The Big Five

24. Happy Holidays

"I guess the date's ruined then," he stated.

Being the people pleaser I was, I smiled and said, "No! Not at all. It was actually quite fun. I'd much rather watch TV in the house than go out in the freezing snow."

Alex smiled. "That's good."

We watched some adorable kid shows for a while and talked about the times when we were kids. By the time it was time to go, the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach was gone.

"Thanks, Alex," I said when we reached our house. "Today was fun."

"Yeah," he grinned. "Sweet dreams."

I laughed. "I hope so. Oh, yeah. Just a second. I'll be right out."

I ran inside and found the bunny in the living room. I put a blanket over the cage and brought it out.

"I don't know if you'll like her, but here," I handed him the cage.

He took it, looking confused.

"Merry Christmas, Alex," I said.

He looked under the blanket and smiled when he saw the bunny.

"She's adorable," he said. "Thanks."

I blushed. "It's nothing. Take good care of her, alright?"

"I will," he smiled. "Come with me to the car. You should say goodbye to her." He pointed at the cage.

I nodded. Once she was safely in the front seat, I pulled the blanket over so that one side was exposed. I gently opened the door and put my hand in.

"Goodbye, little guy," I said. "I'll miss you." She licked my hand and I laughed. She was so cute. I closed the small door and replaced the blanket.

I closed the car door and when I turned around, Alex was standing right in front of me. I felt my heart skip a beat. Ugh. Watching The Walking Dead was really getting to me.

"Alex!" I said. "Didn't see you there." I laughed.

"Hey, Nicole?" He said.

"Uh, y-yeah?" Idiot! Why was I stuttering?

He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and caressed my cheek. I felt my heart beat faster. What was happening? This felt like one of those cheesy rom com movies I watched with Maggie and Emma.

I gulped. Was I about to get my first kiss? Was I ready for it? Do I push him away?

He adjusted my hat and left his hands on either side of my head, covering my ears. I felt my mouth go dry. This was worse than a horror movie! Holy cheesecakes! Was I going to do this?

"A-Alex?" I stammered.

"Shh," he hushed me gently. His eyes briefly flickered to my lips before they met mine. He leaned in. I gulped. What do I do? Do I lean in as well or do I just stay still? My hands. What do I do with my hands? Oh, why was this so complicated? The movies always made kissing look so romantic and easy. The gap was getting smaller. I didn't know what to do.

Boom! Both Alex and I jumped back. I peeked over from Alex's car and saw our front door slam against the wall. Trey came stomping out. What was he doing here?

"Trey?" I said when he reached the car.

"Nicole Amelia Peterson!" He shouted. "What do you think you're doing out here at this time of night?"

I blushed when I thought of what was about to happen.

"N-nothing," I said.

"Nothing? Nothing?!" He exclaimed. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you? It's almost midnight!"