“Something tells me your charm isn’t going to get us out of this one.”
“Look, I’m still working out the details on how to get us home, but no matter what, we have to try to trust one another. There is no getting home without each other.”
Inhaling deeply, I then let out the breath slowly.
“You’re right. We’re in this together,” I say through a forced smile.
“Good, now come on.” Before I can react, he grabs my hand and starts pulling me across the street.
If I’m honest with myself, I like the feel of my hand in his, and despite my insistence on not falling in love with him, I could see that maybe it would be possible if our circumstances were different. If instead of waking up in Sugarplum Park, we had woken up in New York and shared a bagel.
He tugs me closer, so that we are walking side by side, and lets go of my hand. Folding my arms across my chest, we follow the man down the sidewalk, and I do my best to take note of the shops as we pass.
Gum Drop Sugar Shop is first. It’s painted light purple, and a long awning in a similar shade covers both windows and the plum colored door. A display of pastel candy canes covered in faux snow is set up in both windows, and a closed sign hangs on the door.
The next shop is painted a light blue. The round wooden sign bolted above the door reads: The Music Box. It’s also closed, and the blinds are pulled shut so that we can’t see inside.
The man is a few yards ahead of us, and he doesn’t seem to notice that we’re following behind him.
“So, what’s your plan?” I whisper, nudging Everett with my shoulder.
“I want to see where he’s going.”
“Brilliant.”
“Do you have a better one?”
“No,” I grumble.
“You’re cute when you’re frustrated.” He smirks, causing me to grumble again. “See? So cute.” He taps the tip of his finger against my nose, and I swat him away.
We pass by an orange storefront that belongs to The Book Rack. Next door is a green storefront that belongs to a quaint little flower shop called Dewdrops and Daisies. Vines crawl up the front of the store, and despite the frigid temperatures, the flower boxes are overflowing with different colored blooms. Both stores are closed.
Pausing in between them, I pull out my phone to check the time.
“Why’d you stop?” Everett asks, turning to see what I’m doing.
“It’s just that it’s after nine, and every shop is closed.” I turn and look across the street. From my vantage point, I can make out the chocolate shop, a toy shop, a coffee and tea shop, and a ballet studio. Each storefront is painted a different pastel color, but all the lights are off. The doors I can see have closed signs hanging in the windows.
“Maybe things don’t open until ten?” Everett shrugs.
“Not even the coffee shop?”
“Shit, we lost him,” he says.
I look over to find that the tall man is gone, and Everett and I are all alone.
“Come on.” He tugs on my hand again. Moving past the flower shop, we make it to the final building on this side of the street.
“Well, that was easier than I thought it would be,” Everett says, looking up at the sign above the door that reads Stella’s Diner.
“A bit too easy, don’t you think?” I question, still turning over how quiet the street seems for a mid-morning weekday.
Both windows are painted with a Christmas mural and topped with snow flocked garland. A warm yellow glow spills through the blinds, and muffled conversation and music comes from the other side of the door.
“Shall we?” he asks.
“I don’t know.” My pulse begins to quicken, and my throat goes dry. “We have no idea what is on the other side of this door.”
