Cycle 29-15: Christmas Time is Here (Patreon)

/// I WAS SO CLOSE

IT WAS A FEW WEEKS OFF FROM CHRISTMAS

Oh, well. It's admittedly closer than I thought I'd get when we started. Just pretend we're still in December!

///

As Saturday rolled around, Kaitlyn found herself pacing nervously in her room.

What if… what if I'm wrong? What if he doesn't like me back?

It didn't seem likely. Not with how off-script this loop had gone so far. But it was still possible she'd screwed something up with her indecision after the beach trip.

What if I've completely misread everything? What if it's just wishful thinking?

She flopped down onto the bed, pulling on a pair of sneakers. It wasn't the craziest thing. She'd only had one romance ending before, so it wasn't like she had a pattern to draw from. Especially given how different Philip's route had been so far.

…Even if he doesn't say something, I will. She finished tying her shoes and stood. Because it's true. I like him. I can say that with full confidence now. Although… what if ME saying it messes things up? What if it has to come from him?

As worries and fears abounded, Kaitlyn wrapped herself in her thickest jacket and headed downstairs. Philip had warned her to dress warmly, and she had no intention of brushing that instruction off. She hated being cold.

Stepping outside, a strong gust of winter air buffeted her face, sending her hair whipping about wildly. Kaitlyn hunched into herself, shoving hands into pockets.

Shoot. Maybe this jacket isn't enough.

Unfortunately, it was too late to change. Philip had already texted her that he was here, and she had no desire to keep him waiting. Even if it was technically a few minutes before 6 PM.

Glancing across the road revealed Philip's faded blue sedan parked in the lot. Hurrying over toward it, Kaitlyn quickly opened the passenger side door and hopped inside as Philip looked up from a book.

"Sorry," Kaitlyn rubbed her hands together for warmth. "Did I make you wait?"

"Not at all." Philip snapped the book closed. "In fact, you arrived much more quickly than I anticipated. I had only just begun reading."

Kaitlyn sagged slightly with relief. Good. I was worried there for a minute.

As she buckled in, Kaitlyn took in the sight of the guy. A familiar black sweatshirt hung across his shoulders, its cuffs riddled with crudely darned holes. Its front was unzipped enough that she could see a blue knitted sweater underneath. Casual pants had replaced his usual slacks, though she couldn't see if his footwear had been similarly replaced.

"So… are you gonna tell me where we're going?" She asked as Philip turned the car on.

"You will see when we get there." He turned the heater up – not to full blast, but to a comfortable medium. "But first, my sister wished for me to give you this."

Philip opened up the center console of the car, placing his book inside and retrieving what appeared to be a small keychain. On it hung what appeared to be a stuffed rabbit about the size of a small apple. The rabbit was quite obviously handmade, with a pink tube-like body that split into two straight "ears" that pointed out of its head. It didn't have any limbs, either, just button eyes and a crookedly-sewn face.

"Merry Christmas."

"It's…" Kaitlyn stared at the present as Philip placed it in her hands. "It's adorable! Did she make this?"

Philip nodded. "With a significant amount of guidance from my grandmother. She used to make rabbits like these herself when we were younger. They're made from old socks. I ensured that Serena washed this one quite thoroughly before working on it, so don't worry."

Kaitlyn continued to stare at the plump form of the rabbit in her hands. Eventually, she looked up with a grin. "Tell her I said thank you. She really didn't have to!"

"She insisted." Philip shrugged. "It was the least she could do after what was, and I quote 'the bestest birthday in the whole universe.'"

Kaitlyn giggled. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Still though… that was awfully nice of her."

"I will make sure to communicate your appreciation." A faint smile tugged at his lips.

"I'm actually kind of surprised she's not here." Kaitlyn turned around to check the backseat. "I wasn't sure if you would bring her, too."

He shook his head. "She had matters of her own to tend to. Namely, a friend's Christmas party. Perhaps next time she will be able to join us."

Kaitlyn nodded. She was almost a little disappointed not to see the girl again, but that was ok. Maybe it was better this way.

"Now, shall we get going?"

At her agreement, they headed out. Along the way they made small talk about classes and the end of the semester. Kaitlyn had once more aced all her finals just for the sake of doing it. It was an easy task to check off the list at this point, so why not? Philip, for his part, didn't have any finals, but expressed satisfaction with his performance in all of his classes. Especially Algorithms.

I'm pretty happy with that one, too. Kaitlyn smiled. Though I can't imagine trying to do it on my own. That class was a nightmare and a half. I'm never going back.

They also talked about plans for the upcoming holidays. Philip was, unsurprisingly, intending to work through them for the extra money they'd bring in. Though some of the businesses would be closed, he could make up for the difference by picking up extra shifts in the ones that were open. Kaitlyn neatly skirted around the topic of her own holiday plans, however.

The whole while, Kaitlyn continued to glance out the windows in an effort to spot where they were going. The streetlights flickered on as the dwindling sunlight faded into an early dusk.

I mean, it's not like I really know what's out here, anyway, she admitted. But still. Maybe I'll recognize a landmark or something.

About ten minutes later, the sedan wheezed around a corner and revealed a new scene. Before them lay a sprawling park filled with trees and people alike. Long, twisting walkways curved under arches of tall oaks slightly reminiscent of the ones at Hartland. In the distance, she could just make out taller buildings and spotlights to one end of the grassy expanse

But that wasn't what caught her attention. What really made her sit up were the lights.

Bright, sparkling lights of every color decorated the entire area. White and gold strands wound up the pine trees, culminating in bright stars at their tops. The oaks bore wrappings of rainbow light along their trunks and branches alike, outlining them against the background. Icicles of blue hung down from wires strung between the trees, while red and white swirled through archways set over the winding park path. The entire place glowed with festive specks of light.

"We've arrived."

For a moment, she didn't respond. She just took in the sight with wonder. "Wow…"

Philip squeezed into a lucky parking spot and turned the car off. Opening his door, he stepped around to the other side to open Kaitlyn's for her. The cold blast of wind coming through the opening brought her out of her stupor.

The tutor gestured with his free hand. "After you."

She grinned. "Thanks."

The pair joined the mass of bundled bodies milling about the path, taking in the sights. The place was bustling and full of activity, but in this case it felt like a good thing. The dense crowd blocked a lot of the wind and kept Kaitlyn warmer than she otherwise might have been.

They walked down the winding trail, simply drinking in the sights. Kaitlyn continued to marvel with a grin on her face. It was hard not to. There were a lot of lights, not to mention the other decorations.

This is… amazing. She pulled her gaze away from the large clear orbs made to look like snowglobes. People stepped inside and posed in scenes of the North Pole and Santa's workshop to take pictures. I mean, someone put a lot of effort into these decorations.

Kaitlyn glanced over at Philip. The lights reflected in his eyes, filling their usual stormy grey with glittering rainbow pinpricks. He, too, looked around at the scene with appreciation, though not the same level of awe as Kaitlyn felt. His gaze flicked to hers.

"What do you think?"

"It's awesome…" Kaitlyn breathed. It came out in a misty cloud.

"I'm glad." He gave a slight nod. "I was uncertain if this would be an appropriate venue. There were other options I considered, but…"

"No, it's perfect." She hurriedly reassured him. "Better than perfect. It… reminds me of times with my family, actually."

"How so?"

"Well, my dad used to take us driving around the local neighborhoods every Christmas Eve," Kaitlyn explained. The nostalgia washed over her as she remembered it. "We'd go and look at all the houses that were decorated and drink hot cocoa. There were some that went all-out, I mean really overboard."

Memories of brightly-lit roofs and trying not to spill her cocoa in the backseat brought a sad smile to her face. They'd fallen out of the tradition as she'd grown up, but that didn't mean she'd forgotten about it.

"I see. I'd like to hear more about your family, if you're willing to share. But first," Philip pointed. "There does appear to be a hot chocolate vendor right there if you'd like to enjoy a cup."

Looking over, Kaitlyn spotted a small table covered in red cloth. Atop it sat a beverage dispenser and a few stacks of disposable cups. Sure enough, a handwritten sign advertising "HOT CHOCOLATE" hung from its front.

"Oh! Yeah, I'd love that!" Kaitlyn stepped toward the table, but Philip stopped her.

"Allow me to pay for this one."

Her eyes widened. Philip, spending money on something like this?! It's unheard of!

She gathered her thoughts as Philip stared at her expectantly. "You don't have to pay. I brought cash, I can buy it!"

He shook his head. "I have budgeted for this trip. Not to worry."

She glanced at the listed prices. They were pretty cheap, so maybe it wouldn't be too big of a deal for him to pay. And seeing that he wouldn't back down, Kaitlyn eventually nodded. "If you're sure…"

Philip nodded and, a moment later, returned with two steaming cups. He handed one to Kaitlyn, keeping the other for himself.

He… he actually likes me, doesn't he?

The thought warmed Kaitlyn's cheeks. Whispers about the game and romance endings crept up within her mind like seeking tendrils, but she forced them out for the moment. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy the evening. She wouldn't let worries about progress get in the way of that. Maybe once it got late in the evening. But not a minute before.

"Thank you. Really." She held onto the cup with both hands, letting it warm her stiff fingers as she sipped on the chocolaty concoction. A satisfied sigh slipped out of her.

"You're welcome." Philip graced her with a gentle smile. A small one, but a smile nonetheless.

Ah, yeah. Now this is perfect.

***

As they walked, they shared stories of their childhoods – the good ones this time. At first Kaitlyn felt a little uncomfortable about it, knowing Philip's childhood situation. But the guy had more happy memories than she'd given him credit for, mostly involving his father and Serena. It made her feel a little better about sharing her own.

Eventually, they reached the end of the path. It opened up into a large plaza peppered with vendors and food trucks. Christmas music echoed across the area as they meandered about, looking over the various offerings. Neither Kaitlyn nor Philip found themselves that interested in the souvenirs or presents on offer, understandably. Though she did buy a beaded bracelet with a rabbit charm on it for Serena. It was a bit of a pointless gesture, given that the girl would probably never receive the Christmas gift. But it felt nice anyway.

Aside from that though, the pair generally remained cheapskates. Philip insisted on buying food, to her continued surprise, though she managed to extract concessions that she could pay for dessert. Concessions that she used to full effect.

A short while later, Kaitlyn and Philip found their arms full of crepes, warm slices of pie, and the tastiest looking cookies she'd seen in ages. Someone had even had cake pops on offer, a treat that sent her mind immediately whirling with possibilities for Kate's Kitchen. There was no way she'd pass on the sheer variety here. Not at the end of the loop, and especially not when she had someone to share them with.

"Kaitlyn?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you considered the issue of how we are to consume all this, given our mutual lack of free hands?" Philip nodded down at the plates he held.

"...Oh yeah. Whoops?" Kaitlyn glanced down at the boxes in her own grip. "...Sorry. I got excited."

"I can tell." Philip sighed. "I suggest that we find a place to sit down and enjoy what we already have, then return if you remain unsatisfied. Though I would expect you to have difficulty finishing all of this…"

"Hey, it's not just for me!" She shot back. "You're supposed to eat this stuff, too."

Philip shook his head at her excess. "I suppose I will need to pitch in at this point. Though I found myself quite satisfied by dinner."

"Well, you've obviously never heard of a dessert stomach." Kaitlyn grinned. "We'll be fine, trust me."

"Very well." The tutor nodded toward a gazebo set apart from the plaza. "How about we settle over there?"

"Sure. Oh, but look! They have chai spiced hot chocolate!"

"Kaitlyn…"

"Right, you're right. Let's go."