Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
AVERY
There’s something wonderful about the stillness that comes with a snowfall.
Sitting by the well in the garden, hidden from the town, I smile up at the night sky, thinking about how much can change in just a few days.
After Cal tried to escape on Christmas Day, the police came to the candy store and took him and McKenzie down to the station to ask about possible ethics violations within his inner political circle.
He stepped down as mayor of Gingerbread Grove on Boxing Day, and the days after were a flurry of gossip and assumptions both about Matthew and me and of Cal.
We both laid low after it happened, going back to our families for Christmas dinner (Matthew kept his promise), and only speaking by text and phone call.
Matthew let me know that many people from town dropped by the store or his parents’ home to see what information they could gather.
He wouldn’t comment on anything, but his mom was more than happy to ‘hold court’ as he put it and talk about how her son and his girlfriend uncovered an underground plot to overtake the hardworking business owners of Gingerbread Grove.
For me, it only added to my hesitation of coming back to town.
I didn’t know what the response would be, given the role that Matthew and I played in the downfall of Cal and McKenzie.
I didn’t know if it would be a warm welcome, with the gossip being split between sympathy for us and wanting justice for ‘dishonourable gossip and rumours’ against Cal.
But here I am, on New Year’s Eve, waiting in the middle of the town square. At least I’m surrounded by the hedges that block this secret garden from view.
I managed to make it from my car to here without being seen, thankful the bench and garden is enclosed and hidden from view.
It also means I’m able to take a moment to enjoy the beauty that I know Gingerbread Grove can be, if run by the right person.
I think of how in awe of the town I was when I first arrived two weeks ago.
I couldn’t stop looking at the buildings that have the facades that make them look as if they were actually made out of cookies, but also wooden and plastic candy accents that adorn the brick walls.
Awnings are made to look like icing. Windows are decorated with painted holiday scenes and well wishes for the season.
I hope the town gets back to focusing on the warm welcomes that come with that.
“You look deep in thought,” Matthew says, appearing through the hedges.
He passes me a paper cup, the spices from the hot apple cider wafting over me.
“How did you get this so late? I didn’t think anything would be open at this time.” I accept the cup happily, embracing the warmth as I hold it in my hands.
‘“I have my sources.” He takes a seat beside me, sipping from his own cup.
“Do you ever wonder how the hedges keep their shape?” I ask, taking a sip of my cider. I continue when Matthew glances at me from the corner of his eye. “How many people walk through here and you can never tell. There’s no discolouration. There aren’t any permanent gaps.”
His gaze drifts to the space he just walked through. “I’ve never thought about it.”
“Magic,” I joke, bumping my shoulder with his.
He scoffs. “Careful. You’ll start another rumour.”
We sit in silence for a few moments, letting the snow drift down on us, enjoying the peace.
“Are we going to talk about it?” Matthew asks, once again looking at me.
“Which ‘it’ are we talking about? How you won’t admit how much like Ross you can be or how much of a tragedy it is you don’t like marshmallows.” I smile thinking about the time we’ve spent the last few nights watching Friends together, while talking on the phone.
“I wasn’t going to talk about either of those, actually.”
“You just need to promise never to comment on the whole ‘we were on a break’ thing. It might jeopardize our relationship.”
“Who was on a break from what?” He looks at me, eyebrow raised.
“Don’t worry, we haven’t gotten there yet.”
“No…the whole ‘I love you’ thing.”
“Ah, that thing.” I repeat, resting the lid of my cup against my lip, breathing in the sweet and spicy scent of my drink.
“Are you going to make this harder than it has to be?” He drops his head, resting it on the tree trunk behind the bench.
“Hi, I’m Avery. I try to make jokes when I’m uncomfortable.”
“Joey?” he asks, lifting his head.
“Chandler.” I shift in my seat, lowering the cup to rest on my lap, cradling it in my hands. “Did you mean it?”
“I did.” He turns to face me, taking the cup out of my hands and placing it on the ground along with his.
Now with free hands, he holds mine and forces me to look into his eyes.
“I mean it, Avery. I love you. I didn’t mean to tell you the way that I did.
I shouldn’t have done it that way, and I’m sorry. But I do love you.”
I bite my lip, hoping this isn’t some sleep-deprived induced dream.
“You’re going to make this harder, aren’t you?” He sighs.
“I’m sorry; I just need a minute to make sure I didn’t mishear you.” I hold his hands harder, letting out a deep breath. “I love you, too, Matthew.”
“Are we crazy? I mean, we only met two weeks ago.”
“Maybe Gingerbread Grove does have magic,” I joke. “So, what do we do now? You’re still in Vancouver. I’m in Kamloops.”
“Maybe you need to call on some of that Christmas magic to figure it out.”
His thumb brushes softly along the back of my hand. Even through the fabric of my gloves, my hand feels alive at his touch.
“Christmas is over. Do you think there’s such a thing as New Year’s magic?”
“No, I can’t say I’ve heard of that.”
“What if…” I take a deep breath, looking down at our joined hands. “What if we tried long-distance for a while? Until we see how things go? But with rules.”
“What sort of rules?”
I straighten, looking into his hazel eyes, sparkling with hope from behind his glasses. “We have some point of contact every day. Even if it’s just a gif saying we’re alive.”
“Learn to speak in gifs. Got it.”
“Rule two, let’s try not to go more than two weeks without seeing each other in person. Merritt might have to become our new favourite place.”
“Or Yale.”
“Or Hope. They’ve got a great coffee shop.”
“You and your coffee.” He shakes his head.
“Never underestimate the power of coffee.” There are two things that I wholeheartedly believe in. Love will always win, and there’s nothing that a good cup of coffee can’t do.
“I think we can make this happen.”
“Wait, you sold your truck…”
“I’ll figure it out.” Lines pull at the corner of his mouth. “There are these things called rental cars. Or even….dealerships.”
“Matthew...” I huff.
“Avery…” he huffs back in a joking tone. “Rule three?”
“No matter what, we figure it out together.”
“Agreed.” His foot taps nervously against the grass underneath. “I have one I’d like to add.”
“What’s that?”
“You let me add to our TV and movie watch list.”
“What are we talking? Marvel? Star Wars? DC?”
“Hockey,” he says, making me rear my head back.
“Hockey? But you don’t like sports.”
“No, I don’t like playing sports. I like watching this one.”
“Huh, I never would have guessed that.”
“I’ll have to bring you down for a game some time. Nothing beats seeing it live.”
“I’d like that.” I have that goofy smile on my face. It’s the type of smile that if we were in a Disney movie, there would be sparkles in our eyes and soft music playing behind us.
That gets me thinking what sort of Disney princess I’d be. On second thought, I don’t think I’d want to see what I would be. A clumsy girl mixed with an elf that speaks in pop culture references.
“You know, it is New Year’s Eve…” Matthew turns his wrist, looking at his watch. “And it’s close to midnight,” he says, leaning in closer to me.
“You don’t say…” I lean in as well, leaving only a breath between us.
“They say that if you kiss someone at midnight, it brings you good luck and strengthens your relationship.”
“You don’t say…”
“I mean, we wouldn’t want to start off the new year on the wrong foot.”
“We wouldn’t want that.”
He breaks our gaze for a moment, just to take a look at his watch. “Ten seconds.”
“We’d better hurry.” I say, leaning in just a little more.
“Wouldn’t want to miss it.”
“Five seconds,” he breathes.
“What are you waiting for?”
He hesitates for another moment before leaning in and closing the distance, pressing his lips to mine.
A clock strikes twelve from the church in town, reminding me that there’s a greater reason for me being here. It wasn’t an accident that our flight was cancelled that night, or that I ended up sharing the ride with Matthew.
I’ve never been so thankful for a flight being canceled or a snowstorm that resulted in a shortage of rental cars.
I certainly never thought that what I had considered to be the worst day of my life, ended up being one of the most significant.
But sitting here, kissing Matthew at the stroke of midnight at the start of a new year, I see that’s how it was all supposed to be.