Iris

For the Autumn lovers, the Apple Picking Festival was heaven. The air smelled like a candle, all spices and apples and something a little earthy underneath it. Leaves crunched and crackled beneath boots or rolled in rustling piles under trees whose scarlet and gold clad limbs cast speckled shadows over the ground. Everyone's cheeks were chilled and rosy, and scarves and gloves were the hottest selling item as the temperatures continued to plummet.

Unable to find any gloves I liked, I warmed my fingers on a cup of hot caramel cider and watched Lexi haggle with a man over a pair of apple earrings. It didn't matter that she purchased six almost identical pairs from two other vendors. The woman had a serious problem.

"Uh oh. I see earrings are this year's fixation."

Garrett smiled and bit into a pretzel. His arm brushed against mine. I clenched my cup hard enough to bend the cardboard container. We were both wearing coats. Our skin didn't even touch. And yet, a thrill went down my spine.

"Does she do this every year?"

"Last year it was..." He chewed and furrowed his brows. "Mushrooms. Mushroom figurines."

"That's...different."

"That's Lexi."

The vendor threw up his hands and walked to a table with several boxes. Lexi followed, looking over her shoulder to with a grin on her face. A grin that grew wider when she saw who stood next to me.

"You two might want to go on without me." The vendor groaned. "This is going to take a while."

"We can wa—"

"See you later, Lex," Garrett said, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me onto the stone path winding through the fairgrounds where the festival was held.

"Should we leave her alone?"

His fingers dangled over my shoulder and toyed with the end of my braid. A few gentle tugs sent tingles along my scalp, and I wondered why I was being difficult. Oh, this version of Garrett was going to be very dangerous.

"Lexi can take care of herself."

"I'm not worried about Lexi." I tossed the empty cup into a trash can.

He threw back his head and laughed, pulling me against him. To anyone passing by, we looked like a postcard couple. Me with my knitted orange beanie and boots. Him with his tan corduroy jacket, black-rimmed glasses, and two-day scruff lining his jaw. But no matter how perfect it looked from the outside, it was a fantasy, because Ivy was the woman he wanted, not Iris.

Not me.

"Look, apple bobbing," he said, his arm falling over my shoulder as he quickened his pace.

Emptiness crept over me at the loss of his warmth, but it didn't last for long. He reached back, took my hand, and abruptly came to a halt. Grabbing my other hand, he pinned both between his and put his mouth against the crack between them and blew blissfully hot air over my numb fingers.

"Where are your gloves?"

"I didn't pack any."

A dark piece of hair slipped over his forehead as he tilted his head. "Guess you'll just have to let me keep you warm. Now come on."

"What happened to keeping me warm?" I shouted a few moments later as we got on our knees in front of barrels filled with water and apples. Efforts from the previous contestants left the ground damp and cold.

Hands behind his back, he grinned at me from across his barrel. The black eye was barely visible behind his glasses. "Where's your sense of adventure, Wilson?"

Wilson. I liked that. Would he think it weird if I asked him to use my last name all the time? Probably.

"Oh, I have a sense of adventure," I teased back, shifting my weight as my knees grew wet. "But I like competition more. What do I get if I win?"

A devilish gleam lit up his green eyes. "I'll finish what I started yesterday."

Oh. I swallowed and licked my lips, loving the way he followed the slight movement. "And if you win?"

The lady running the apple bobbing held up her hand. "On the count of three! One, two—"

Garrett's voice was rough when he answered. "I'll finish what I started yesterday."

"Three!"