"How do I look?" I'm standing in front of the mirror in my hallway and nervously stare at my reflection. It's Monday, the day I decided to go back to work. Back to normal. Insofar as that is possible.

Zach's leaning against the wall next to me with crossed arms and watches me with an amused smirk.

"You look great, Olivia, you always do!" he says and steps closer, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

"You know you don't have to go if you don't feel ready yet, right?" He eyes me through the mirror and buries his nose into my hair.

I sigh and turn around.

"No, I want to. I'm just nervous to go back to my normal life," I reply.

Zach cups my face and pierces me with his dark eyes, "Don't worry. If it's getting all too much for you, just call me and I'll pick you up."

I relax on the stop under his touch. Somehow, Zach always finds the right words to soothe me.

"Thank you!" I whisper and smile up to him.

He gives me a quick, soft kiss and steps back.

"Ready to go?" he asks.

I nod, grab my bag and keys, and step out of my cozy, little apartment. Out into the cold world again.

The freezing temperature lets me shiver. It's the last day of November and it snowed pretty much the last couple of days.

I smile at the wintry surrounding. Cars covered with snow, the very few people which are already on the move are wearing warm winter coats and woolen hats, and a black stray cat leaves small, cute paw prints in the snow on the concrete.

Zach steps beside me and slides his warm fingers into my hand. He gives me an encouraging smile and we start walking towards Jack's Diner.

Many of the doors and windows we're walking by are festively decorated. My mood gets better and better the farther we get.

I love Christmas and everything about it. The thrill of anticipation, the warm lights everywhere, Christmas music is to be heard on every corner, but, most of all, it's the generosity people seem to have at that time of the year what makes me really happy.

"What are you smiling at?" Zach asks me nosily.

"I'm getting those first Christmas-vibes, you know?" I answer cheerfully, "the snow, the lights... just everything. That's exactly what I needed today!"

Zach chuckles and squeezes my hand tenderly.

"It's nice to see you this carefree and happy again! That makes me happy too!" he states with a broad grin on his face.

I stop and turn to him. Zach tilts his head and eyes me quizzically. A smirk plays upon my lips before I grab his collar and pull him down for a stormy kiss. Stunned by my enthusiasm, Zach raises his eyebrows, but doesn't hesitate to kiss me back. He grabs my waist and pulls me close to his body. His fingers sneak under my jacket and stroke over my back.

We stand there for a little while, enjoying just us and the sudden happiness, which overtook us.

Something cold landing on the tip of my nose lets me pull away. I look upward and notice it just started snowing again.

Zach, who also stares at the sky, has a broad grin on his face.

"I feel like we're in a movie!" I state, not even trying to hold back the goofy smile on my face.

"I have to admit it's pretty cheesy!" Zach lets out an amused laughter.

I lower my eyes and find Zach's gaze on me. The way he looks at me, his eyes full of warmth and tenderness, makes my heart skip a beat. He gives me a soft peck, grabs my hand, and we continue our way. It's still dark, but due to the snow the surrounding appears much brighter than it actually is.

The rest of the way we walk side by side in silent, just enjoying each others company and the warmth of our interlocked hands.

We arrive at the Diner at a quarter to six. I turn to Zach and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling his head close to mine.

"Thanks for bringing me. That was the nicest morning walk I've ever had, I guess!" I whisper with a frisky smile.

Zach tenderly kisses the tip of my nose.

"Get used to it. I'll pick you up at 4!" he retorts with a wink and turns to leave.

I smilingly gaze after him and draw a deep breath before I go inside.

Here we go!

Abbey is just nipping from her coffee as I enter the back office. She looks dead tired with her ginger hair in an even more messy bun than usual and very dark shadows under her eyes.

Her face lights up when she spots me walking in, and she immediately puts her cup down to pull me into a very tight hug.

"I'm glad you're here. Good to have you back at work, hun," she sighs in relief.

I chuckle at her sentimentality.

"I told you I'll be back today. It feels kind of weird to be back at the Diner, to be honest. So much happened since my last shift at Jack's!"

Abbey steps back and eyes me with a caring face.

"If you feel uncomfortable in any situation, just call on me and I'll be there!" she says, gently squeezing my upper arms.

"Thanks, Abbey. I'm glad to have you here with me!" I state and shoot her a thankful glance.

I look around.

"Where's Jack, by the way?" I ask Abbey and frown.

She just shrugs her shoulders.

"He's not in yet... Maybe he's taking a day off, I don't know. Would be great though. He's acting so strange lately!" she says with an eye-roll.

"Doesn't he always act strange?!" I give Abbey a confused look.

"It's a different sort of strange. He was extremely moody. Much worse than his usual grumpiness. Working with him was difficult to bear. He got way too many phone-calls lately, and every time his phone rang, he just ran for the back office immediately. Something is wrong, I'll tell you!" Abbey takes another sip of her coffee and sighs.

"Mmh, did you manage to listen to any of his calls?" I ask while pouring myself a cup of coffee.

"No, he was very careful to keep his calls private. Whenever I entered the room while he was at his god damn phone, he hung up immediately," Abbey tells me, shaking her head.

"Hmm. I guess, we'll just have to wait and see then!" I shrug my shoulders and take a sip of my coffee.

Honestly, I don't care about Jack's life that much. He's just a forty-seven-year-old guy who's grumpy all the time and treats his staff like shit.

Today started off so nice, I don't want to ruin this by worry about Jack's shady dealings.

Abbey nods taking one last sip and we head to the front side of the Diner and get to work.

The whole day, Jack doesn't show up, but Abbey and I have not much time to think or talk about him since it's quite busy throughout the day.

At 3pm, I lock the door after the last guests have left the Diner. I turn around and breathe deeply, taking in the utter chaos in front of me. Plates are piled up on most of the tables, a bunch of empty glasses are standing on the counter and the floor is sticky all over. If we plan on leaving in time, we'd better hurry up.

I turn up the music to full volume and start clearing the tables.

Abbey's sitting on top of the counter, dangling her legs.

"What a bitch of a day!" She frowns, "But at least I've spent it with you. We haven't got much time together lately."

"I know! I'm so sorry... It's just, I...," I start to explain, but Abbey butts in.

"You're madly in love, Livie. A blind man could see that." She giggles and adds with a soft voice, "That's okay. I mean, we all know how it is to fall in love."

My cheeks start burning instantly and I awkwardly smile at her.

Is it that obvious?

"He's treating me so well, Abbey. With him I always feel special!" Hearing these words coming out of my mouth makes me chuckle in embarrassment.

I wonder if my eyes are already heart-shaped.

"I'm honestly so happy for you. You deserve to feel special and unique, because you really are, Olivia!" Abbey laughs softly. "Just promise you won't forget about your amazing best friend, okay?!"

I playfully nudge her with an eye-roll.

"How could I ever forget you?!" I retort and wink at her.

A knock on the door distracts us from fooling around.

Zach's standing in front of the Diner with his hands in his pockets and a big grin on his face.

I frown and point at the big clock on the wall above the counter. He's way too early.

Zach just shrugs and his grin becomes even wider.

"You can go! I can deal with that mess by myself." Abbey shoots me an amused smirk.

"You're sure?" I frown but can't hide my excitement.

Abbey rolls her eyes and waves me away.

"Go on already before I change my mind." Abbey winks at me and blows me a kiss.

A broad smile appears on my lips and I quickly peck her cheeks.

"You're the best. Thanks, honey!" I grab my stuff and head outside.

Zach tilts his head and eyes me with a shrewd smile.

"You're early!" I state and he steps forward and kisses my forehead. A small gesture, but with so much meaning in it.

"Just couldn't wait to see you again, I guess!" He shrugs, smirking at me.

I let out a deep sigh and sneak my hands under his off-white winter jacket, wrapping them around his waist. I feel his firm muscles under my fingers and enjoy the warmth spread by his body.

"Tough day?" he asks, pulling me close.

"Mmh," I mutter into his chest.

Zach's familiar scent rises in my nose, and I close my eyes for a brief moment, breathing it in as if I haven't seen him in two weeks.

Can you already miss someone from whom you were apart just for a few hours?

Zach kisses my hair and pulls away.

"Well, you're not the only one who has been busy today," he smiles a secret smile and winks at me.

"Come on, I've got plans for us." He interlocks our fingers and pulls me with him.

"Zach where are we going? My apartment is the other way," I ask him with narrowed eyes and a puzzled expression.

"It's a surprise," Zach answers and continues walking.

I feel a slight excitement coming up in my belly and let him lead the way.

"You won't tell me where we are going, don't you?" I ask him with one raised brow.

"Nope," he shoots me an amused glance and stops next to an Uber, opening the door for me.

With an insecure look in Zach's direction, I crawl in the back seat and scoot over so Zach can sit down beside me. Once in the car, he instantly puts his hand on my thigh.

I peek at his hand which causes little electric shivers wandering up my legs.

The Uber driver shoots a quick glance at Zach who nods at him with an affirming smile, and the driver starts the engine.

Of course, he brought the Uber driver into the loop.

That's actually pretty sweet.

I realize we hadn't had a proper date yet. No drinks at a bar, no fancy dinner, not even a lunch date. We just hung around in my house all the time.

I interlock my fingers with his and look outside of the window, watching the buildings and people rolling past. It stopped snowing a few hours ago, but there's still a lot of snow on the ground.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" Michael Bublé carols out of the speaker in our Uber and I can't help but smile.

You're so damn right, Michael, and I love it!

I turn my head and face Zach, who's watching me with an amused look.

"You're adorable," he states and kisses me softly on my forehead.

I smile shyly and tilt my head with a frown.

"Is this...," I pause. Immediately my cheeks become rosy.

Why do I blush so easily? That damn blood flow.

"Is this what?" Zach asks me with a questioning smile.

"Is this a date, Zach?" I whisper, biting my bottom lip.

He chuckles warmly, "Do you want it to be a date?"

"I'd love to go on a date with you," I shyly reply to his question.

"Good, because I considered it as a date anyway" Zach smiles from ear to ear and playfully winks at me.

My current attire comes into my mind. I'm still in my Diner uniform and my bun is a complete mess after my ten-hour shift.

"But I'm not really dressed for a date, Zach. My hair's all messy and I'm still wearing my work clothes!" I state with a frown.

"Don't worry, you don't even have to put off your jacket," Zach retorts and adds, "Aside from that you look good no matter what you wear!"

"Alright." I shrug and smile. Reassured by his words I rest my head on his shoulder and enjoy the closeness as Zach places his chin on my hair.

We silently drive through the streets for a while and after a few minutes the driver stops the car and Zach leans forward to pay him. He gets out of the car and rushes over to my side to open the door for me.

I hesitantly put my feet on the concrete and get out of the car.

Curious where Zach has brought me, I look around and my face lights up as I notice the place in front of my eyes.