Logan and his gingerbread friends chase each other around the refreshment hall. I stand with Stella and Dani next to the brownie tray. Definitely not monopolizing it. Aunt Holly and Hank say their hellos on the way to my parents.

"Hi honey," Aunt Holly pecks me on the cheek.

"Hi Aunt Holly," I say.

I watch them cross the tiled floor, zigzagging through the tables of cookies and hot cocoa and soda. They join my parents under the old basketball hoop.

"Logan!" Stella hollers beside me. "Logan, stop running in this hall!"

"Hey! Put that basket of candy canes back!" Dani chimes in.

"Oh, sweet baby Santa!" Stella lunges after a speeding Logan.

I take this opportunity to excuse myself to grab another foam cup of cocoa. That's when I see Nik approaching the snowflake covered table.

"Look who it is," Nik says, tucking his thumbs in his pockets.

"Yes, yes. It's me. At a holiday function. Again." I joke.

"Hey, you're the one drawing attention to it, not me." He shrugs.

"I came for the kids. And maybe the hot chocolate." I put the cup to my lips.

"And I came to see you," Nik says, smirking. "And because everyone else in town is here."

"That's a fairly accurate observation," I say, glancing around the hall.

"And everyone knows the best part is yet to come." Nik's lips turn into a smile.

"Best part?"

"The Christmas light walk," Nik tells me. He takes a sip of his own cocoa.

My phone buzzes in my pocket again but I keep ignoring it. I wish I didn't even bring it! All I care about looking at is Nik -Nik and his muscly pecks that I can see through his sweater! This should be a crime.

"Speaking of," Nik says, pulling my hand to his. "Would you care to escort me outside?"

"Yes, let's," I say.

We cross the hall, swept up in the light throng of traffic outpouring into the school's courtyard. I can feel my parents' eyes burning the back of my head just as well as I feel Nik's hand on mine. I know somewhere Deja is jumping for joy.

It is a crisp, clear night –perfect for Christmas light sight-seeing. In fact, it's so clear and the courtyard so brightly lit, I could swear it was mid-afternoon and not quarter 'til 9 PM.

"Perfect night for this," Nik voices my thoughts out loud.

"Seriously." I nod.

We fall into step behind a small group of elders. I eye them suspiciously, almost 100% sure they are the infamous carolers from the other day. The line snakes around the courtyard at a crawling pace like we're moving through some holiday themed, outdoor haunted house.

Bright fire-engine red and lime green lights dance across the white snow. The illuminated lawn literally reflects the light, glistening with the strength of one million diamonds. Even the least romantic person on planet Earth would have a hard time denying the moment right now.

"This one is my favorite. Been watching them build it for weeks," Nik says as we turn the corner.

About 20 or 30 semi-circle arches have been placed above the walkway so that it's almost a white-light tunnel. It stretches the whole length of the sidewalk.

"Breathtaking," I agree.

We walk under the luminous tunnel as icicles dangle feet above our heads. The peril is intoxicating –and I don't just mean the fake ice daggers.

I stare down at my hand in Nik's and still can't believe it. I cannot fathom how quickly our feelings escalated. Less than 10 days ago I was banking on a proposal from Preston! I was hoping to get laid in Hawaii! Even wear a necklace too!

Nik squeezes my hand and I feel my face smile without permission. I divert my eyes to focus on the blow-up Santa shouting Ho-Ho-Ho as we pass by.

Ho-Ho-Noe!

"So how long is this walk?" I ask, trying to force my mind to think about anything else besides cozying up to Nik in his cabin later.

"It wraps around the side and then back to the parking lot out front. The manger is the last scene I think," Nik answers.

"Manger. Ok."

My eyes drift curiously to a hidden gazebo tucked between the side of the building and three very beefy conical trees. It's outlined in blinking lights and painted red by spotlights on the courtyard lawn.

"Let's circle back to that," Nik whispers in my ear.

I almost jump in surprise. A chill runs down my spine as I feel his breath on the back of my neck.

"To the gazebo?"

"Yes," Nik says.

The last light display is a herd of reindeer standing around an inflated beach ball and ping-pong net. Reindeer games, anyone? We finish the loop with the rest of the group and empty into the parking lot from the side of the school.

"Come on," Nik says, pulling me by the hand.

We retreat back along the side of the brick building, against the flow of foot traffic. People cast us curious looks, but no one says anything. I'm thankful I don't run into Stella or my parents.

The courtyard is much less crowded as we reach the glowing ruby gazebo. It looks like an oversized gem set against the white snow. It is utterly quiet, except for the mysterious Christmas music of cour.se It's almost as if everyone has disappeared from the night. Everyone except us.

Nik walks up the gazebo steps and motions for me to join. I oblige.

"What are you doing?" I ask, climbing the final step to the raised platform. The gazebo's inside roof is also infested with blinking icicles.

"Just making a cozy nook," Nik says.

He uses his ungloved hand to swipe away the overdraft of snow that's fallen through the open sides. He brushes it onto the wooden floor, which is also dusted with a thin veil of icy snow. I watch Nik, admiring his arms and thinking about the time we built our snowman. It seems like ages ago we shared our first kiss inside his firelit cabin.

"And now we sit," he says.

I snap out of my reverie and back to the present –back to Nik. I see him in all shades of red as he moves under the rosy spotlights. I look down at my own coat and jeans, and I too am bathed in red.

I squeeze between Nik and the gazebo's wooden pillar.

"Now we sit."