Zeke

Huddled under a pile of every single one of Olly's tree skirts, all Alicia and Zeke could do was wait. They had tried everything to open the cellar door—Zeke was sure he'd bruised something by throwing himself against it—but it was all to no avail. Worse, neither of their cellphones had reception, and Olly was nowhere near back.

They were truly stuck down here.

"How much longer is Olly going to be?" Zeke grumbled through his teeth, pulling the black faux-fur tree skirt tighter around his shoulders. "There are people waiting on us..."

"They're probably too busy with the scavenger hunt to notice we're even missing," Alicia said with a defeated shudder, pulling her own tree skirt closer. It was a deep green velvet with gold details, and if Zeke didn't know better, he would've thought it was a fashionable cape. "Or are you thinking of Nancy?"

Her words came out sharp, though they were undercut by the chatter of her teeth.

Zeke went stiff but said nothing, hoping she'd drop the topic if he didn't respond.

But, of course, she didn't.

"So," she began, giving him a sidelong glance, "are you back together with her?"

Zeke closed his eyes, wishing he was anywhere but here. "I don't know."

Alicia gave a scoff. "You don't know?"

"Forget about it," Zeke muttered. "Why does it matter to you, anyway?"

That seemed to shut her up. She shrank back, but her dark eyes still glowed like smoldering coal.

"I'm just surprised is all," she said, finally.

Zeke suppressed a sigh. He should've known that it wouldn't have kept her down for long. Nothing ever did.

"I mean, I overheard your call with her on the street. It didn't sound good. After that, I didn't think you'd get back together so easily—"

"We're not back together."

"You're not?" Alicia asked. Maybe it was the twinkle lights overhead, but her dark eyes brightened.

"It's complicated," he said quickly, hoping to finally put a pin in it.

"Complicated how?"

Zeke fought another sigh. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Then what do you want to talk about?" Alicia asked. "Or would you prefer to sit here and freeze in silence?"

Zeke just looked at her. She raised an eyebrow as if to challenge him.

He gritted his teeth. His mind was mixed up as it was. He didn't need another voice chiming in...

Or maybe he did.

Maybe an outside perspective was exactly what he needed. Despite their differences, he knew Alicia was earnest, if perhaps a little blunt. Maybe that was what he needed. Maybe someone blunt was the exact person to help him sort through all his tangled thoughts.

Somehow, Alicia seemed to read his expression as easily as a book because she settled back, expectant. "Well? What happened? She couldn't have just turned up out of nowhere and—"

"She did, actually," Zeke admitted. "We were supposed to come to Winter Grove together, so she already knew the hotel I'd booked. When I kept avoiding her calls, she showed up in my room, so I had no choice but to let her stay the night."

Alicia's mouth dropped open. "You let her stay the night?"

"Not like that," Zeke said as he took in her horrified expression. "It was late, the hotel was fully booked, and I couldn't exactly throw her out onto the streets in the cold... Don't worry, though, I'm not an idiot. I took the couch."

"Oh," was all Alicia said, though she seemed to relax. "But if you're not together, why did she call herself your girlfriend?"

"Because she wants to get back together. That's why she came here."

Alicia tensed right up again. "And do you want to get back together?"

Zeke hung his head, running his hands through his hair. This was precisely what had been torturing him this whole time.

"I... I don't know. We haven't had a real chance to talk about what happened between us and our break up and I... I just don't know."

"Why did you break up?" Alicia prodded, her voice softening. "Celeste said something about it being... bad."

"I don't even know anymore," Zeke said, balling up his fists in his hair.

Alicia gave a gentle laugh, but it wasn't mocking. "You must have some idea..."

Zeke stayed quiet for a moment before gulping down a deep breath. The cold air stung at his throat, as sharp and painful as the memory he played over in his mind. "I came home from a work trip and found her in the arms of my company's co-founder, Evan."

Alicia gasped. "You caught her cheating, and you're still debating if you want to get back together with her?"

"Like I said, it's more complicated than that," Zeke said.

Alicia closed her mouth, but the smolder was back in her eyes, bright and dangerous as before. She looked like she wanted to burn something—or someone—but she kept her mouth shut to allow him to explain.

"When I saw them like that, I... I didn't say anything. I didn't give her a chance to explain. I took off and I've been avoiding her ever since. Which is why she came all the way to Winter Grove to find me. She wanted to tell me that I didn't understand what I saw."

"Which was?"

"That night, Evan came by to our place unannounced, saying that he needed to tell her something. He had been drinking and he confessed to having feelings for her. She tried to turn him down but he attempted to kiss and she didn't know what to do... And that's when I walked in. She claims it was just bad timing and there is nothing between them."

But even saying all that aloud, he could hear the doubt in his own voice.

Alicia heard it, too. "Do... Do you believe her?"

"I... I don't know. I was so sure of what I saw that night, but now, when I try to remember what happened, it's all a blur. It happened so fast. And then Evan was so quick to agree to the buy-out—and a generous one at that—that I was sure it was because he was guilty. But maybe his guilt was for a different reason, or... God, I don't know." He raked his fingers through his hair again. "Ugh. This is why I'm so confused, why it's all so complicated."

Alicia was quiet for a moment. "Maybe all that doesn't matter."

Zeke looked up. "Huh?"

Her expression had softened, her dark eyes cooling to a gentle warmth. She gave him a small smile. It almost looked sad...

"Whatever the truth is, what really matters is how you feel about her. Do you want to make it work? Do you want to be with Nancy?"

Zeke sat there, blinking. In all that had happened, he had never considered that simple question. Regardless of what he thought he saw, what she said, his job, or his plans...

Did he want to be with Nancy?

Their relationship hadn't been perfect. There had been rocky times. But they'd been together for so long that he thought that's how it'd always be. But now that everything had changed, it was hard to picture himself returning to his old life with her. It hadn't even been a month, but he didn't feel like the same person anymore...

"I... I don't know what I want."

"Well, whatever it is you want," Alicia said, her smile widening. "What you deserve is only the best kind of person."

Despite the icy cellar air, warmth shot through Zeke. "I... I do?"

Alicia nodded. "Of course. And if Nancy is that person, then—"

A creak echoed through the building.

She froze, and then her eyes flashed upwards to the ceiling.

Another creak. It was hard to tell, but it almost sounded like...

Footsteps!

"Olly? Olly! We're down here!" Alicia cried. She leaped to her feet, the tree skirts going everywhere, and ran to the foot of the stairs.

"Olly!" Alicia tried again, but she was met with only silence. "Help us!"

But there was no response other than the continued creaking of the building. Alicia's shoulders sank in defeat.

"Guess it's just the place settling," she said, and a violent shiver shook through her. She wrapped her arms around herself. "God, it's cold."

"Get back under the skirts before you freeze," Zeke said.

Alicia hurried over and flopped down beside him. She was shaking now, her teeth chattering...

Zeke swung his arm out, pulling back the faux-fur tree skirt around his shoulders. "Come here."

Alicia turned to him, her eyes going wide. "Huh? Why?"

"Don't be like that," he said, taking her shoulder and pulling her close. "You need all the warmth you can get.

She didn't fight him. She shimmied over, getting close... As soon as she felt his warmth, she burrowed deeper, pressing herself to him, almost greedy for it. It was hard to see under the twinkling lights, but he thought he saw her cheeks darken a little.

Once she was settled in, she looked up at him. She stopped shivering, and a small smile played on her perfect lips. "Thanks."

Zeke's heart began to beat a little faster, and suddenly, the chill was chased back from his skin.

"A-Anytime," he muttered. He paused briefly before blurting, "Did you really mean what you said?"

"About what?" Alicia asked, her dark eyes still fixed on him.

"About me deserving... the best kind of person?"

"Of course," she said, leaning her head against his chest. "Though we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, even I can see you're a good person, Zeke. Maybe sometimes a little misguided, or a bit of a jerk—" she laughed under her breath, "—but your heart is in the right place."

She smiled again. The lights above reflecting in her dark eyes made him think of snow falling across a clear night sky. At that moment, with her pressed against him as he stared into those deep, bottomless eyes, the world seemed to fall away...

She stared back. Her smile faltered, and her thick lashes fluttered as she seemed to truly see him for the first time. A deep warmth spread through him, and he found himself leaning forward... And if he didn't know better, she might've been leaning toward him, too—

Above, the door was thrown open, and Olly's voice echoed down the stairs.

"Alicia? Are you still down here?"

Alicia nearly fell over as she scrambled out from under Zeke's arm.

"We are! We're here!"

"I thought I heard something!" Olly asked, rushing down the stairs. "Why are you still here?"

"The door got stuck again!" Alicia sputtered, already on her feet and adjusting the hem of her sweater dress.

Zeke stayed where he was under the mound of tree skirts. His mind was reeling.

What just happened?

"I thought I told you to prop open the door!" Olly said, looking between the two of them.

"We did!" Alicia argued. "But it must've slid out or something, and it closed behind us."

Olly was studying Zeke now, who was still sitting on the floor. "Well, you better get going if you intend to finish the Scavenger Hunt. They're almost done out there."

"R-Right," Zeke said, finally getting to his feet. He felt like he was in a trance, as though he'd just woken from a dream. A sweet dream...

Alicia shot him one last glance before she hurried to collect the Santa sack and follow Olly back up the stairs. Zeke staggered after them, still in a daze.

Had he...

Had he almost kissed Alicia?

He swallowed hard and rubbed at his face.

Now, he was more confused than ever.

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