TWELVE DAYS TO FALL

I LIKE YOU

Tessa woke the next morning to the faint smell of coffee and the soft glow of the Christmas lights still flickering outside her window.

Her lips tingled. Her cheeks burned. And yes—her heart was still racing from last night.

Rowan.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and groaned. “Why is he so… perfect?”

Jamie, naturally, had already been up. She could hear the clatter of mugs and the muffled sound of him talking to himself in the kitchen.

“Morning,” Tessa called, her voice still husky.

“Ah, there she is! My favorite human-shaped disaster,” Jamie said, peeking around the corner with a grin. “You look… alive. Or at least mostly alive. Do I even want to know?”

She ignored him. Coffee sounded like the only thing that could fix her fried brain.

Her phone buzzed.

Rowan: Morning. I’m still thinking about last night. And you.

Her fingers hovered over the screen, heart hammering. She could stick to the plan—pull away, give him space—but… the truth was, she didn’t want to.

Tessa typed back: Me too.

Before she could second-guess herself, she hit send.

By mid-morning, she found herself bundled up and walking with Rowan through the nearby holiday market.

The air smelled like roasted chestnuts and pine. The soft notes of carolers floated from a corner stage. Rowan held her hand casually, but Tessa could feel the heat from his fingers weaving through hers.

“I can’t believe you’ve never been here before,” he said, stopping at a stall with handmade ornaments. “It’s… magical.”

She laughed. “I’m more of a ‘Netflix and cocoa’ person than a ‘Christmas market enthusiast.’”

He nudged her gently with his shoulder. “You’re full of surprises.”

They walked, laughed, and shared little sips of spiced cider from paper cups. Every glance, every brush of hands, made Tessa’s stomach do flips.

The first flakes of snow began to fall as they turned down a quiet street. Rowan stopped and twirled her gently, like they were in a holiday movie.

“Don’t fall,” he teased, though his eyes were warm and soft.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, but the world had shrunk to just them.

He leaned close, letting a stray flake land on her hair. Tessa caught it on her finger and touched it to his cheek, laughing. He smirked, leaning in until their noses almost touched.

“Can I…?” he murmured.

“Do it,” she breathed.

Rowan kissed her then—soft, slow, just enough to let the world around them dissolve. Tessa felt herself melting into him, her hands finding his coat, her heart finding its rhythm.

When they finally stepped inside the warmth of her apartment, Rowan pulled her close, forehead resting against hers.

“Tessa… I can’t stop thinking about you,” he admitted, voice low, sincere. “I don’t want to wait. I want to be with you, fully. If you’ll let me.”

Tessa’s chest tightened. She wanted to say something witty, something careful… but her lips found his again instead.

This kiss was deeper, bolder. She let herself feel it—all the tension, all the longing, all the sparks from the Christmas lights now echoing in their hearts.

When they finally pulled back, breathless and smiling, Tessa rested her forehead against his shoulder.

“So… no pulling away?” Rowan teased, fingers threading through hers.

“No,” she whispered. “No pulling away. Not anymore.”

Jamie, who had been hovering in the background pretending to read a magazine, let out an impressed whistle. “Finally. Took you long enough.”

Tessa just laughed, feeling warm, dizzy, and entirely enchanted.

Rowan kissed her temple and whispered, “I think am in love with you, Tessa.”

She leaned into him, letting herself stay exactly where she was: in his arms, in the moment, and completely, gloriously, falling.

Tessa shouldn’t have been standing on the edge of a fountain in downtown Main Street, heels clattering on the wet cobblestones, hair sticking to her damp cheeks. Yet there she was, laughing hysterically, dragged into chaos by Rowan.

“You said to be spontaneous!” he shouted over the splash, grinning like a kid who just discovered his favorite toy.

“I did not mean jump into a freezing fountain!” she gasped, trying not to slip.

Rowan reached out, tugging her toward him with effortless strength. “Yes, you did. And now you’re going to love it.”

Tessa squinted through the cold spray, but she couldn’t stop laughing—a full, uncontrollable laugh that surprised even her. The fountain’s icy water soaked her coat, but she didn’t care. Rowan’s grin was worth any shiver.

“You’re insane,” she said, tugging at the hem of her wet jacket.

“And you love it,” he countered. His eyes sparkled as he leaned closer, brushing damp strands of hair from her forehead. The warmth of his hand against her skin contradicted the cold water clinging to her shoulders.

Her pulse spiked. He was so close she could feel his breath, the faint scent of cedar and peppermint lingering in his coat. Her brain screamed every rule she’d written in her book about holiday dating: never meet the parents too soon, don’t let dates see your apartment, never two days in a row…

And yet. None of it mattered.

“Tessa—” she started, but he cut her off with a soft, teasing smirk.

“Or you could just kiss me,” he whispered.

Her stomach flipped. She knew it was reckless. She knew it was against every strategic plan she’d ever made. But the look in his eyes, the teasing warmth of his fingers brushing hers—it was too late. She leaned in.

Their lips met tentatively at first, testing, then with a rush of heat that made the fountain around them blur into insignificance. Tessa wrapped her arms around his neck, and he held her close, grounding her in a world that had suddenly tilted sideways.

A loud honk from the street startled them. Rowan laughed, pulling back just enough to grin. “We might get kicked out for this one.”

Tessa laughed too, breathless, the rule-book in her head officially discarded. “Yeah, probably.”

As they clambered out of the fountain, water dripping from her boots and coat, Rowan’s hand stayed on her lower back, warm and steady. He led her to a nearby bench, where they collapsed side by side, shivering but exhilarated.

“You’re insane,” she said again, though the edge of reprimand had disappeared from her tone.

“And you’re fun,” he replied softly. “More fun than I expected.”

Her chest warmed. “You’re going to make me rewrite my whole book with this kind of advice, you know that?”

He leaned closer, brushing his nose against hers. “Then maybe I’m worth it.”

The moment stretched, quiet except for the soft hum of streetlights and distant laughter from passersby. Tessa felt the familiar twinge of guilt—a reminder that she was technically proving her rules, not following her heart. But it didn’t matter. Not here. Not now.

She kissed him again, slower this time, letting herself melt into the warmth, the chaos, the thrill.

When they finally pulled apart, Rowan rested his forehead against hers, breath mingling. “Okay… I think I’m done following rules too,” he admitted with a grin.

Tessa laughed, her heart finally letting go of strategy, of plans, of all her self-imposed boundaries. “Good. Me too.”

From across the street, she noticed Jamie waving awkwardly, holding up a coffee cup like a peace offering. She waved back, dripping wet, and he just shook his head with a resigned smile. Let him watch. Let him suffer.

Tessa didn’t care. She had spent too long thinking in charts, checklists, and theoretical scenarios. For the first time in her life, she was doing what felt right—and it was terrifying, exhilarating, and exactly where she was supposed to be.