12 Days Of Christmas in Snow Bridge

Music blared from the car radio as Layla Brown sped down the road to the small town of Snow Bridge. She hadn’t been back to her hometown since her parents decided to up and move their whole family all the way across the country 6 years ago, and she couldn’t wait to see her grandparents again after so long. Needless to say, she never wanted to move in the first place, so as soon as she turned 21 and her parents “allowed” her to travel on her own as a graduation present, she gathered everything she had saved from her part-time at her parent’s restaurant in the last 2 years, and didn’t hesitate to book a flight to the closest city to Snow Bridge and rent a car to make it the rest of the way. She had a lot to figure out about her life. She had only gotten her associates degree from the local college to avoid having overly expensive fees while she figured out what she actually wanted to do with her life. She didn’t have a problem with school, she had always been good in all subjects. She just didn’t have a passion or a calling for anything in particular, so she had taken an assortment of different subjects in college. According to the advisor, she would “figure it out” as she explored the different courses, but that hadn’t happened. So for now, she was more than happy to just take a few weeks to enjoy her family and not think about the future. She could always take a semester off to figure things out and worry about it later. She had been driving for close to 2 hours nonstop before she saw the “Welcome to Snow Bridge” sign signaling she was only 10 minutes away from her home. She was about to step on the gas pedal to try and make it in 5, when she spotted the one and only gas station in town. She debated with herself on whether she should make the stop or not. She had more than half a tank, she would be fine to drive around town 10 times if she wanted to, but she also knew the weather was going to get a lot worse and it could potentially snow that night, so she decided to be prepared just in case she couldn't make it out there for the rest of the week. She had never driven in snow before, and she definitely wasn’t looking forward to it, so she would avoid it any way she could. She parked next to one of the gas pumps. There were only two gas pumps in the small station and only one diesel pump for the ranchers with more heavy-duty vehicles. It was nothing compared to the gas stations back in the city that had 20 pumps up front and another 10 in the back. She got out of the small, black sedan she had rented, with her credit card in hand, wanting to pay there and make it as quick as possible. She definitely didn’t have the right kind of clothes to be out in the freezing weather. She held the card up to the card reader on the pump with shaking hands, and only then did she notice the white piece of paper with “out of order, please pay inside” written on it, taped over the card reader's screen. “Ahhh, seriously?” she huffed exasperatedly as she pulled the sleeves of her hoodie over her already freezing fingers and the hood over her head to try to cover her ears. She slammed the door of the car and dashed for the gas station’s door, noticing a single car in the parking lot in front. It was a small, old, single cab, red pickup truck, which definitely looked like it had seen better days. She assumed the truck must belong to the person working there and couldn’t help but think that this is exactly how one of those serial killer movies her mom enjoyed watching would start. She was glad she had decided to rent a car. At least they would know exactly where she had been if she went missing. At least it was a clue. She rushed inside the store and was engulfed by the warmth of the store and the sweet smell of hot cocoa. She took a deep breath before looking up only to have her breath hitch in her throat. Standing in front of her, paying at the register, was none other than her middle school crush, Christian Daniels. In her defense, he wasn’t only her crush; he was the crush of probably half of the female population that had been in middle school around that time. And he had taken full advantage of that by dating one girl after the other all throughout middle school and high school. He had been, and always would be as far as she was concerned, a big player. He was as handsome as ever, tall and lean but muscular. He was tan, probably from spending so much time outside because she distinctly remembered making a lot of jokes about his pale skin back when their two groups of friends would get together. He still had the most beautiful, expressive pair of light brown eyes that looked a shade of green from certain angles. His eyes crinkled as he smiled. It was a genuine, happy smile that stretched over his face as soon as he recognized her. “Oh my God! Layla?” He said as he walked closer slowly, like he still wasn’t sure it was her. “Sup Daniels,” she smiled back at him with much less enthusiasm. She probably looked like s**t, and of all the people in town she could have met, it just had to be him. “It’s been so long, come here,” and before she knew it he had made his way to her and engulfed her in his big, warm arms. He took a deep breath and squeezed a little tighter before letting go. He stayed close though and pretended to c***k his back, “I see you decided to just stop growing at 15.” he put his hand on top of her head and measured her against his chest. He was a full head’s length taller than her and he proved it by coming closer again and placing his chin on top of her head. “I mean, look at this, it’s ridiculous,” he proceeded to use her head to lean his elbow on while he reclined his head on his hand, pretending to relax. “I bet if I wanted to hug you standing straight up,” he paused to position himself in front of her again, “I would hug just air” he made hugging motions above her head. “Layla? Where are you? Archie,” he turned to the guy at the register, “Where did Layla go?” “Very funny, Casper the friendly ghost,” she pushed him in the chest so he would back away, but he didn’t budge. Instead, he looked down, a mixture of mischief and surprise in his face. “Oh, there you are. I thought I lost you for a minute there,” his voice got quiet and serious for just a second as he stared down into her eyes. She could have sworn he glanced down at her lips, but before she could even process the thought, he took a step back and turned to talk to Archie again. “Archie, I found her,” he started as he walked back to the register. “She was right there all along.” He laughed at his own bad joke and Layla felt rooted in place. She didn’t even know what to say or how to react. She didn’t mind the jokes, that had always been the nature of their relationship. What she hadn’t expected was the hug, or the way he looked at her for those few seconds. She definitely wasn’t expecting her body to feel the way it had. She could still feel the heat in her cheeks, but she had instantly missed the warmth coming from his body and felt cold again. “Jesus Christ Christian,” Archie started from behind the register as Christian finished laughing. “I thought you were over that phase of making fun of girls you-“ “Okay, okay, okay,” Christian held his hands up, “I get it, you’re right. It’s a bad habit.” He turned to look at her again, “Sorry Layla,” he gave her a toothy grin as he scratched the back of his neck. Something clicked inside Layla’s head then, she didn’t know what was going on with her initial reaction, but this was just Christian, freaking Casper the friendly ghost, Daniels just being his usual silly self. “Oh come on Archie,” Layla started with a smile, not giving Christian a direct answer. “Let him have his fun, you know the need to feel superior is because of his fragile ego.” Archie burst out laughing while Christian made a face. She walked up to the counter and held a fist out to Archie, “Sup shadow, didn’t expect to find you still behind that counter.” Archie bumped his fist against hers, “I’m helping out during winter break. And FYI no one calls me that anymore.” “I mean,” she dragged out, signaling between the two guys that had always been together through their middle and high school days, earning Archie the nickname of Christian’s shadow, “I’m still seeing you stuck to Casper’s side so…” she left the words hanging. “Okay,” Archie threw his hands over his head, “I’m done, bye.” And he walked through the door to the back room. “Ay, charge me, or I’m taking my snacks for free,” Christian yelled behind his friend as he reached across the counter for a bag and started putting the assortment of chips and cookies inside. Archie came running back, slamming the door against the wall and leaving it to slam shut on its own. “Don’t you fucken dare, Casper. My mom keeps inventory now, we can’t do that anymore.” They pulled the bag back and forth, Archie cursing, Christian laughing uncontrollably. And Layla simply watched with a smile on her face. It was as if she had never been gone and no time had passed at all. They were still the same as they were back 6 years ago. The feeling was short-lived as the door opened behind Layla and a gust of wind rushed in, making her shiver. “Oh my God, it’s so fucken cold,” she wined as she rubbed her hands over her shoulders to try and warm up. “I definitely need some of that cocoa,” and she walked to the back end of the store to grab a styrofoam cup and fill it with the delicious hot cocoa Archie’s mom always made around that season. She was hoping the storefront would be a lot calmer when she came back so she could pump her gas and get right home. She walked back to the front to see the man that had walked in after her paying for a few drinks, and Christian leaning on the counter concentrating on a scratch-off ticket. It didn’t look like he was planning on leaving any time soon, so she took a sip of the cocoa, relishing the warmth it brought, and got in line behind the man. “I can’t believe you’re cold,” Christian said, still looking intently at his scratch-off ticket. “You got weak.” “Shut up, I know,” she replied, handing Archie her credit card. “Can you open up number one for me please? I’m dying to get home.” “Are you telling me I’m the first person you saw and hugged since you’ve been back? I’m really touched,” Christian mocked with a hand over his heart. Layla couldn’t help but laugh, “Actually, I’m pretty sure you hugged me but whatever helps you sleep at night.” “you’re all set,” Archie said before Christian could answer, and handed her her credit card back. “Thanks,” Layla said as she walked back to the door with her hot cocoa in hand. “It was really nice seeing you guys, let’s catch up some day,” and she was out the door before they could even answer. The truth was she wanted to stay, she wanted to joke around with them and keep laughing at their childish behavior, but she knew she would eventually feel out of place. She always did that, she would get self-conscious mid-conversation and then wouldn’t be able to say anything without doubting herself. So it was better to leave the conversation before that happened, and she really did want to get home to her family and get out of the cold. She heard the door open and close as she walked back to her rented car, then she heard a car door open and close as well, and she assumed Christian was probably leaving in the red truck, but then she heard footsteps coming towards her. She turned once she was at her pump and saw Christian jogging towards her with a jacket in his hand. “Here,” he held the jacket out to her once he was only a few steps away, “use it since you’re cold.” Layla stared up at him not knowing how to reply. “Umm, I- I don’t know, I couldn’t.” “Yes you can, here.” He stepped closer to her and draped the jacket over her shoulders. She felt instant relief at having an extra layer of protection and the warmth emanating from his body. “Thanks.” “It’s no problem, take it with you, but you have to give it back before you leave.” “Hey now, I’m not going to steal your jacket. And I can always leave it at my grandma’s place for someone to bring it to you after I leave if I don’t see you again.” “Nope,” he shook his head. “That’s not the deal. You have to give it back to me personally. It’s the perfect excuse to see you again before you leave.” Her heart raced at the thought that he wanted to see her. “What are you talking about? We’re in Snow Bridge. I’ll probably see you guys a thousand times before I leave.” “Just playing it safe. But actually if you’re not doing anything with your family tomorrow night, the whole gang is getting together to have a few drinks, shake some stress off and open winter break season the right way, you know. Umm, so if you want, umm, we’ll be at Archie’s backyard around 7. I’ll, umm, we can start a bonfire for you if you’re too cold. I think it’s going to snow tonight.” Layla just continued to stare up at him like a deer caught in headlights. Her heart was having a really hard time not jumping to conclusions, but her brain knew Christian freaking Daniels was not asking her out. He was just being nice, like he always had been. “I, umm,” she didn’t even know what to say. “Oh, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to, it’s just- I was just throwing it out there in case you want to see everyone again. A lot of the people that went to college out of town actually come back during this time of year to spend time with their families, and we always have a small get-together to catch up and such before everybody gets too busy with the family events.” There it was, confirmation that he was just being nice and nothing else. “I would love to come,” she smiled up at him. “I just have to check in with my family first in case they have something planned already.” The pump snapped, signaling her tank was full, so she took it out of her rental car and put it back in its place. “Well, I’ll see you around Christian.” “Yeah. It was really nice seeing you, Layla, truly.” He smiled down at her before hesitantly turning around and walking back to the store.