Christmas has never really been (Yn) Calvin's thing.
Since her parents divorce when she was only eight, (Yn) hasn't believed in Santa Claus, the Christmas spirit, or magic. Now, at sixteen, she only lives with her father, Scott Calvin, who is never...
Bernard's finger gently grazed my knuckle back and forth as we held hands and walked down the hall. I smiled a bit as I admired the way our hands fit together. I adored the way his hand strongly held mine; it made me feel safe knowing that he didn't want to lose ahold of my hand.
A little while later we finally reached our destination: Bernard's office. As he pulled out his key to unlock the door, I gave him a slightly annoyed look. "I thought we were taking the day off?"
"Don't worry, we are." He smiled, and swung the door open, revealing a blanket spread out across the hardwood floor in front of the warm fire in the fireplace. The blanket was piled with tea cakes, cookies, sandwiches, and a bowl of fruit. Rose petals were sprinkled across the blanket and small heart-shaped candles rested in the middle.
I gasped in surprise. "Oh, B...it's beautiful!"
"You like it?" He checked. "I know it's pretty simple compared to our normal dates."
"I love it!" I spoke, wrapping my hands around his own. "Sometimes it's nice to have things simple. Our dates don't always have to be super extravagant for them to matter to me. What matters the most to me is being able to spend time with you."
Bernard smiled and led me to the blanket, sitting me down. He sat beside me and poured me a glass of sparkling cider. As I took a sip of the drink and felt fizzing on my tongue, I glanced at Bernard who was pouring himself a glass. "Hey, B? Can I ask you something random?"
He glanced at me. "What do you want to ask?"
"Well...I've been wondering this for a while, but why is it that you look older than the other elves? I mean, they all look like kids, but you look like you're a teenager."
Bernard set his glass down. "I honestly don't know. All elves are born of Christmas spirit, and that spirit usually takes the form of a child. I guess I just took the form of a teenager." He shrugged. "I used to feel insecure about it...until I met you."
I blushed a tiny bit. "What do you mean?"
"Whenever I visited you, I saw the struggles you faced. I realized that if you were strong enough to push through it all, then I was too." He gave me a small smile. "Your strength inspired me to look past my insecurities."
"I had no idea...thank you, Bernard."
Bernard placed his hand overtop my own. "I'm only telling you the truth, Snow Angel."
"I'm not the only one who inspires people," I said with a grin. "I think I can speak for all the elves when I say you inspire them every single day. You inspire me every single day."
"Really?"
"Of course! Your Christmas spirit is unlike any I've ever seen. Just look at how you fired up the elves to fight against toy soldiers and an evil Santa Claus!" I glanced at the crackling fire in the fireplace. As the flames danced with one another I smiled to myself. "Not to even mention all that you've done for me. Ever since we met you have always been there for me. You've been a shoulder to cry on, someone to laugh with, a friend who I trust with my deepest secrets, and the man I fell in love with."
Bernard's sparkly cheeks became pink as he looked at me with eyes full of love. "I love you, Snow Angel. I love you more than you could ever know."
:-:-:-:-:
It was getting close to dusk when Bernard and I decided to take a walk through the winter woods. I loved the woods at sunset because beautiful hues of red, pink, and purple mixed together in the sky above. Rays of light beamed onto the ground below, lighting up the snow and ice that coated the trees.
We walked hand in hand in pure silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was a peaceful silence. We were simply taking in the forest around us, enjoying one another's company.
The blanket of snow that covered the earth was untouched by elves, or wildlife, telling me that Bernard and I were the first ones to come to this place. As our boots trekked through the wintery path, soft crunching sounds escaped from the snow.
After a little while of walking in the winter wonderland, Bernard and I reached a small clearing at the edge of the woods. The forest met a cliffside that overlooked a frozen lake. The lake stretched all the way to the edge of the giant ice dome that protected the Pole from the outside. The setting sun shined through the dome, casting a kaleidoscope of warm colors onto all its light touched.
The rays of light lit up my (ec) eyes as I gazed at the scene in awe. I was taken aback by the stunning view and was beginning to wonder how I had never known this was here. "This view is incredible." I softly spoke, my breath sending a small cloud of air into the sky.
"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..." Bernard whispered from beside me.
I glanced over at him, and my cheeks became one of the shades of pink that painted the sunset. Bernard wasn't looking at the sunset. He was only looking at me. A small smile rested on his face, and I began to feel my own lips mirroring the grin.
Suddenly Bernard gently took my hand in his own and got down on one knee.
I put my hand over my mouth in pure shock as tears welled up in my eyes. My heartbeat quickened as Bernard sweetly smiled at me.
"(Yn), I love you. I love you more than anything in the whole world. From the moment we met, you've become a source of joy and light in my life. You've been with me through my darkest and my happiest times, and you love me regardless. I've been alive for 1600 years, and I've never been more joyful than I am when I'm with you. Snow Angel, you are the strongest, most compassionate, and most beautiful person I've ever met, and I would be honored to be by your side for the rest of our lives." Bernard nervously grinned as he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small box covered in (fc) velvet. He opened it to reveal a silver ring. "(Yn) Claus, will you make me the happiest elf on earth and marry me?"
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I only stared at him with tears pouring down my cheeks; I was too star-struck to respond. My thoughts were only taken up by one thing: Bernard is asking me to marry him.
Bernard must've taken my reaction as a 'no' because he nervously shook his head. "Or not, that's totally fine too!" He quickly blurted, trying to slide the ring back into his pocket. "Just forget I ever said any-"
"YES YES YES!!" I exclaimed, suddenly finding my voice. I threw my arms around Bernard and we toppled into the snow together. "Of course, I'll marry you, Bernard," I spoke through tears of joy.
Bernard's arms wrapped around me, and his grin stretched from ear to ear. He chuckled a bit and wiped the tears off of my cheeks. "Why are you crying?"
I giggled as I stared into his chocolate-brown eyes. "I'm just...I'm just so happy. I love you so much, B."
Bernard leaned his face close to mine so that our foreheads were touching. "I love you, too."
