I am standing here in the middle of the enchanted WinterWonderLand, surrounded by people and snowmen. The children are laughing, striving to do their best. Fir trees glisten from the freshly fallen snow, the aroma of apple punch and burnt wood is in the air. My sister's voice reaches my ears in a muffled tone, as do cheers and boisterous laughter. But I only notice this on the periphery. The handsome unknown man stands a little apart and watches the hustle and bustle. A slight smile adorns his handsome face and the viewfinder of his camera has already found the next subject. His posture changes, more upright, steadfast, with a clear goal in mind. That's how my best friend used to look when he was about to lead his team to victory on the football field. When he focused on what he was the best at.

A sharp pain on my neck makes me cringe in shock.
"Izzy are you crazy?", I hiss.
"You're doing it again," she answers me and I feel caught. It's true. I've been staring at every single encounter and I'm lucky he hasn't noticed. Not all men react calmly to being stared at. At least not when said counterpart is a heterosexual and perhaps even homophobic man. Twice it happened to me that I had to explain myself. I can do without this kind of contact. Even if New York is generally a lot more tolerant, there are still unenlightened people with a strange view of the world. But something tells me that it is not the case with this man. I can't tell what it is, whether it's the way he moves or the black-rimmed eyes? He's clearly wearing subtle eye make-up. And I love it.

"This is unbearable," my sister exclaims, throwing her arms in the air in frustration. I can't follow her, I'm too lost in thought. A fantasy for lonely hours of missing. Strong arms gently embracing me from behind, soft lips gliding feather-light over my heated skin and a sweet moan from the most beautiful mouth in the world. I am so lost.
My sister jerks me away, across the frozen ground between snow-covered pines I stand rooted to the spot and look into her angry face. A gloved finger digs into my chest.
"You," she presses out and I see the little white clouds of breath rise. With her eyes glittering with anger and the evaporating air of breath around her, she looks extremely similar to an enraged bull in the arena.
"Just stand here and don't move," she says and is immediately gone.

"Izzy what are you up to?", I call after her excitedly. I watch my sister as she trudges across the competition field on her short legs with a flowing black mane and long strides. She circles a group of parents and suddenly stops in front of the man who makes the blood in my veins boil. She looks at him and takes his hand. As if in slow motion, I see the two of them coming towards me. Izzy proud and grinning triumphantly, he a little awkward and slightly overwhelmed. All escape routes are blocked and it's not what I want either. Izzy presents me with what might be my last chance to get to know him. Because let's face it. What are the chances of us meeting here a fourth time by chance? Not high. Vanishingly small.

And before I realise what is happening, a muscular body bounces against my chest and I instinctively grab his arms to prevent a messy fall. He staggers slightly and immediately my grip tightens. I look into the most beautiful pair of brown eyes I have ever seen. The black of his pupils is a stark contrast to the many tiny green speckles that cavort in the irises. I can't decide if the sparkle comes from the lights around us, or if millions and millions of emeralds have found their final resting place in the eyes of the beautiful stranger. The glamour and beauty of WinterWonderLand pales beside this man. His hair is the same colour as mine, snowflakes cover the wonderfully soft looking splendour and I catch myself thinking of my hands burying themselves deep in this ocean. An unprecedented wave of arousal seizes me as he fixes my lips. I imagine his soft curved lips matching mine perfectly. My throat feeling raw and parched, I wet my lips and hear my sister's voice, "Look up."

Instinctively I follow her words and could scream with happiness. Above our heads hangs a green-leaved mistletoe with thick white berries. The big red bow symbolises the gift my sister has just given me. On a shiny polished silver tray she serves me the probably unique opportunity for a kiss with the man of my dreams.
Tentatively, even light as a feather, soft lips, chilled by the frost of this December evening, lie on mine. Only slowly does the information reach me and just as the handsome stranger is about to pull away again, I put my hands on his hips and press his body, trembling from the cold, close to mine. The pressure on our lips increases and I feel like I'm floating as the tip of his tongue pushes through my lips at the same time. Hot lust takes me captive, I never want to stop being so close to him. Stormy, demanding, with a pinch of softness, lips move in unison and tongues that were just fighting for dominance entwine playfully and demandingly.

As much as I love winter, I curse it at this moment. His hands are on the warming wool of my coat and I wish the sun would shine over our heads and bring the burning heat in my loins to my skin as well. Not thick pads but gossamer materials would separate us and bring the feel of his skin on mine closer. Jerkily he releases this all-forgetting kiss and catapults me abruptly back to reality. The world around us is noisy and the bubble in which we lost ourselves bursts. Thick flakes of starlight sail to earth and the black of his hair has already given way to a carpet of purity. The emeralds in his irises sparkle and the realisation of what has just happened is reflected in his face.

"Permisi. Saya tidak bermaksud menyerangnya. Maafkan saya." I have no idea what he said. But it sounds incredibly sexy coming out of his mouth. With cheeks flushed from the cold and little clouds of steam passing his slightly parted lips, he looks at me apologetically.
"I have no idea what you said. I don't care either. Let me buy you a coffee. And then you may kiss me again," I say smiling.
"Atau makan malam." Apparently he doesn't understand me. Disappointed, I look into his sparkling eyes and let my hands slide off his shoulders. Tons of my arms hang down beside my body, pulling me deeper into the frozen masses of earth with each agonisingly slow passing second.
"Bilang iya. Iya?"

"Iya?", I repeat, watching him beam all over. A feeling creeps over me that he has tricked me.
"When are you going to take me out?" he asks in a stunning accent. Smiling and scowling at the same time is not as easy as it sounds. My heart threatens to break through the barrier between our bodies and I suppress a spontaneous outburst of emotion. I don't want to scare him or make him feel like I'm making fun of him by watching me laugh out loud.
"You tricked me," I reply in a soft voice and give him a genuine smile. He bites his lower lip sheepishly and looks at me from his sparkling emerald eyes. How can a man look so good and hot and seem so innocent at the same time? Hissing, I draw in my breath and watch his reaction. He lowers his gaze, just a brief moment, and I see him already kneeling in front of me in a clear pose. A storm of lost emotions floods my body and I nod as he looks at me questioningly.
"A dinner and a kiss. How does that sound?", I ask, hoping for the right answer.
"That sounds very good. I'm Magnus," he replies, the sound of his name already deeply embedded in my head.

"Alexander," I say, staring at his lips as if spellbound. How I would love to kiss him again. To feel the softness of his lips on mine and taste the sweet aroma of fruity berries with a hint of cinnamon.

☃️🎄🎁

What Magnus says to Alec:

"Permisi. Saya tidak bermaksud menyerangnya. Maafkan saya."
Sorry. I didn't mean to assault them. I'm sorry about that.

"Atau makan malam."
Or dinner.

"Bilang iya. Iya?"
Say yes. Yes?