Why are you so afraid to say how you feel? Tell me you love me. Tell me you miss me. Say what’s in your heart and end our misery.

“What’s inside that pretty little head of yours?” Jae asked after we’d been driving for a few minutes in silence.

I couldn’t stop thinking about how wonderful he’d been tonight and how maybe – just maybe he could be a boyfriend material. I knew I was jumping ahead of myself. Jae was simply making up for being a jerk this morning, but I couldn’t help it. Everything was so perfect.

“Well, my thoughts are private,” I replied as I grinned at him. His eyes twinkled playfully.

“Please,” he said as he leaned back against the headrest. “I’m trying so hard here, so please tell me what you’re thinking right now.”

I laughed. “I’m thinking that you’re perfect tonight, Jae.”

He grinned as he looked through the windshield.

“You know I’m trying my best, right?” he asked.

I nodded. “I know. I think I can see that, Jae.”

“You think?” he said as he switched the radio station and I closed my eyes.

“Jae, I know you’re trying your best but why are you trying so hard?” I asked as I cuddled into the seat, loving the heat radiating out of his leather seat.

I heard him shift in his seat, but I didn’t open my eyes. Instead, I waited patiently as he formed a response in his head.

“Just something that Daniel told me.”

Oh?

“Um, what did he say?” I asked as I opened my eyes. My interest was riled.

“Now…Angel, that is none of your business,” he stated adamantly and my mouth dropped.

“But…but…I just told you what you wanted to know a while ago.”

He shrugged. “It doesn’t mean I’m obligated to tell you everything you want to know too.”

“You’re playing dirty!” I pouted but I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. “Is Daniel going to help us set up the Christmas tree at home?”

Jae looked down at me with curious eyes.

“Do you want him to, Angel?” he asked.

“Yes!” I said enthusiastically. I thought of the gifts I’d bought for the 2 of them and I couldn’t wait to wrap it all up and place them beneath our Christmas tree. “Why wouldn’t I want Daniel to help us with our Christmas tree?”

Jae shrugged. “I don’t know. We’re not exactly the type to celebrate Christmas. But if that’s what you want then we’ll wait for him. We still need to buy decorations.”

I nodded.

“We can go tomorrow after class before we start work,” I suggested. “And then we can decorate our Christmas tree after work?”

He nodded.

“Sounds like a plan, Angel.”

Jae signaled again and I couldn’t help but notice we were driving away from his home.

“Um, Jae, where are we going now? It’s pretty late,” I said.

He smirked. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, would it?”

“Jae,” I said as I straightened up in my seat taking the view before me. “What are we doing here?”

The clock on the dash read 10:30 p.m. and although it was late and I should be in bed, I wasn’t really tired. The path he drove was lined in twinkling icicle Christmas lights. It was narrow with just enough room for a car to drive in either direction, but I hadn’t yet seen another soul on the road. It was late and we seemed to be all alone in the road.

“Damn, Angel, you’re so impatient.”

I giggled. “I’m female. We’re all impatient with surprises.”

He chuckled as he stopped his monster truck in the parking lot of what looked like a maze of ice paths. Every pine tree was string with spark lights of all colors and paths of ice were glittering in reflection of the bulbs hanging from each branch. It looked like a fairytale and it was just the 2 of us.

“Wow! This place is beautiful,” I breathed out.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“It’s amazing, Jae!” replied. I balanced myself on the edge of my seat and Jae laughed. “Are the paths really made of ice?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “I bought us each pair of ice skates today. Do you want to go?”

“Ice skating?” I squealed. The pleasure was loud and even a tad obnoxious in my tone. “Absolutely!”

“So I take it that means you know how to skate?” he asked.

“Yes, I can skate.” I nodded. “But well, I can’t stop.”

Jae grinned as he pushed his door open. “How does that even possible? I mean, how did you learn skating without learning how to stop? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Well, I learned to skate on a rink and there were walls surrounding the rink, so if I needed to stop I would just run into the wall,” I explained as though it made sense.

It was obvious by the unconvinced expression on his face that it didn’t make much sense to him.

“Your skating instructor should find a new profession,” he muttered with a shake of his head as he jumped down from the truck and opening the back door to get our skates I noticed for the first time.

I jumped down from the truck, meeting him on the other side, looking like an anxious child.

“My skating instructor was my stay-at-home-mom who also didn’t know how to skate well,” I muttered. “Or even stop.”

“Oh God,” he teased. “That must have been a show for the pros on the rink that day.”

I laughed at the memory. “It was. People were laughing at the mother-daughter tandem.”

Jae carried the skates in one hand, his other hand finding mine and holding it tight.

“Let’s put these on,” he said.

“Okay!” I agreed excitedly.

BM: Falling by Tyler Ward Feat Alex G - http://youtu.be/UWcvmXssyak 

By the time I was all suited up for the ice rink, I was practically vibrating with enthusiasm. I couldn’t wait to get my skates on the ice. Jae and I wobbled toward the rink and I watched him as he stepped onto the ice, spinning expertly to face me. The sound of his blades against the glassy sheet sent tremors throbbing through my body.

“You know how to skate,” I said softly.

He nodded with humor in his eyes.

“Angel, I wouldn’t take you skating if I couldn’t skate,” he replied.

“Well,” I said as I took a deep breath. “I guess you’ll just have to be my wall then.”

“I think I can manage that. I love being your wall,” he said as he opened his arms wide, inviting me in. “Take your best shot at me, Angel.”

I grinned.

Oh, I would.

I stepped 1 foot on the ice and pushed off the snow bank with the other, flying toward him at a speed I never could have predicted.

“Jae!” I screamed out his name seconds before I found his arms wrapped around me tightly.

“I got you,” he breathed out but I could feel laughter rocking his body. “, Angel, you lied when you said you could skate.”

“Uh, well, I may have remembered being better than that,” I muttered resentfully. “It’s been a while.”

He laughed aloud, unable to hold it in a he looked down at me. Through the lights decorating the Christmas trees, I couldn’t help but look up at him in admiration. Twinkling golden lights glimmered against his hair and the moon grazing his skin making him perfect. He was extraordinarily beautiful and I had to subdue the unexpected urge to kiss him.

It was so strong that I forced myself to look away from him, panting cold breaths of air into my lungs.

What’s wrong with me?

Jae moved his hands to my hips and I tried desperately to ignore the heat of his touch.

“I want your back facing me,” he ordered softly. His voice sounded a bit off and I pondered if he’d felt the same strange urge to step over the line of friendship that I’d felt not seconds ago. “We will skate together.”

I nodded slowly, placing my mitten covered hands on Jae’s bare skin as he pushed against the ice, moving us forward. I kept my legs straight and my toes pointed forward, moving them only when the curved path required slight shift. After a few minutes of standing awkwardly straight, I let my body mold into his, my head leaning back against his shoulder. His hands moved from my hips to my stomach and mine moved with him.

I wanted to close and bind the feel of this perfect night to my memory, but I didn’t want to miss anything. I didn’t want to miss the flickering of the lights, or the moon shining down on us. We’d escaped from the real world into a complete heaven – it was beautiful – charmed – picture-perfect.

And it was all because of Jae.

“What are you thinking, Angel?” he asked as he tightened his hold on my stomach, pushing us forward into the maze of ice and lights.

“I’m thinking about this moment…that I’ve never seen anything so pretty,” I replied.

He chuckled. “Me too.”

I looked up at him and saw that his eyes were fixated on me. That made me blush.

“I, uh, I love Christmas,” I blurted out to cover the red blush on my cheeks. “I mean…I don’t know why, but the world just seems like a better place around Christmas time. People are more forgiving, more willing to help the needy. It’s a beautiful time, in my opinion.”

“Angel, I think it’s people like you who make the world beautiful…and colorful…not just because it’s Christmas,” Jae stated. “I don’t think it’s Christmas because I’ve never had this before.”

I looked back at him again and he was still looking down at me with gentle eyes. My heart leaped.

“Thank you, Jae,” I spoke softly. “That was really nice for you to say.”

His hands released around my stomach and he grabbed hold on 1 wrist, pushing me away from him. I screamed in nervous as my skates sliced over the ice in a similar sound to the one his skates made when he stopped abruptly or carved in a turn.

I laughed after the yelp and he pulled me into his chest so I was facing him. I was pressed tightly against him when he pushed against the ice again, moving forward with me moving backward. My heart was in my throat and I held onto his upper arms with both hands tight. I didn’t p