Sterling

Back in Olly's loft, Sterling was haphazardly throwing everything he owned into his old, tattered duffel bag. It wasn't taking long as he didn't have much. That was how he liked it. It made it much easier to pick up and leave whenever he needed to.

He had already changed out of the clothes Olly had loaned him. He left them carefully laid out on the edge of Olly's guest bed. The clothes had been nice, but Sterling was thankful to be out of them. They hadn't suited him—they had been too fancy for someone like him. Wearing them had felt like he was pretending to be someone he wasn't and he'd been doing too much of that lately—pretending. None of this—the charming town, the festive celebrations, the cutesy dates, the inkling of hope—was him.

Especially not the hope.

That had been his biggest mistake of all, letting himself hope.

Now finished, Sterling yanked the zipper of his duffel into place and slung it over his shoulder. He looked around Olly's apartment. It was surprisingly nice, considering the rough-edged bar below. Olly's white-flocked Christmas tree was still plugged in, glinting softly in the corner. Olly had left the garish decorations down in his bar; up here, it was still over the top, but much more stylish, everything carefully arranged in silver and white. Outside his big loft windows, the snow was falling harder. It wasn't the best weather to drive in, but Sterling had no other choice.

He couldn't stay here for another minute.

This was it—his last goodbye to the town of Winter Grove.

He thought of leaving a note for Olly, but that would only slow him down. He had his number. He'd text when he got there, wherever there was, to let him know he was safe. Sterling took one last look and turned to leave, locking the door behind him. He trudged down the steps back into the bar... Then he staggered to a stop.

Olly was there, waiting for him. His nice clothes were damp, slicked with snow and sweat. His face was bright red, contrasting against his bright white hair, and his chest was heaving like he had just run all the way here.

"What in St. Frick do you think you're doing?" he growled at the sight of Sterling with his bag.

"I told you, I'm leaving," Sterling said, shifting the duffel on his shoulder. "You said you needed me for the Christmas season, well, now the season's over so, I've got to be on my way."

"That's such crap!" Olly snapped back. "You said you'd stay for Christmas. You told me and Alicia you were staying. You told Celeste you were staying. What changed?"

"Things don't always go according to plan," Sterling said with a hollow laugh. "And it doesn't matter because I don't think Celeste is coming to your Christmas morning festivities, anyway."

"What?" Olly said, his brow tensing up with confusion. "Why not?"

"Because she's getting back with Jared, just like she wanted. So she'll be spending Christmas with him."

Olly scoffed. "I don't believe that."

"Believe it, don't believe it," Sterling said with a shrug. "It doesn't matter. It's true."

"And how do you know?" Olly snapped.

"I overheard them," Sterling said. As he traced the memory, his chest felt like it was being crushed all over again. His bag slid off his arm and fell to the floor with a whump. "After he asked to talk to her, I overheard him begging her to get back together."

Olly's face fell like he finally did believe. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Not kidding," Sterling said, taking a deep breath to center himself. He couldn't let this distract him while he was driving. The weather was worsening by the second, and he needed his wits about him. "It's for the best. Her plan worked. Everyone got what they wanted, just in time for Christmas."

"This isn't what I wanted," Olly countered. "I don't want you to go!"

"You knew this was temporary," Sterling said. "And since I'm no longer needed, I'm going."

"Stop saying that!" Olly was shouting now. "You don't need to be 'needed' to stick around. You're just running away again!"

"What if I am?" Sterling challenged.

"You're being a coward," Olly shot back. "And you're lying to yourself."

Sterling had to laugh. "How?"

Olly looked half-mad with frustration. "Because you have feelings for Celeste and you're not fighting for her!"

Sterling just stopped. He didn't have a smart little retort because it was true just as it was true that Celeste was back with Jared. So what did the truth matter now?

"Why would I fight for her?" Sterling said, and his voice gave a shake. "Celeste wants Jared, and she got him. So what's the point of hanging around and pining for someone who doesn't return those feelings?"

"You don't know that!" Olly said. "You never told her how you feel. Maybe if you did, maybe she'd—"

Sterling shook his head again. "There's no point."

"But you haven't seen what I've seen, what Alicia's seen," Olly said, throwing his arms into the air. "We... We think she has feelings for you, too. You have to tell her how you feel!"

"I can't," Sterling said, still shaking his head. "And maybe that does make me a coward. I've been hurt enough. I can't take any more."

He picked up his bag, brushed past Olly, and headed out the door. Olly's shoulders slumped as he watched him leave. He didn't chase after him. Sterling felt bad about leaving things like this, but he had to go.

Outside, the snow was really coming down. Sterling frowned up at the soft purple sky, the heavy flakes getting caught in his lashes. Under different circumstances, he wouldn't even think about driving in this weather. But he couldn't stay here for another moment. It was just too painful.

He headed over to his car and threw his bag in the back. The wind swirled around him, howling in his ears. It sounded like there were distant voices in the wind, almost calling to him...

He shook his head. That was a crazy thought. There was no one calling for him. Olly was still inside, watching him from the windows of the bar. He looked sad, like all the cheer from his favourite season had been sapped away. Sterling hoped Olly would forgive him, eventually.

He gave Olly one last look and climbed into his car. The wind was somewhat silenced, but he could still hear it circling around his car. As he inserted his key to start the car, he could almost hear the wind calling his name...

Wait.

He froze in his seat, hand at the ignition.

Someone was calling his name.

"Sterling!"

And he knew that voice.

Celeste.

He threw open the door and looked out, peering into the snow, trying to find her. With all the snow in the air, it was impossible to see much beyond a few feet...

And then, suddenly, out of the snow and wind, Celeste appeared, running as fast as she could, her copper curls flying behind her. The skirt of her green velvet gown was gathered in her hand, and she was barefoot, running through the snow straight to him. Sterling had to blink to make sure it was really her.

🎄

We're so close! Only one more update left... And it's TWO chapters!