"Are you sure you're okay?" Max asked, briefly looking at Holly, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

"I am," Holly nodded with a smile. "I'll decorate the house, the tree, and drink eggnog. I'll put on some cheesy romantic comedy you'd hate," she chuckled. "Trust me, I'll be fine."

Max couldn't help but feel bad for Holly. He had thought about inviting her to Addy's, but he had dismissed that idea. It would be crazy to invite someone, especially after spending only one day with them.

And he couldn't feel what he felt. It was probably the Christmas crap messing with his brain. He couldn't possibly like a girl he had met twelve hours ago. Even though she felt so familiar, it was almost as if they had known each other their whole lives.

It wasn't possible!

Right?

"Alright. Where is your house in this village? I'll drop you off there and help you with the bags," Max replied, looking around the village near London. It seemed so peaceful—quite the opposite of the life Max had been living. He liked this sense of peace.

"Drop me off by the shop there," Holly pointed at a small shop that was getting closer and closer to them. "I need to buy some ingredients for my mom's Korean recipe."

"I'll wait for you. You won't drag those two big shopping bags on your own," Max shook his head.

Holly chuckled. "Only two bags, Max. I got this. I don't live that far away," she insisted.

When Max quickly gazed at Holly, he let out a sigh. He stopped by the colorful shop, and he couldn't help but feel a gulp in his throat.

He didn't want to say goodbye to her yet. He wanted to get to know her. He wanted to stop her and tell her that after ages of crappy Christmas, this was the first Christmas Eve that he actually enjoyed. Only because of her.

But he didn't say any of those things.

Instead, he nodded. "Okay. I'll at least get the bags for you."

When Max put the two bags in front of Holly, they locked their eyes. None of them knew what to say or how to say goodbye. It shouldn't be this hard to say goodbye to a stranger, right?

"Wait, I have something for you," Holly slapped her palm against her forehead, and then she started looking for something in one of the bags. "Close your eyes!"

Max let out a soft chuckle, but then he closed his eyes. He heard a rustling sound, and then Holly exclaimed. "Open it!"

In her hands, she was holding a golden Christmas star. She had a wide smile on her face when she saw Max part his lips in awe. "You said that you never got to put a star on the tree. Well, there's a first to everything. This will be the first Christmas you'll get to put the star on a tree."

Max couldn't believe that she remembered this little thing he had shared with her. And here she was, holding a golden star.

"Holly, I... Thank you," Max breathed out when he took the star into his hands. "I don't have anything for you. Well, only the champagne, I—"

"I don't need anything, Max. You literally saved me and spent the whole day with me. Even though you despise Christmas," Holly said.

Even though that day wasn't according to her initial imagination, it wasn't a bad day. Quite the opposite. After a really long time, she felt alive and truly happy. But she couldn't tell the guy she had met twelve hours ago that she liked him. He would think that she was a freak. And she couldn't like him!

"To be honest, I don't think I despise Christmas," Max admitted, his hands gliding over the metal surface of the star. It had red glitter on it. "Thank you for showing me a different side of Christmas. The one we should cherish. My small heart grew three sizes this day," Max chuckled, quoting the only Christmas movie he had seen—The Grinch.

"Maxie," Holly let out a sigh before getting closer to Max. She stood on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his cheek. Max couldn't help but feel the shivers dancing down her spine, and even that little contact of her lips on her skin made him feel warm in his heart again.

Then she stepped away with a smile on her lips. "Your heart has never been small."

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is it possible to love my babies so much even after short chapters?!

get ready for next chapter... someone needs to talk some sense into max? i wonder who's perfect for that... 😎

love, zu 🫶🏻