Wednesday finally arrived, and it was the moment Maeve had been waiting for. It was 2:52 p.m., and Maeve had just gotten dressed in an outfit she bought from Ross. She wore dark blue tight jeans, a yellow turtle-neck short-sleeved shirt, a light brown sweater, and light brown sandals. Her hair was tied up since she and Treyton would make gingerbread houses.

While looking at her reflection, Stephen's memory tried to come to mind. To fight off the memory of her ex, Maeve decided to get her Google Maps ready by entering the address of the location, which was located in the city of Norwalk.

Maeve exited her home, got into her car, and drove toward her destination. Upon arriving, the final destination was Excelsior High School. The high school wasn't active as a regular school, but it was used for award ceremonies and other events for the different schools in the area. The school was once used to film the movies Grease 2, High School USA, and Square Pegs.

Since the school's parking lot was full, Maeve found some street parking. Exiting the car, she noticed people waiting by the high school's auditorium. By the closed doors, two large handmade signs said, 'Free Baking Class!' Maeve looked at her phone, and it was 3:25 p.m. She arrived early and thought it would be best to wait outside until Treyton arrived.

A large, strong hand covered her eyes five minutes into waiting, making Maeve yelp. "Guess who?"

"T-Treyton! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry about that. I couldn't resist," Treyton motioned out his arms, looking proud. "Well, you should be glad that I arrived early. Good thing I did, or I wouldn't have been able to find parking." Treyton noticed that the auditorium's doors were opened by an older woman who looked to be in her mid to late fifties. "It seems they are going to let us in. Shall we?" He asked while motioning out his right hand.

Maeve turned and saw the people who waited outside going inside; she became excited. "Let's see what's inside." The two walked up the steps and walked inside the building. There were two hallways, and everyone walked to the right one; there were classrooms.

"Hello everyone, please come to this class please!" Everyone did as instructed, and once inside the last class in the hallway, they were met with a brightly lit classroom with twenty wooden tables covered in Christmas-decorated tablecloths. On the tables were hard plastic plates; some were empty, while others were filled with graham crackers, candies, different flavors of icing, and other desserts. The walls were plain white with only a single chalkboard. The older woman who opened the auditorium doors stood before the board. "Please, you may sit wherever you like!"

The duo decided to sit with other people at one of the back tables. Excitement was in the air, and people introduced themselves wherever they sat. Maeve couldn't help but notice how women would gawk at Treyton and try to get his attention. She hated to admit to feeling slightly jealous. However, the older man seemed to ignore their interests, and when he was done introducing himself, he focused on her. "Excited?"

"Very, it's been so long since I have made a gingerbread house. How about you? I know this looks a bit childish."

"Not at all. I have been so busy dealing with my divorce and work that I almost forgot how to have fun. I'm happy that your friend recommended this."

The door was closed, and everyone became quiet as the teacher stood before everyone. "Hello, everyone, and welcome to the gingerbread house baking class! My name is Frida Martinez! I am so happy that you all decided to take this class! Also, before you leave, I have printed out pamphlets about my Friday cooking classes. If you decide to take my cooking class, you get twenty percent off the first month and ten percent off two months if you recommend someone. Now, without further ado, I will explain the process."

Everyone listened intently as Frida explained the materials and ingredients in each table. She then showed past participants and the gingerbread houses they made. Maeve and Treyton were impressed with the artwork and felt their gingerbread houses would be less lovely. Frida assured everyone they could make their gingerbread houses any way they wanted. Everyone was instructed to get their plates and papers in each table's center. Music was played in the background, and Frida went around to see if anyone needed assistance.

Treyton and Maeve got their papers of instructions and looked at them. "Wow, I remember using a milk carton to help keep the graham crackers afloat. I guess we have to rely on the frosting; I hope it's strong enough to keep the pieces together," said Maeve as she got the ingredients she wanted.

"We're going to be fine. Remember, we're here to have fun." Treyton also got his ingredients, and they started building their houses.

Maeve used vanilla frosting to connect her graham crackers, while Treyton used chocolate. The young woman couldn't help but notice that Treyton licked parts of the frosting or ate pieces of candy here and there. She giggled, making Treyton clear his throat and stop his actions. They also assisted one another with their gingerbread houses. Treyton struggled to decorate his gingerbread house. He remembered giving Maeve clues about his identity, and an idea hit him.

Three hours passed, and Frida instructed everyone to help clean and throw the leftover materials in the trash. Everyone in the class also helped put their chairs away by the wall. "Alright, everyone! Thank you so much for participating in this free class. As previously mentioned, the pamphlets will be here. Please stand here if you wish for your picture to be taken with your gingerbread house. Otherwise, you are free to go!"

"Wow, I would have never imagined that making a gingerbread house was a lot of work as an adult!" Maeve looked at her gingerbread house; the walls were decorated in frosting, and small candy canes were used to make windows and a door. The roof was made of Hershey and M&M, and an ice cream cone was used as a tree and painted with green frosting. M&M were used as stones as decorations. Looking at Treyton, she noticed that he looked horrified with his work. His gingerbread house was kept together with the frosting, but the decorations were everywhere. Some fell from their place; he used cookie dough to make figurines. "You made a cute gingerbread girl. Did you also make a dog?"

Treyton's face turned slightly red. "Actually, I tried to make a wolf and a guy." He sighed while shaking his head. "It almost looks like I made a murder scene."

It was difficult not to laugh. "Oh, don't say that. The bright side is that we can eat this! I want to take a picture."

"My gingerbread house is all over the place. Maybe next time!"

Maeve smiled as she held the plate. "Oh, will there be a next time?"

The embarrassment faded immediately. Treyton also got his plate. The two thanked Frida and left the classroom. "If you want to, of course."

They exited the building, and night slowly reached the skies. "I-I would like that very much." The duo walked down the stairs and slowly walked by the sidewalk.

"Hey Treyton, is that you!?" asked a feminine voice.

Treyton froze as a quiet wolfish groan escaped his lips. Maeve also stopped and turned to see who called out to him.

"Garret, Trinidad. How lovely to see you both." Treyton hoped he could stall this moment as long as he could, but fate had other plans.

❄

Maeve quietly stood while looking at the couple. The woman was beautiful; her silver hair was in a nice elegant bun. She wore golden earrings and a thin golden necklace that made her appearance shine. Her skin was light beige, with some light freckles on her chest and a bit on her face. She had some slight wrinkles on her thin pink lips and forehead. Although her skin had a youthful glow, her appearance showed maturity. The mysterious woman was almost as tall as Treyton. However, Maeve couldn't help but feel at ease.

"Are you going to introduce her to us?" asked Trinidad.

Treyton let out another quiet, wolfish, annoyed groan. "Maeve, I want to introduce you to Trinidad and her husband, Garret. You guys, this is Maeve."

Before Maeve spoke, Trinidad approached her, grabbed her free hand, and shook it. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Maeve. My gosh, you're such a pretty lady!" Trinidad motioned to her husband. "This is the love of my life and my husband, Garrett! He and Treyton have been friends since the Dark Ages!" Maeve was amazed by Trinidad's outgoing and loud personality, which reminded her of Patrisha.

Garret was as handsome as Treyton but a couple of inches shorter than Treyton. He had a slightly athletic build hidden in his long black trench coat and slightly loose red button-up shirt. His nicely combed dark brunette hair had a couple of silver strands. His eyes were light brown and glowed. Garret had a broad, clean-shaven face; a couple of wrinkles were under his eyes, the side of his mouth, and his nose. There were also a couple of age spots on his hands. "Oh, uh, nice to meet you, Garret," Maeve said, extending her hand.

Garret looked unsure whether to shake her hand. He glanced at Treyton, who didn't look too pleased. However, Treyton eventually gave a slight nod. Garret slowly took her hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you, Miss Maeve. I am Garret and a good friend of Treyton." They stopped shaking hands. "I must apologize for my wife. She sometimes forgets what boundaries are."

Trinidad gasped as if looking offended. "My love! How could you say that about me!? I'm the love of your life!" She then went to her husband and hugged his arm. "Though you have to admit that you love that about me!" It was noticed that Garret was introverted while Trinidad was extroverted; complete opposites. Maeve could tell that Garret truly loved his wife. She could tell by the way he looked at her.

Treyton walked forward as he stood by Maeve. "Anyway, what are you guys doing here?"

"Alpha, Trinidad, and I decided to get something to eat and then walk it down before we return home." Trinidad and Treyton flinched when Garret called him 'Alpha.' The Beta realized what he said and looked away in embarrassment.

Maeve noticed the term and looked curious. "Alpha? Is that Treyton's nickname?"

Treyton cleared his throat. "You could say something like that. Garret calls me Alpha, and I call him Beta."

"Well, those are interesting nicknames. However, they sound as if one is higher than the other. No offense!"

Everyone chuckled. "It's no trouble, Lun-I mean, Maeve. It's something we have been used to since we were kids. So what were guys doing?" Garret noticed their plates. "It looks as if you guys were making gingerbread houses."

"Y-Yeah, a friend suggested taking a free baking class to make gingerbread houses. We had lots of fun!"

Garret and Trinidad then noticed how messy Treyton's gingerbread house was. Garret tried to refrain from laughing, but his wife was a different story; she laughed to her heart's content. "Oh my goodness, Treyton! What happened to your gingerbread house?? It looks like it came from a crime scene!"

Maeve giggled. "It's not that bad! Treyton did try his best!"

Trinidad's laughs died down. "S-Sorry about that! Anyway, how long have you guys been seeing each other?"

"Not that long, only a couple of days," said Maeve.

"I see. Well, it's nice to see you, Maeve. Treyton can be a galoot sometimes, but he has a good heart. So, what other dates do you guys have?"

Treyton and Maeve looked at one another. "We are taking things slow, Trinidad."

"You guys can go ice skating! Garret and I did that on our first date! You should've seen him; he fell on his bum more times than I could count."

Treyton looked at Maeve. "What do you think?"

"I never ice skated before, but trying something new sounds nice. Also, I'm going to return to work next week on Monday, so I won't have much more time like I used to have."

Trinidad clapped her hands. "Well, that settles that! You should go to the Holiday Ice Rink in Los Angeles this Friday! It will also be the first day of December, and I heard that the large Christmas tree near the rink will be lit up." Before the duo could respond, Trinidad continued, "Well, I'm glad you guys are taking the plunge! Garret and I need to go! Hope to see you guys soon!"

They watched as the couple walked away to their lonesome. "Well, that was...interesting. Your friend picked a strong and outgoing woman."

"Yeah, you can say that. Do you want to go out this Friday? When you go back to work, we might not be able to see each other as often.

Maeve smiled. "I would like that."

"If you feel comfortable, I can pick you up from a certain spot."

"Sure, there is a Starbucks close to where I live. I will give you the address. I had fun today, Treyton, and I hope you did too."

"Of course I did, minus the mess I made," he said while motioning out his gingerbread house.

The two said their goodbyes, and Treyton watched as Maeve got into her car and drove off. He smiled at the thought of seeing her again but would have to wait another day. "Good things come to those who wait." He wanted to throw his messy gingerbread house, but it was something he made with Maeve. "Maybe Aidoneus will want to eat this up."