Must be Santa (COMPLETED)

44

Two weeks have passed since Drew dropped Wynter back on earth for good.

Wynter

"Well I did it! I took your advice and..." my words falter.

"And?" Lori stares at me from across her office filled with books and posters; she was impatient to hear my update. I booked an emergency session to update her on all that had happened in the past two weeks at the North Pole.

"It was a disaster!" I sighed, burying my head into the cushions of the couch.

"How so?" Lori sat up a little straighter, encouraging me to expand.

"I rode on a reindeer.
Had my first kiss under a mistletoe.
Hot chocolate near the fire.
Tasted a deer claw and—"

"Deer klaw?" Lori interrupted, "what is deer claw!" She squinted, her curiosity now peaked.

"Lori!"

"Right right. Continue" she jots a few notes down, probably a personal note to Google the treat later.

"Then I was taken....Kidnapped by Jack Frost. He is Nick's rival and super obsessed with me"

"Two men fighting for your affections? We'll call me a roasted chestnut!"

"Anyway, Nick and Drew, Nick's younger brother saved me. Everything turned out horribly! His dad hates me, his mother loathes me... and I....well. I am in love with him Lori" I blurted, finally getting to the point of our meeting.

"Wynter Rider? In love?" She snatched off her glasses before closing the clasp of her notebook.

"Yes. In love.We shared a new level of trust and we slept together. Twice. And
—Lori don't look at me lie that."

She tried to fix her face but it was still stuck in shock. She couldn't believe her ears. I was Wynter Rider. The woman who cursed men for an eternity, who spat in their very presence.

"It wasn't a quickie or a one night stand. It was intimate and...and ..."

"You shared emotional connection with Nick. An intimate bond that transcended time. There was nothing weird about it. Just pure love. I'm assuming it was love on his side too?"

"No...It was all pretend. He asked me to be his fiancé. He had to keep his title but needed a fiancé to prove to the council that he was serious about his job. Although we were pretending....I developed feelings for him"

"You said Nick was pretending... but were you?"

"At fist? Yes. I just thought I would do him a favor since he did one for me. It was only two weeks? I thought to myself "what could happen?" But after our snowfights, kisses under the mistletoe and our first night in the cabin. I realized that I was falling in love with Nick.
I am in love with Nick Claus"

Lori meets my gaze and smiles, clapping excitedly. "I never thought this day would come! So what now? Do we get a happily ever after?"

"I told him goodbye and that I never wanted to see him again."

"Now why in the world would you do that!"Lori stood from the chair, grabbing her DSM-5 book. She was about to diagnose me on the basis of delusion.

"He is older than me. Way older."

"Age is nothing but a number."

"He's 2,500 years older Lori"

"So he's a silver fox? Big deal" Lori sighs.

"And he said I was just some dumb human with a cold heart."

"Did Nick say it to you? Or did you overhear him?"

I thought back to the night of the baquet. Nick was taking to Drew when I overheard him.
"I overheard..."

"Did you ever ask him to clarify what he meant by his words?" Lori dropped the book to the table.

"Well...no. But l he still shouldn't have said it!" I defended, crossing my arms over my chest. His words had really hurt me and I would stand by that fact.

"From the stories you've told me, it seems like Nick is not one to take orders from anyone, even his father. He says what's on his mind and isn't scared of offending anyone. Maybe he spoke out of character? I mean...wouldn't you think he would say it to your face if he meant it?"

"I don't know. I guess." I shrugged, wiping away the tears I didn't know were falling. "It's weird Lori. I used to be scared of growing old with someone. Being tied down forever with the same human, but I can't imagine my future without anyone but Nick"

"Oh Wynter! This is amazing! Imagine all this happened cause I told you to light a Christmas candle and go to the North Pole!" Lori clapped excitedly. She opened her notebook once again and started scribbling.

"So what now. You're gonna summon him this Christmas to tell him about your feelings! It's May. You still got time. Maybe recreate another intimate fireplace scene." Lori giggled girlishly. 

"Well...Nick never told me he loved me"

"Well? Did you ever ask?" She said.

"In all honesty...I was too scared of the outcome"

"Wynter, have you seen yourself lately? Look at the blush in your cheeks. The pep in your step! Only a man in love puts it in a woman"

I blushed, thinking of Lorie's rods before my phone buzzed. I fish for it out of my pocket before brightening the screen. "Shoot! It's Lizabeth.
I have to go Lori!"
I stood from the couch running to the door. Today was the final day for finalizing the Christmas palette locations.

"We're not finished yet! I have homework for you!!" Lori yells after me.

"Can you email it to me? I'm late! Thanks Lori you're the best!"

———