Kaleidoscope Christmas

Christmas Eve has never been so depressing , Emma thought looking around her dorm room, gaze lingering on the empty bed highlighting the absence of her roommate owing to the holiday season. She sighed, Laurel was probably with her family at a Christmas party, wearing a new dress and smiling with luscious, glossed lips.

Emma sat on the green rug and buried her head in her hands. Loneliness wasn't by any means a novelty, but Emma had never quite gotten used to the amplified sense of solitude that seized her during the holidays.

Emma was, for all intents and purposes, an orphan. But, it wasn't a certified truth that her parents were dead.

When she was little, Emma would pretend they were the King and Queen of a kingdom and had left her for protection. She would pretend they would come for her when she turned 18.

Well, that ship has sailed. Considering she was looking at her 20th birthday in a few months, Emma would say little Emma was beyond cute.

Big Emma knew the truth. She was no Cinderella, and the only pumpkins she ever saw were at Halloween.

Drowsily, she dragged her numb butt into bed. In a moment, her eyes fluttered shut.

Emma squinted, sitting up in her narrow bed, the sheets tangled around her. She felt around for her phone in the dark and stared at the illuminated screen for a second.

1:00 AM.

"Christmas", she breathed. Saying a quick prayer, she stumbled out of bed and gargled some mouthwash, splashing her face with water after a glance in the mirror. Blotting her face with a towel, she brushed her hair and hastily swept it up in a messy bun.

As Coco Chanel said, you never know when you might have a date with destiny.

Plus, Emma's dorm was co ed, and there was a very cute RA that also happened to be around for the holidays. She planned to look pretty for that destiny.

As she strolled out of her bathroom, Emma's stomach gave an unattractive growl, reminding her of the reason for her dash. Food. She zipped up a grey hoodie over her pink cami and jeans, grabbed her purse and phone, locked her door and headed out.

In the hall, she was contemplating what she wanted to order when she bumped into someone. She watched in horror as her phone cascaded to the ground, only to be caught by a manly hand. She peered up at its owner, a tall, dark haired stranger.

" Great, our first couple!" She turned to the RA on duty, a skinny girl in glasses and fixed her with a stare. "What?" The girl smirked.

The stranger tapped her, and with a small, awkward chuckle, he pointed to the mistletoe above their heads.

Realization doused Emma as she stared at him, and to her surprise, she felt the tiniest bit of electricity crackle around them. He had intense eyes, and she found she couldn't look away.