➶｡˚ part three of the RACING HEARTS series
Holly Lee is a Christmas lover. She adores everything about it. The twinkling lights making her heart beat with excitement. The beautiful time spent with her loved ones. The crunchy, sparkling sn...
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"This is getting out of hand, Holly," Max loudly sighed. "What's your full name, by the way?"
"Holly Everly Lee," Holly chuckled.
"Fine. Holly Everly Lee, you've been a pain in the ass this whole day," Max grumbled, shifting his gaze downward to the ice and his borrowed skates.
Had she convinced him to go skating?
Yes.
How had she managed to do that?
Max had no clue.
"Oh, we still have a few hours together, Max. You haven't seen the best of me," Holly chuckled, gliding toward the boards. "Come on!"
She watched Max struggle with his balance, and she couldn't help but burst into laughter. He was trying his best not to smash his face against the icy, cold surface. When his loud curse words (no, he didn't care that small children gasped in shock) drew the attention of people, Holly decided it was time to step in and help him.
"You really suck at this," Holly chuckled, gracefully skating toward Max with her arms outstretched. "Grab onto my hands."
"Oh, really? I haven't noticed," Max grumbled sarcastically, and almost instinctively, he grasped Holly's hands. As Holly effortlessly skated backward with Max, he shook his head in disbelief. "How the hell are you so good at this?"
"My dad taught me," she responded with a smile, and when she reached the boards behind her, Max tumbled onto her.
"Oh, sorry," Max exclaimed as he struggled to stand on his own. With a gentle push from Holly, their faces ended up just a few inches apart. "Are you okay?"
Max hadn't even noticed that Holly's eyes looked like a cup of hot chocolate. Her skin was flawless as porcelain, and her cheeks were rosy from the chilly air. Max could smell her scent—it was vanilla and cinnamon. She smelled like... Christmas.
"I'm okay. Thanks," Holly nodded. Her voice snapped Max out of his thoughts, and he slowly made his way to lean against the boards.
Trying to forget about the way he had stared at her (and to push aside the smell still lingering in his nose), Max let out a cough. "So, your dad taught you this?"
"Yes, he was quite patient with me," Holly leaned against the boards as she observed people skating and laughing.
"Lucky you," Max remarked, and Holly saw the way Max's jaw tightened a little.
"Your dad wasn't patient with you?"
"Trust me, my dad is the opposite," Max shook his head with a sigh. "I couldn't even place the star on top of the tree because he thought I was taking too long, even though I literally had to climb up a ladder."
Holly widened her eyes in shock. She didn't hear anger in Max's voice or frustration—perhaps just a hint of sadness. And he had every right to feel like that. Who the hell would do something like this to a kid?
Perhaps, deep down, that's why Max hated Christmas.
"Well, you know what? He sucks," Holly shrugged her shoulders, and Max chuckled a little.
"He does, yeah. But he helped me in so many ways, especially in my career," Max sighed a little, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I get that. But you don't need to feel bad for being angry at him for this. You need to set your boundaries with him," Holly explained, tilting her head to see Max's face.
"You're right," Max's mouth curled into a smile. "Hey, do you..."
Before he could ask Holly anything, a loud ringtone interrupted the moment.
"Sorry," Holly grinned as she pulled her phone from the pocket of her jacket.
Mom.
Finally! She was definitely calling Holly that they had landed in Copenhagen and that they would wait for their connecting flight, expecting to arrive in three hours.
Unless...
The Christmas miracle had different plans.
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i'm SO enjoying this festive short story. another chapter is coming tomorrow <3
