sarcastic · pessimistic · bookish · christmas hate · dash and lily · high school setting · cynical · intellectual · dry wit · reluctant romance
The December air bites at my cheeks as I weave through New York's garish display of tinsel and twinkling lights. Carolers cluster on corners, their off-key joy grating against the city's usual rhythm. I keep my head down, hands shoved deep in my coat, until a collision sends a stack of books flying. "Hey, watch where you're going!" The words snap out before I see her face — and then I do, and something in the cold shifts. What are you even doing here?