It was Christmas Eve, the holiday that was just as romantic as Valentine's Day. She was going to spend it with the man she loved.

The entire was night planned. Gerald was going to pick her up at her place and then they were going to the most elegant, most luxurious restaurant New York had to offer. After an extravagant dinner, they would head off to their reservations at the largest hotel where Gerald reserved the VIP suite for the entire weekend where they'd spend it in each other's arms.

It was going to be the most perfect night because at the right moment - after making love with one another - she would reveal her true feelings for the man she was with, reveal that she was crazy in love with him.

Her door opened and Maj entered her bedroom. "Getting ready for the next step?" She teased, plopping on top of the bed, lying on her stomach.

Kim fake-laughed. "We're not getting married, Maj."

"It's Christmas break and he's whisking you away into your own fairy land where you dance the night away and profess your undying love." Kim held up two different coloured lingeries. "The red one, its more romantic."

Kim threw it in her suit case. "Listen, Maj, you know how we love your witty self, it's what makes you...you. But for once can we have a real conversation, where we say things that we really mean and not act all sarcastic?"

"Hey, I'm still a little upset that you told Shai before you told me or the rest of us for that matter!" She threw a pillow at Kim.

"Shai was nice about it. And she didn't throw sarcastic remarks every turn she got."

Maja smiled and sighed. "Fine. I'll be normal," she winked. "Where is he taking you?"

"First he made reservations at the Waldorf where we're going to have dinner and talk," she chuckled. "And then he booked a suite at the hotel where..."

"I know what's going to happen. You guys are going to strip down into an almost-nothing attire and he's going to kiss you senseless where your realize that before it was just and friendship, but now it's making love and you feel your heart join as one and it's the most incredible feeling ever," Maja exaggerated.

Kim shot her a warning glance, "Is this you being sarcastic again?"

"Kim, I've known you forever. I know that look in your eyes when your heart swells up. I've seen your book shelf and watched you get teary-eyed reading a romantic part. You're the biggest romantic I know. You're a big fan of love, and even though you didn't tell us, I knew. You hide your feelings well sometimes, but when it's as overwhelming as hitting you on the top of your head with a hammer, you can't hide it even if you begged."

Kim joined her friend on the bed. "He's amazing. You know, yesterday I went to work and on my desk was a single orchid floating in a glass of water and a note saying that the most fragile is always the most beautiful and it was a picture of just the two of us. And when I got home there were dozens of them all over the place with just shots of us everywhere I turn. Who does that?"

"If you don't want him, can I have him?"

The two of them laughed. "My heart hurts when I'm with him; literally hurts and when I'm with him, I don't want to leave and when I'm not with him I just...I want to crawl in a corner and just lie there until he comes."

"This is Gerald we're talking about, right? The guy who has a stadium full of girls. Can you really tell him?"

"I'm not sure if Gerald has it back for me, not the way I do for him. But I know he cares. I know he feels. And I have so much, Maj. I thought I loved him before, but I think that was a kind of infatuation mixed up inside of lust. Because this is different."

"So tonight? It's the big night. You're telling him, right?"

Kim wiped her moist eyes. "I would've said no, even a couple of days ago. Don't want to ruin anything, don't want to tip the scales. But now I think I can. In the words of my mother, I'm brave enough."

"It scared me, when he first told me he loved me," Maja recalled. "Don't be upset if it scares him a little, at least at first."

"I trust him completely, with my life. And I don't think you tell someone you love them because you expect something. I think you tell them because you have someone to give."

Gerald picked her up in the next hour. "Merry Christmas to me," he sighed when he saw her.

Kim was wearing a crimson red strapless dress that cut off at the knee. It bunched up at that bust and fitted her form like a second skin. He took her hand and placed a soft kiss on her wrist, by the shimmering bracelet he gave her on the thrid day of Christmas.

"Are you ready, honey?" He asked, picking up her bag and leading her to his car.

They arrived at the restaurant where a french host met them at the door. "Bonjour Monsieur. Joyeux Noel."

"Anderson. Gerald Anderson," he slipped a twenty under the host's hand.

"Mr. Anderson, bien sur. come follow me."

Kim rested her chin on his shoulder and held onto his bicep as they walked to a corner booth.

"Who knew we'd be spending Christmas together, here," he sighed. "But I love being with you. This is what I was waiting for for the entire month."

Why did her heart skip a beat everytime he said "love being with you"? He was drawing circles on the outside of her palm. "How was your day?" She asked him.

"Hectic," the waiter appeared with his choice of champagne. "Making calls all day just to make sure everything here went perfect. And then I needed to go to the hotel and get everything ready."

"And here I was thinking everything just fell into place," she smiled.

"Are you kidding? The biggest suite in the hotel, needed to make sure there was no maid service who would just walk in and catch us..." his voice trailed off. "Had to get the chef to make all your favourites and make sure we got some whipped cream, chocolate syrup and strawberries." He winked.

Underneath the table, Kim slid her foot up and down his leg. "Are you sure we'll have time to do all of that?" Her tone in a seductive manner.

"We'll have plenty of time," he leaned over the table to plant one on her.

The rest of dinner played out well. They spent the night getting to know each other more, and were shocked at most of their confessions. Instead of having the car service pick them up like originally planned, Kim insisted they walk the rest of the way as the snow continued its slow downfall.

"I cannot believe you modelled when you were a teenager!" Kim said, keeping her body close to his.

"It paid well, and it got me my fifteen minutes of fame."

She smiled, "I bet it did. Ladies surrounding you, offering themselves to you."

"The offers were pretty great," he admitted.

Kim slapped his arm. "You're such a guy."

"Well, I hope so. How about you? Tell me something no one knows about you."

She thought for a moment. Kim never kept secrets, except this one. But it wasn't the right time yet. They weren't even at the hotel room yet. "Sometimes when I just get home from a family dinner or party, I go outside in the middle of the night, find that one star that shines just a little brighter than most and wish that somehow my parents would get back together." It was a secret she wouldn't even admit to herslf until a couple of years ago.

His heart stopped. Were the gods trying to punish him when he agreed to keep the secret in the first place? "But..."

"I know. I know they're divorced. They've been divorced for sixteen years, I know. I know it'll never happen. But there's just one part of me that hopes. My mom and dad are friends and they go to each and every occasion, like they're still together, so maybe it's their fault for fanning that fire. But yeah, that's a secret. It's like I'm still a little girl with that dream her divorced parents would get together."

Gerald pulled her closer under his arm, kissing the top of her head, hoping that small gesture would take away some of the pain. "I know your parent's relationship didn't last or end up the way you wanted it to, but I want you to know that doesn't have to be us." He tried to assure her.

Where was all of this coming from? Kim nodded. "I know. My Mom told me that a couple of week ago when she first found out about us. She told me how her and my dad got together and she said that everyone has their own love story. And she had hers and this was my turn."

They made it to the hotel where Gerald received his key. Their bags were already waiting in their room. And when they entered, it wasn't just their bag that was waiting for them. In the corner of the room, there was the biggest Christmas tree she's ever.

Kim's jaw dropped and she let go of his hand, trying to take in everything she was seeing. The entire room was lit in candles. And it wasn't a downplay, where there were three or four candles lit. She saw that every square inch of that room was in flames. Tall candles, short candles, thick candles, thin candles. Candles in every romantic colour known to mankind - pink, red, deep orange, gold, even green. The entire room had that glow to it.

The bed was made to a crisp with a single rose in the middle. Her breath caught in . During dinner, he explained what a difficult time he had on getting today settled, and seeing this proved his words. It must've taken him hours while he was surrounded by all things girly. Even classic Christmas music played, whisper soft.

"Gerald..."

"How did this get in here?"

She scoffed at his attempt to cover his tracks. Kim turned around and took his face in her hands. "You've just bumped this up from great date to dream date. This is amazing! I'm surprised the fire alarms didn't go up. How did arrange all of this?"

"I arranged the maitre d' to alert the hotel when they brought the check." He took off her coat and placed it on the coat hanger just behind the door. "Champagne?"

"Absolutely," Kim smiled. She walked to the balcony, and outside the window was the view of New York covered in a blanket of fluffy white. "This is absolutely stunning! I mean at this view! It's incredible."

He walked behind her with a glass of champagne. "That took a lot of planning, also." Gerald stood behind her, one hand around her waist, and his cheek by the side of her head. "I really hope you're not just saying this is incredible and really you're just thinking about an ex who did something to beat this out of the park."

Kim spun around, taking a sip and placing the glass on the table next to them. "There's nothing on my mind but you."

The couch was just a few feet, and they took a seat. He touched her hair, just a skim of the fingers. "Tell me something else. Something new."

"I think we've covered all my hidden talents and secrets." She reached out - not that far - just enough to trail a fingertip down his tie. "I wonder if you can handle the dark side."

"Try me."

Kim closed her eyes. There was one thing that he still didn't know about her. "Okay." She shifted in her seat, but remanied close enough that she could still feel his breath on her skin. "Sometimes, when I'm alone at night, after a long day...especially when I'm feeling a little unsettled..."

"Come on, spill, gorgeous."

"First, I take a big glass of wine up to my bedroom, light candles. I'll put on something that makes me feel...female, y; and hop into bed with my pillows swimming around me," she chuckled. "And when I'm ready, I sink in to watch my favourite movie which I saved on my DVR because I can't find the real DVD. I watch Truly, Madly Deeply."

"You watch ?"

Kim put her hand on his cheek and pushed. "It's not !" Laughing, he nodded perfusely. "No, it's not! It's an amazing love story where Juliet Stevenson is devastated when the man she loves dies. And she's so overwhelmed with grief. I cry buckets each time. And then he comes back as a ghost because that's how strong his love is for her. It rips your heart out. It's just heart-wrenching and charming and sad and affirming, unspeakably romantic. And when it's finished and the tears stop falling, I sleep like a baby."

"A dead guy's romantic? Isn't he Alan Rickman? He's amazing in Die Hard. Maybe we should have a double feature."

Kim finished her third glass of champagne, and could already feel it going straight to her head. Her eyes felt heavy, but she knew she wasn't ready to go to sleep anytime soon. "This has to be the best Christmas  I've ever shared with anybody," she whispered.

His fingers trailed along her neck and down her collarbone, all the back up to the sensitive between her neck and shoulder. He cupped her chin and leaned in, bring their lips together.

Sure tonight was about this very moment, but the moments leading up to this were equally important. His tongue swept across her lower lip, probing her to open to him. She did so, and deepened the kiss.

His fingers were then on her back, pulling the zipper down.

Kim pulled away. "I'm going to go get changed. How about you bring the champagne into the bedroom."

In the bedroom, not far from where they were, he undid the tie and removed it, undoing the buttons on his shirt. Next were his shoes and socks. He thought about her. Thoughts about all those surprises and layers about her. It was odd, he realized. He well you think you know someone after knowing them for years, and then discovering that there is so much more to learn.

When she stepped out into the candlelight, he lost his breath. Her black hair tumbling over red silk, smooth skin against the lace. She had one hand on her hip and the other on the door. All of this for him.

"You said something about dream date," he choked.

"I wanted to do my part."

The silk dlowed over her curves as she walked to him. And as she lifted her arms to wind them around his neck in a way that was so essentially Kim, her scent shimmered in the air. "Did I thank you for dinner?"

"You did."

"Well..." She scraped her teeth over his bottom lip before the kiss. "Thanks again. And the champagne? Did I thank you for that?"

"If I recall."

"Just in case." On a sigh met his. "And the candlelight, the rose, the long walk, the view." Her body moved against his, leading him nto a slow, circling dance.

"You're welcome."

He drew her in, closer still, so her body pressed to his. Time spun out as they circled, as mouth clung to mouth, as heart beat to heart.

She drew in his scent, his flavor. They slid down together onto smooth white sheets and into the perfume of a single rose. More sighs now, more dreamy movements. A caress, a tender touch, shimmered over skin. She his face, opened - body and heart - as she found, with him, passion wrapped in the shimmer of romance.

Here was all she wanted, had ever wished for. The sweetness and the heat. And as she gave, more and more, she filled until she was dizzy with love.

When she broke for him, rising up like a wave, she breathed his name. And she smiled.

Something inside him stumbled. "You're so beautiful. Impossibly beautiful."

"Gerald, there's something - " She got cut off by her cell phone.

"No," he pulled her back against him. "No distractions.

Kim laughed, and rested her head on his chest. But when she didn't pick up her cell phone, the hotel room phone rang.

Gerald groaned. "Are you kidding me? I paid for no interruptions."

Kim got up, "I got it." She wrapped herself with a sheet. "Hello? Yup, this is Kim." She covered . "What? Oh my gosh," she hung up and grabbed her long jacket, heading for the door.

Apparently, she forgot where she was and who she was with. "Kim?! What happened?!"

"My dad's in the hospital." Worry filled her. "I'm so sorry, I got to go."

He jumped out of the bed, threw on pants and grabbed his jacket. "The car service is still downstairs. Let's go." He grabbed her hand and they left at that instant.

That's how it was with Kim. When something happened to someone important to her, she needed to leave, and that was exactly what he loved about her. When she loved someone, it was love and nothing would get in the middle of that. Wait, did he just say he loved her?