Accidental Christmas Miracle

32.

Christi

I currently stood outside Miracle's room, about to knock on the door. Following Meg's and Jules' advice--although they were more like orders--I was going to ask the curly brunette to go to town with me.

For what, I have no clue. I was about to find out.
Raising my hand to knock, the door swung open on its own and a surprised Miracle just about ran into me as she was apparently on the way out already.

"Oh! Hi there." She greeted me. She looked like she was feeling much better now and I was glad to see that. I stepped back to let her out of her room and smiled.

"Hey. I was just coming to see if you wanted to go to town for..." I tried to come up with an excuse but probably just ended up looking like a fish on land, struggling for air.

She smiled. "You just want to get out of the house too?" Miracle asked, an understanding look on her face.. "It's okay. You don't have to come up with a reason to leave the house with me. I understand."

I grinned. "Yeah. Thanks."

"And to answer your question, sure. I'd love to."

My grin widened. "Great. I just gotta get shoes on and a coat. Wanna walk or just drive around?" I asked her as I went downstairs to grab my snow boots and coat.

"Could we walk? I kinda just need the cold air right now. You know, to cut through the noise of life." She told me as she followed me, her shoes and coat already on.

"Sure." I finished lacing my boots, slipped my coat on and followed her out the door. Before I shut the door, I saw Jules and Dot giving me thumbs-up, both grinning like cats who swallowed mice.

I rolled my eyes at them but quickly turned my focus towards Miracle.

"I was actually kinda going to see if you wanted to take a walk with me when I ran into you." She told me which made me smile.

"Well, great minds think alike." I said, earning a laugh from her. "So," I started saying something to break the silence that soon stretched between us but got shushed by her.

"Listen for a moment."

"To what?" I asked, confused.

"To nature. To winter and to Christmas." She replied poetically, falling silent again.

I sighed and tried to do what she told me but after a minute was done, I was no wiser. I raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed.

"Not to sound all...weird or anything but if you listen, you can hear the crunch of snow, the whisper of the wind between the trees and the rustle of the fabric of the blow-up front yard decorations."

I shrugged. "I guess. Why are you listening to all that?" I asked her. "Not trying to sound all jugde-y or anything."

It was her turn to shrug. "I don't know. It breaks the silence in a natural way. Plus, I don't think that 'judge-y' is a word."

"Is that your kind way of saying that I talk too much? Plus, I said it, therefore making it a word." I replied.

She chuckled. "No, but you do talk a lot. Not that that's a bad thing." She added the last part quickly.

I laughed. "Yeah, I've been told by my whole family that I talk too much. And by Jules. And by — I think you get it. I talk a lot. Like right now. You know, you can tell me to shut up anytime that I'm talking too much." I told her.

She grinned. "Thanks for the permission. I feel so honored." She joked.

I grinned back. "You should. You're like the only person that can tell me that." My cheeks warmed up after I said that for an unknown reason. Probably the coldness of outside, cause that makes sense, right?

She smirked. "Are you blushing?" She asked me.

"No. It's just the—um—coldness of the outside that is making my cheeks pink." I said quickly.

Her smirk turned into a big grin. "You're blushing! You're blushing!" She teased me, hopping around a bit in excitement or something as she said this.

Suddenly, her eyes widened and she started to fall, immediately trying to keep herself from slipping on the ice.

Instinctively, I grabbed one of her flailing arms and pulled her into me, keeping her from falling and away from the small ice patch.

"You didn't say you wanted to go ice skating." I joked as I looked down at her.

She didn't say anything, just giving me a look which suddenly made me self-conscious causing me to realize the small amount of distance between us.

Her warm breath puffed out in a cloud of vapor in front of me and she kept giving me that same look, her eyes flickering from my eyes.

My cheeks heated up.

Oh shit, am I making her uncomfortable? Was I still holding her? Why was I still holding her? Have I been holding her for too long? Does she think I'm weird now?

Wait, why would she think I'm weird? Am I weird?

My panicked thoughts in my head were cut off when she kissed me. They were scrambled around, upside down, and backwards but by the time I got everything straightened out, she was pulling away, leaving the ghost of her lips on mine.

Her whole face was pink from bashfulness but it was adorable.

"Uh, sorry 'bout that. I've kinda been wanting to do that for a while and I know it was totally random and if you don't feel the same way, that's totally fine-" She rambled, quickly getting more than a bit flustered over the whole thing and redder by the minute.

I cut her off by kissing her back

When I pulled away, she grinned, her whole face lighting up. "Well, that settles that."

I laughed, blushing still. "Yeah. I guess so." I turned back towards where we had come and tilted my head in that direction. "Suppose we should head back now. Wouldn't want anyone to think that we were kidnapped or something."

She nodded and then bit her lip, glancing down, looking like she was debating something.

I raised my eyebrow at her. "Penny for your thoughts?" I asked.

She looked at me shyly. "I was wondering if--well--if I could maybe hold your hand?" Her cheeks turned pinker than they were before. "I mean, you don't have to let me. I just thought--well, I was wondering-"

I stopped her rambling by grabbing her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. "You don't have to ask." I told her.

"Okay." She blushed. "Should we head back now?" She asked me, almost shyly.

I nodded. "Probably." An idea sparked in my mind which made me grin and swing the hand that was holding hers. "And then we can get hot cocoa!" I cheered.

Miracle laughed. "You're kinda adorable."

"Just kinda?" I teased.

That made her laugh more. "Eh. Don't push it."

I grinned. "But you know who's more adorable?" I asked her.

"Who?" She asked, peering curiously at me.

"You."

Her blush darkened. "Oh, stop it." She whined.

I grinned. I'm glad I had her and that she liked me too.

Even if it sounds slightly elementary to be excited that someone I liked, liked me back, I don't care.

I was just happy.