch in my throat when I guessed who'd walked in. I waited for her to say something as I set the bottle of rum down and twisted the cap off a jug of eggnog. My hand shook slightly while I picked up a spoon and stirred the pale liquid into the bowl. It felt like an eternity had passed before she finally broke the silence.

"Do you need any help?"

I set the spoon down on a paper towel and turned to face her, startled to see how close Melanie had been standing behind me. "That's alright," I said.

Melanie slid Sophie's hat from her head and placed it on the counter. She drummed her fingers against a worn cutting board. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Well," she said slowly, "do you mind if I hang out in here until you're done?"

"Damn. The party's that boring, huh?" I joked, opening the freezer and pulling out a container of peppermint ice cream. With the same spoon that I'd used to stir the eggnog, I scraped out five scoops and added them to the punch bowl, each one falling in with a gentle plop. "But, no, I don't mind."

"Thanks." Melanie leaned against the stove, watching while I returned the ice cream to the freezer shelf.

"What'd Parker want?" I asked, curious but doubtful that I'd get an answer.

As expected, she dodged the question. "Nothing really, just some gossip. So, have you opened your present yet?" she asked, and I shook my head. "Why not?"

"I wanted to save it for Christmas."

"Traditional."

"I like having something to look forward to."

We made small talk for a while, though I sensed there was something in particular that she wanted to ask me. I sensed that I knew what it was, but I also knew that it was only a matter of time before Parker came in to ask why I hadn't brought the drinks out yet. "So..." I began after a lull in our conversation, and Melanie tapped the toe of her shoe against the ground.

"I have a question."

Knew it. "Sure."

"Why did you and Gemma break up?" she asked in a single breath, addressing the polka-dotted elephant that had been in the room from the start.

I lifted a shoulder and let it fall again. Did she want me to be honest? Judging by the expectant expression on her face, I guessed the answer to that was yes. "I wanted something that she couldn't give me."

"Like what?"

"I can't really explain it." I hooked my thumbs through the belt loops on my jeans. "Just... Something else."

Melanie nodded. She took a step closer to me as she peered into the punch bowl. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," I replied. "But, anyway, got any fun plans for break?"

"Babysitting."

"Is that fun?"

"Is that a serious question?"

"I guess not, no."

Melanie gave me a funny look and the air in the room felt tense as she rolled up her sleeves. I waited for her to speak—to see what direction she'd take our conversation in next. To my surprise, she lifted a hand and placed it on my chest. "You know, I really like your sweater," she said, and I stared down at her fingers while they smoothed out the gingerbread men emblazoned on the knitted material. "It's cute."

"Thanks," I murmured. I placed my hand on top of hers. She stared up at me and I felt a little unbalanced. Did she want me to kiss her? I didn't think I couldn't handle being rejected again. "Hey, Melanie—"

Melanie pulled her hand away as the kitchen door swung open and when I met Sophie's eye, I wondered for the millionth time who I'd killed in a past life to deserve this much bad karma. I must have looked annoyed because when Sophie's gaze drifted between us, her eyebrows rose to reveal her understanding. "Oh, whoops," she said with an apologetic grin. "Parker sent me to ask if you were almost done."

I sighed. "It's ready when he is."

"Great." Sophie started to retreat into the hallway again and I watched with resignation as Melanie followed after her, grabbing Sophie's hat on her way out. I thought about calling out to Melanie and asking her to wait but I told myself there'd be other opportunities to talk to her before the party ended.

Or, at least that's what I'd thought.

In the time I'd known her—which admittedly wasn't all that long—I'd never thought of Melanie as someone who played games, and I knew that it still wasn't fair of me to accuse her of that. She was, however, scarily good at blowing me off, even after giving me enough signals to spark a flash of hope. Hope about what? I didn't know. What I did know was that she didn't owe me anything, even though I wished I had a way to make her meet my eye, to get her alone for a few minutes. Our exchange in the kitchen... There was so much tension between us just waiting to erupt, but it almost felt like I was imploding because of it. I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to know—no, I needed to know. I needed to know if I was completely wasting my time, or if all of the excited energy between us meant something to her, too. But no matter what I did, she made a point of avoiding my gaze. If I joined a conversation that she was part of, she'd find an excuse to dash off before I could get two words in. It was like a game of cat and mouse, and I was losing. Badly.

By the time the party began winding down, the eggnog was gone, I was nursing a bottle of two-dollar wine, and the depressing realization that maybe I'd gotten the signs wrong again settled in my stomach like a thousand pound weight. Hell, maybe she just liked screwing with me. Michael had always said that I had a knack for chasing girls who made me miserable, and after Gemma, it was hard to argue that he wasn't right. Still, I forced myself from the corner that I'd been sulking in to look for her one last time. What I found sent my mood into a tailspin as I watched Andy twirl Melanie in circles around the dancefloor in some kind of faux-waltz. They were laughing and I scowled. I still hadn't completely forgiven him for the cookie incident, and it was easier to be pissed at him than at her.

Frustrated, I slipped away from the main area and made my way to the back stairwell that led up to the roof. I took the stairs two at a time, hoping that the lawn chairs we'd set out up there hadn't been taken down. When I reached the door that opened to our house's rooftop, I paused to take in the sight of the Los Angeles skyline. The lights made up for the fact you could never see any stars at night—almost like the sky and the ground had switched places. The view from where I stood was one of the reasons why we'd once held parties on our roof, but those days had ended after we were put on probation the year before. Now we did everything by the book—typical for Parker, foreign to the rest of us.

The chairs were still arranged in the semi-circle that we'd left them in during August, and I sank down into one after brushing away the dust on the seat with my hand. I sneezed as I lifted my wine bottle to my mouth, though I didn't drink from it. I closed my eyes and listened to the wailing of an ambulance in the distance.

"Oh, wow."

I opened my eyes to see Melanie standing in the doorway that I'd just come through. There were only a few lights on the roof but they cast enough of a glow that I could make out the amazement on her face while she stared out at the horizon. I let my eyes flutter shut again when she said, "This is amazing."

"I'm confused. Are you following me, or ignoring me?" I asked, unable to keep a hint of bitterness from creeping into my tone.

"What?"

"Where's Andy?"

"No idea. I think he went to bed." I cracked an eyelid. Melanie stood with her arms folded over her chest. "I want to talk to you."

I snorted. "You could've fooled me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's single, you know," I said, trying to goad her into snapping at me. "Total stoner but pretty decent otherwise. You guys would make a cute couple." I motioned at my head. "Matching hair and all that."

She opened and closed her mouth. "Shut up."

"Why? I'm serious."

"So am I."

"Whatever," I muttered before taking a long swallow of chardonnay. The budget wine was surprisingly decent, or maybe I was just desperate.

"I don't get it. Did I do something?" When I didn't respond, she said, "Scott, why are you being—"

"What? What am I being, Mel?" I asked. She hesitated.

"Why are you being such a prick?" She bit down on her lower lip, turning back towards the door. "You know what, forget it. Never mind."

Dammit.

I set the wine bottle down on the ground and jumped to my feet. I caught her hand before she could disappear. "I'm sorry," I said earnestly, and her expression softened slightly. "I'm in a bad mood, that's why I came up here in the first place."

"Yeah, I got that." She looked down and I let go of her hand, prepared for her to run off. Instead, she tilted her head to the side. "But please don't tell me you're seriously jealous that I danced with Andy."

I started to offer her a standard denial but couldn't help think that this was what I'd wanted—a chance to get it all out in the open. Screw it, I thought, deciding to let the chips fall where they may. "A little. Maybe."

Melanie's mouth twitched slightly, though I couldn't tell if she was smiling or frowning. "That's why I wanted to talk to you—what I wanted to talk to you about, I mean."

I motioned for her to continue. "Go on."

"It's embarrassing," she mumbled into her sweater's sleeve, eyeing me over the green wool.

"And what I just said wasn't? I'm a walking embarrassment," I joked half-heartedly, but she didn't laugh. Probably because it wasn't funny.

"Parker invited me to stay at his house for New Year's Eve," she said in a rush, and all I could do was stare at her. That was news to me. "I thought about going, but..."

"You're not?" I asked. "Why?"

"I wasn't sure if it'd be awkward."

"To stay at his house? His parents are great, they love having guests."

"To go out with all of you," she clarified, her cheeks reddening. "It can be bad enough to be the third wheel around Parker and Sophie, and I know you and Gemma aren't a thing anymore, but I figured that you'd probably be going, too, and—"

"Wait, you're not going because of me?" She didn't deny it. My heart sank a little. I had to ask, even though I didn't really want the answer. "Because of what happened at my date dash?"

Had I freaked her out that badly?

"No, definitely not because of that." Melanie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. I couldn't help but notice that her curls had mostly fallen flat and I decided that I preferred her hair straight. "I wasn't sure if I'd be in the way, or if... you know, you'd be bringing someone along."

Confused, I furrowed my brows. "Like who?"

"I don't know. A girl?"

Now I was really lost. "I don't know any girls in Wellesley—or Boston, for that matter."

"Not even from high school?"

I scratched the back of my neck. "No, not really. None that I stayed in touch with, anyway. But why would you care—"

"Because I really like you."

It was like the heavens opened and angels had begun to sing. Suppressing a smile, I contained the urge to do backflips around the roof, largely because I had no idea how, but also because Melanie still seemed anxious.

"Why's that embarrassing?"

She shrugged.

"Come on, Melanie."

She covered her face with her hands for a moment and then let them drop to her sides. "It's embarrassing because I'm the least subtle person in the world and you've already known that for months."

"I mean, I didn't know..."

"Parker didn't tell you? Seriously?"

"Well—"

"Exactly."

"So what? How's it a big deal if I like you, too?"

"You're my best friend's best friend," she said matter-of-factly, as if that explained everything. And maybe it did, even if it wasn't immediately obvious to me. She licked her bottom lip. "Plus, I kind of feel like a homewrecker."

"You're not," I replied, wanting to give her a little shake when she still looked skeptical. "No, really, don't think that."

"But you were so in love with Gemma when I first met you." She rested her thumbnail between her teeth. "I can't help but feel like I got in the way of that, even if I didn't mean to."

I put my hands behind my head and looked up at the cloudy sky, filled with regret while I remembered all the times I'd unloaded my problems onto her. I wondered if my past obsession with Gemma would always hang between us, like an unwanted reminder of my stupidity. I took a deep breath before slowly admitting, "In a way, you did, but that's not a bad thing. I knew that I needed to move on. You just made it easier."

She looked a little hopeful now. "What's so great about me that I helped you achieve Mission Impossible?"

"Well, it doesn't hurt that you're one of the hottest girls I've ever met," I said, and Melanie's smile vanished.

"I see."

"I'm kidding. That was a joke—well, sort of. You are pretty, but you're also smart. Nice. I feel like I can talk to you, which is—it doesn't happen often. You don't go out of your way to make me feel like shit. I don't know, I guess you're just..." She looked at me as I finished quietly, "Something else."

Her eyes widened and, smiling from ear to ear, she quickly moved towards me with her hands outstretched. Before I could fully register what was happening, Melanie's arms were wrapped around my neck and she pressed her lips firmly against mine. My mind went blank as I stared down at her through crossed eyes. In hindsight, I should've known that she'd be the one to kiss me first, not the other way around.

But after all these months of imagining this moment, I had to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. I pulled back slightly to study her, but Melanie grabbed my face and dragged me back in. I didn't protest, and neither did she when my hands started to roam up and down her back, my fingers tracing patterns through the fabric of her sweater.

She shivered and I drew her closer, struggling with her for control. It was a greedy kiss—a needy kiss, the kind of kiss that only happens when both people have been waiting for it for a painfully long time. My lips felt like electric pulses were being sent through them each time they touched hers, and each jolt sent me further and further into orbit. All of my senses were heightened, almost dizzyingly so; I could hear her breathing, smell her body lotion, and taste her Chapstick all at once, but what I couldn't do was make any sense of my thoughts. The only thing I knew for sure was that this was the best Christmas party I had ever been to.

Although I would've happily continued to kiss Melanie on that rooftop until dawn, the feel of her hands beneath my shirt shocked me back to reality. It was warm outside but her fingers felt like ice cubes against my skin. I twisted out of her reach and missed the heat of her mouth as soon as I broke away. "Jesus," I exclaimed, "your hands are freezing."

Melanie's face was flushed and she gave me a small smile while she tickled my stomach above my waistband. I grabbed her hands and held them between mine to stop her. "Sorry," she said.

"Yeah, right." I bent down, resting my forehead against hers. She giggled and I kissed her again, gently nibbling her bottom lip.

"Will you walk me home?" she asked after I suggested that we go inside, and I nodded even though I didn't want her to leave.

"Of course."

Wine bottle forgotten and mood substantially improved, I led her downstairs with her hand still in mine, startled by how quiet the house had become while we were gone. Christmas tunes still played over the speakers but the volume had been reduced to what my mom would call a respectable level. We bumped into Parker on our way to the front door and he looked between us. "You're leaving?" he asked Melanie and she wrapped him in a one-armed hug.

"Have a good break," she said to him. "Tell Sophie I said bye."

"Will do." To me, Parker asked, "You're going with her, yeah?"

"Guess so."

He made a thoughtful noise and then slapped me on the back, just like he had hours before. This time, however, I caught a hint of triumph twinkling in his eyes. "See you later," he said, and with that I steered Melanie back into the night air.

The fifteen minute walk felt like it took forever, though I knew that was only because we stopped to kiss every few yards. It was almost as if—now that we'd started—we couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop. When we turned onto her street, Melanie invited me to come inside her apartment for the first time.

"We can watch a movie," she said, and—although the cheesy rom-com title that she suggested made me groan—I agreed, if only because it was an excuse not to say goodbye.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the update and many thanks for any and all votes and comments! I have some exciting news—I'll be participating in the Wattpad Summer Block Party this August! I'll be sure to let y'all know the date that I'll be featured in the upcoming weeks. :)