Tis the Season

Grace wrapped her hands tightly around her wool satchel. Brooklyn walked beside her, a large smile on her face. Both girls had knit hats on top of their heads and adorned the matching scarves they had picked out the week before.

The girls walked quickly down the sidewalk, hoping to get back to Grace and Louis’s flat before their extremities fell off. It was a few blocks ahead and Grace could already feel her toes beginning to curl.

Next to her, Brooklyn pulled her mitten covered hands to her face, blowing her warm breath into them. Her breath came out in a heap of fog, which quickly dissipated.

“Tell Lou to pick us up,” Brooklyn said, as she quickened her pace.

Laughing, Grace turned to her. “We’re two blocks away.”

“Two cold blocks away,” Brooklyn rolled her eyes. “He’d do it. You know he would.”

Brooklyn was right. Louis would do anything Grace asked him to. He’d leave work early to drive her home when she was blocks away from her flat. He’d spend hours cleaning up when she’d had a long day. He’d run a marathon if it meant she’d be at the finish line. Louis was that way, but he was only that way for Grace.

When the two girls reached Grace and Louis’s building, their fingers were well past numb and their cheeks were two shades darker than red. They climbed the flight of stairs, up to second floor, and arrived at the cozy flat.

Tossing their shopping bags to the ground, Grace and Brooklyn pulled off their coats and head straight for the kitchen, where a pot of coffee was waiting to be heated up. The pot began to steam the moment Grace hit the power button, and she silently thank Louis for thinking of her before he left for work.

After the coffee had been boiled to a reasonable temperature, Grace poured a cup for her and Brooklyn. Both girls wrapped their hands around the warm mugs, pulling the liquid to their lips.

Brooklyn gave a deep sigh at her first drink and smiled at Grace. The girl was a sucker for a good cup of Joe.

“So, you and Niall, you’re hitting it off, yeah?” Grace smiled at her friend, raising her eyebrows in the way that she did when she was trying to be suggestive.

Rolling her eyes, Brooklyn let out a small laugh. “I guess you could call it that. We’re meeting up when he gets back to London.”

“I can see it now,” Grace said, holding her arms out in front of her. “You in a beautiful gown. You’re walking down the aisle. Doves are flying overhead. Lou is playing piano in the background. Or will he be the best man? Are you allowed to pick the best man?”

“Lou would obviously have to walk with you. Niall wouldn’t have any choice.” Shaking her head, Brooklyn pushed the thought out of her mind. “You tricked me! We’re not getting married, Grace. We’ve only just begun seeing each other.”

With a laugh, Grace took another sip of her coffee. She always thought about Brooklyn’s wedding. About the two of them planning it together, and going to cake tastings. She’d take the brunt of the work, just so Brooklyn would be able to enjoy the day stress free, and she knew the brunette would do the same for her.

“You’re going to get married one day and it is going to be the best day of my life,” Grace said, faking an overdramatic swoon.

Shaking her head, Brooklyn laughed. “My wedding is going to be the best day of your life? There’s something wrong with you, Gee. Lou will make your wedding perfect.”

Pulling her cup to her lips, Grace nodded. Brooklyn was right, of course. There was no way Louis would let their wedding day be anything short of spectacular. He would fly to the moon and back if it meant their ceremony would have just the right amount of pizazz.

It would be magical. It would be brilliant. It would be everything good and right in the world.
When it finally happened, it would be all those things and more.



Louis’s hand wrapped around Grace’s, as he walked through one of London’s many parks, with his beautiful girlfriend at his side. She kept giggling and continuously asking him where they were going. Every time he refused to answer, she would place her fingers against his side and lightly tickle him.

“How about you just close your eyes?” Louis placed his free hand over her face, and she placed hers on top of his.

With both their hands blocking her view, Grace had no idea where they were headed. She stumbled a few times, and Louis let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her waist. Louis’s arm steadied her, and she was able to make her way safely across the park.

Louis stopped at the gate, removing his hand from Grace’s waist to open. When the two stepped through the gate, Louis told Grace she could look again.

Grace’s eyes fluttered open, to find a brightly lit skating rink in front of her. Christmas lights hung from the fence and every inch of the rink. A large tree stood in the ice’s center, and people skated around it. Her gaze turned to Louis, and she was met with his large smile.

“It’s perfect, Lou.” Grace stood on her tiptoes, so she was eye to eye with Louis. Her lips met his in a soft kiss, before she wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled his arms to her waist and squeezed her tightly. The sweet smell of her hair filled his nose, forcing him to take another deep breath.

When she pulled away from him, her smile was even larger than it was before. He took a moment to admire her bright face before speaking.

“I know you’ve never skated,” Louis said, wrapping his hand around hers. “So, I figured better late than never.”

Nodding her head, Grace followed Louis to the stand in the corner. The girl behind the desk passed them their skates, while Louis passed her a few loose bills.

Louis guided Grace to a free bench, and helped her pull the tight skates onto her feet. With her pants tucked into the skates, they were a perfect fit. Louis slipped his on quickly, while Grace sat beside him, kicking her feet back and forth.

When they both had their skates securely on, Louis stood up from the bench. It only took him a moment to gain his balance, even though it had been years since he had skated.

Below him, Grace smiled, as she watched him wobble a few times, before getting his feet placed firmly on the ground. He held his hand out to her, and she used it to help balance herself.

To say Grace was shaky would be an understatement. Her knees kept buckling beneath her, but every time she almost fell, Louis would catch her. She chuckled each time, holding onto his arm tightly, before trying to walk again.

By the time they made it to the ice, Grace had nearly fallen at least half a dozen times. A small part of Louis was happy she had no clue what she was doing. Every time she would pull herself more tightly to him, his stomach would flip.

Grace moved one hand to the fence surrounding the ice, and used it to help herself balance. Her other hand was still firmly attached Louis, while his arm was wrapped around her waist.

When the two made it onto the ice, Grace had a much better grasp of what she was doing. Even though she was still more wobbly than a newborn calf, she was able to use Louis’s arm to help keep herself upright, and the two managed to make it halfway around the rink before her constant pulling caused Louis to drop to the floor.

Grace laughed as he fell, nearly causing her to stumble as well. From the ice, Louis looked up at her, a small glare on his face. When she reached her hand out to him, he thought about pulling her down, but decided she looked to cute to be covered in ice.

After he stood up, Louis wrapped his arm back around Grace’s waist, and she held herself tightly to him. His free hand moved to his pocket, rubbing against the small black box. Every time she giggled, it gave him a little more courage. Her smile was so big and her eyes were so bright, that he was sure this would be the perfect time to ask her to spend the rest of her life with him.

His hand dug into his pocket, wrapping around the small box. Just as he was about to bring it out, the couple skating next to them stopped in their tracks. The man dropped to one knee, and held onto his girlfriend’s hand.

Her face lit up as he spoke, and the entire rink turned to watch them. The girl jumped into his arms and the two fell to the ice, with smiles covering their faces.

Grace turned to Louis, grinning wildly. “That was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Laughing, Louis took his empty hand from his pocket. “It was.”

Louis wrapped his arm tighter around Grace’s waist, in an attempt to stop himself from being too disappointed. It was supposed to be him and Grace’s perfect moment. It was supposed to be Louis’s girlfriend smiling. That was supposed to be Louis’s kiss and his hug. They were supposed to be the ones rolling around on the ice, as people clapped around them.

Louis knew he would get a second chance. There would be thousands of nights he could make his promise to Grace. But Louis wasn’t certain if there would ever be a moment more perfect than this, to propose to the only girl he had ever loved.