I woke up feeling hopeful. 

Stacy and I got ready, ate, and left the resort around ten in the morning. We were going to try our darndest to have a winter wonderland experience, even if we weren’t celebrating by going to a winter festival in Wintersburg. We decided that we’d go ice skating, go to the Botanical Garden to watch as the Luminarias turned on, and go to Old Town Scottsdale to end the night by watching a light parade. We plan on checking for tickets home tomorrow, so Stacy and I wanted to do as much as we could in the few days we were here. We thought skating, Luminarias, and lights (with hot chocolate, of course), would provide us the perfect holiday movie montage. 

We got to the skating rink and it was closed. Apparently something broke, so the ice couldn’t freeze? I don’t know. The manager was dealing with a lot of angry families, so I didn’t get a very good description of what actually happened.

A quick internet search showed that there are other rinks, but either they are far and or not really tourist-renter friendly. Okay. So, no ice skating. That’s fine. This is fine. Not like it was pivotal for recreating a holiday movie or anything.

I remember my roller-blading youth in Florida, so I suggest going to a roller rink instead. “It’s like ice skating, but warm!”

“Yeah,” Stacy chuckles. “I know you really wanted to do something more ‘wintery’ though.”

“I’m sure the rink will have some sort of winter theme going on. Roller rinks are pretty kitschy that way. But that’s one of the reasons why I love them.” I gotta stay positive, because I don’t want Stacy to feel bad. Plus, I really do love roller skating.

“Okay, sounds good to me then.”

Once we step foot on the rink, it is very clear to me that Stacy has never skated in her life.

“Stacy,” I call out to her, as she hangs onto the side. “Do you want some help?”

She looked up at me, embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

“Hey, no shame in needing a skating buddy,” I grabbed her hand. “I know that I needed one for a long time before I could skate.”

She softly nods and I smile, skating away with her. After a lap around the ring it dons on me.

“Hey,” the very focused Stacy looks at me. She had her tongue slightly out as she was focusing on staying upright while moving forward. I nod to where our hands are connected. “Is this okay?”

Again, her cheeks flush. “Yeah, this is fine. I would have told you if I was bothered by it. Plus, it’s nice to have such a skilled skating teacher.”

It was my turn to blush and look away.

Stacy was eventually able to skate by herself. We stayed for a couple of hours, just goofing around the rink, ‘dancing’ to all of the ‘classic’ songs that were played. It was a nice mix between early 2000s music and holiday music. And there were in fact winter themed decorations all throughout the rink. It brought me back to my childhood.

We decided to break for a late lunch and some relaxing before we headed over to see the Luminarias. 

I do have to say one thing about the Phoenix area… there sure are many great places for food. Stacy and I decided to do the rock-paper-scissors trend for our lunch. The winner of the game got to decide where we go for drinks, then apps, then the meal and finally dessert. We wanted to try as many restaurants as we could, so the only rule was that we couldn’t go to the same place twice. Stacy won three of the four rounds, but she picked some amazing spots, so I was not mad at it.

After our meal, we decided to go back to our room to rest. I know that twenty seven and thirty are not that old, but we were really feeling our age after roller skating, and we knew that there would be a lot of walking at the Botanical Garden. I think we were both asleep within ten minutes of getting back to the room.

—

We left for the garden at dusk, figuring it would be the perfect chance to see the plants before it got too dark and to see the Luminarias. 

Luckily, the Botanical Garden was actually open when we got there. The garden is absolutely stunning. The plants in the sun were striking, in a harshly beautiful way. And as the sun went down, the harshness turned mystical. It was almost as if we were walking in a magical land.

I was chattering away about the different plants and their adaptations, while Stacy occasionally stopped to jot down a poem or idea for a novel. It is fun to see how the garden inspires us in such different ways.

I think my favorite location was where a path curved. There were lanterns lighting the path and a weeping willow, with twinkle lights running down some of its branches. Stacy and I stopped at a bench beneath the tree’s branches and Stacy softly read me the poem she wrote inspired by the tree. I may or may not have teared up a bit.

After a couple of hours exploring, we had a very serious decision to make. When I was searching for things to do, I did not realize that ‘Zoolights’ were a thing. Apparently, the zoo, right next to the Botanical Garden, does a big light show every year. We can see it in the distance when we get back to our car.

“Do you want to go to the light parade, or do you want to go to Zoolights?” Stacy asks after we do a quick search of what was going on.

“Honestly? Zoolights sounds cool, but I don’t know if I can handle any more walking.”

“Oh, thank god!” Stacy sighs and then laughs. “I’m glad it’s not only me.”

“Same here,” I chuckle.

“Then, onward to the parade!”

I don’t know how Stacy finessed it, but we were able to get a picnic bench right by the parade route. I am relieved, because I don’t know if I could have handled standing for an hour. As we settled in getting ready for the parade to start, we sipped on hot chocolate and Stacy recounted some more of her poems. It was the perfect cozy feel.

“Hey, is this seat taken?” It was a familiar voice.

We both turned to each other before turning to the voice.

“Stacy? Cassy? Fancy meeting you two here.” 

“Hi Mikhail,” I waved. “Fancy meeting you here too.”

“So, is it cool if I sit with you?” He asks again. 

“Sure,” Stacy says as he is already plopping down across from us.

We spend a couple of minutes with small talk before giving most of our attention to the parade. I think we all enjoyed it, or at least I did. Twinkly lights are always beautiful, and the designs of the float really gave it that holiday movie feel. Occasionally we would comment on the floats.

Once the parade was over, Mikhail invited us out for a night cap. It was a bit difficult to refuse as he threaded his arms through ours, linking us in a chain with him in the middle. I wouldn’t mind one more drink before bed, but it was a little pushy.

The restaurant/bar we ended up in was pretty slow, but had a cute holiday vibe going on. I decided to go for more hot chocolate, because why not. We had more pleasant small talk, and I have to say that alcohol definitely made Mikhail a bit cuter. 

At some point, Mikhail and I ended up alone at our table. I don’t remember where Stacy went, but I know she wouldn’t leave me for long. She’s not like that. Why didn’t I go with her again?

“Hey, I was waiting to have a minute alone with you,” Mikhail’s voice drew me out of my thoughts.

“Oh? Really?” I was feeling a little warm and fuzzy.

“Yeah,” he smiled at me. “I was wondering if you thought I had a chance with Stacy.”

“What?”

“I think she’s really hot,” he smirks, “do you think I have a chance of getting with her?”

“No,” I assert. “Not a chance.”

“Come on, don’t be that way. I’m willing to get you another hotel room. Don’t hog your hot friend.”

“You’re not her type.” Am I being too honest? Maybe. But I can’t stop myself.

“Listen, bitch,” he grabs my wrist. “Stop being a cockblock.” 

All of a sudden, he lets go of my wrist and seems a bit soggy.

“No, you listen, ‘bitch.’ There is no way that I’d sleep with you, more so now that you put your hands on my friend.” I can hear the menace in her voice and more people in the bar are starting to notice. “Get the fuck out of here before I call the cops.”

Mikhail scrambled out of the bar like a cockroach. Suddenly, I am wrapped in warm arms.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I mumble as a tear trickles down my cheek. 

“I am so sorry that I left you here,” her warm hand wipes the tears away. “I just wanted to pay our bill and get you some water. I didn’t know that he would be such a creep.”

“It’s- it’s- it’s fine. I’m fine.”

“Oh, sweety.” She just holds me tighter. “Let’s get you home.”

Before I know it, we are back in our room. For some reason, I burst out crying again. Stacy hugs me once more.

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

I shake my head no.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s silly,” I whisper into her shoulder.

“Even if it is, your feelings are still valid,” Stacy pulls back to look me in the eye and once again wipe away my tears. “I will listen if you want to talk about it.”

“Well, even though I didn’t like him that much, I think my brain started to set up Mikhail as the ‘male-lead’ of my holiday movie.”

“Your what?”

“My holiday movie. Ever since I was young, I dreamed of living out a holiday movie. That’s why I wanted to win the raffle so badly. I envisioned myself going to a small town and getting stuck in the snow and falling in love.

“I know that that is super unrealistic, but it was something I shared with my mom. We loved to watch holiday movies together, and we always joked about making it real one day. But she died when I was in fifth grade and my grandma raised me. I loved my grandma, and I was raised with so much love, but I really miss my mom and wanted to connect with her through our love of holiday movies.

“That’s actually how I found out about you. I watched a holiday movie based on one of your books and then read all of your books and decided to connect with you. I thought you would be the perfect person to make my holiday movie dream come true. And then, we got here and it was nothing like I expected.

“But things started to go right. It started to feel like a holiday movie. Until the love interest turned into a horny creep. And he must have been following us or something to find us there. And I feel bad because now I am messing up your vacation. And I am just so sorry that I am like this. You don’t deserve to be here with such a lame person like me. I’m sure I probably put so much pressure on you because of my expectations and then I dragged you where I wanted to go, and talked too much about science, and got us involved with a creep. And I’m just sorry.”

“Hey, Cassy, breath, breath,” I was hiccoughing from crying so much. “There’s a lot to unpack there. I’ll start with the fact that I love to hear you talk about science. And you never made expectations feel like a burden; in fact, I wish you would have made them a clear burden so that I could have helped you fulfill your dream better. It is in no way your fault that Mikhail was a creep. And minus Mikhail being a creep, I had a really nice time with you. I know that we’ve hung out in the past, but never this long. I really enjoyed it.”

“You did?”

“Yes, I did!” Her tight hug was very satisfying. “Now how about we get you to bed?”

Where I woke up yesterday with hope, I woke up this morning with horror. What did I do yesterday?

“Hey Cassy. How are you feeling?”

“Uh…” I can feel the heat in my cheeks.

“Please, don’t be embarrassed by yesterday,” she smiles.

“But, I was so drunk and said so much.”

“And I appreciated your vulnerability. I will always be here for you Cassy.”

Stacy makes my insides feel warm in the most pleasant way. “Thank you, Stacy. Really.”

“Now, how about we get breakfast and then go get snowed in at a cabin in New Hampshire? I was able to find tickets home and a cute little air-B&B available. You may not have a meet-cute, but I can cover all other cliches.”

“I’d love nothing more.”

How did I get so lucky?

—

It is December once again. 

I can’t believe that it’s been three years since Stacy and I got stranded in Wintersburg, Arizona. We mutually decided to make an annual December trip. Not to Arizona, but to the little cabin outside of Hanover, where we realized that what we wanted was to be more than friends.

I had my holiday movie all along and never even knew it.

Now, with a ring hidden in my coat pocket, I can give Stacy a holiday proposal so sweet it could inspire a whole new novel.