“I know you like surprises,” he explains, looking proud. “I figured this was an excellent occasion to make my girlfriend happy while testing our products in extreme conditions.”
“You mean in flight?” I chuckle.
“Exactly,” he nods. “Our customers should be able to enjoy our products everywhere. Shall we try it?”
“Of course!”
He lets me pick first, and I go for the raspberry hot cocoa, while he takes the toasted chestnut latte. We pour it into our cups; the Hansel hot chocolate was conceived so that when there’s less water, the texture splits into chunky bits without losing its creaminess! We exchange a smile before I take a sip. Oh, I love our company’s products!
“Well, doesn’t that smell heavenly?” An old lady suddenly bends across the aisle to smile at the two of us.
I know Nicolas isn’t too comfortable speaking with strangers (unless they’ve set up an appointment), so I lean over him and beam at her.
“Thank you!” I smile. “It’s the Hansel Hot Chocolates! Here, please have one.”
I give her one of the leftover sachets, knowing Nicolas won’t mind.
“Oh, how marvelous!” She nods, reading the packaging. “Is it available online?”
“Yes! And even better, you can find their shops in most cities across the U.S., Canada, and even a few in Europe,” I wink at her. “It’s in some supermarkets too.”
“Is that so?” she says with a strong French accent. “Well, I’ll make sure to pick up some for my grandchildren! Thank you, young lady.”
“You’re welcome!”
I lean back in my seat and catch Nicolas’s dazed gaze on me, staring at me like… like I’m the most delicious chocolate cake?
“What is it?” I can’t help but blush.
“I love when you get excited about my—ourcompany’s products,” he whispers.
“Well, we truly do have great products,” I chuckle. “Enough that this nice lady asked me about it just from the smell! And Iama foodie, always. How can I not get passionate about food? Just one hot cocoa sachet and it smells like Christmas on the plane! Food is like magic, and it brings so much joy.”
“I know,” he nods, “but still, I… love when you do that. You’re so cute when you’re excited about food. Or baking. Your eyes do that thing, they… sparkle with passion.”
That just sent some chocolate-covered sparkling-sugar butterflies fluttering in my stomach! How do I respond to that? I have no idea, so I just blush like the little foolishly happy girl that I am and press a quick kiss to his cheek.
“Well, you make me sparkle the most. Thank you for packing some delicious hot cocoa for me,” I smile.
Nicolas nods and sips some more of his, the tip of his ears a bit pink.
I love this man so much. I really do.
I love how honest and blunt he is about his feelings for me. I love how kind he is and how attentive he is toeverything. I know the bar was low with my ex-boyfriend, but Nicolas has been absolutely wonderful ever since we started dating, and he hasn’t slowed down since or let his levels of affection waver from the time he was… well, courting me? He doesn’t get too comfortable, and he doesn’t let me go when I’m upset.
And of course, he’s not perfect (though I might think it sometimes), but he learns from every mistake. We’ve never had any big fights, but for any minor disagreement, Nicolas has tried to find a solution and to be patient until we figure it out together. And even in cases like this, when it’s no one’s fault but misfortune happens, he tries to find solutions or cheer me up.
So, I lean happily against him, feeling grateful to be spending the holidays with my boyfriend, no matter the hurdles and delays.
We finish the Christmas movie along with our delicious holiday-themed drinks, and I rest against his shoulder, feeling a bit sleepy. When I doze off, his hand finds my knee and gently brushes it with his thumb. He presses a kiss to my temple, and it smells like Christmas.
Three
Chapter 3
“Theyforgotyour suitcase?”
I nod at Emi in the car’s rear-view mirror.
