Caleb and Carmen arrived at Laracia town for the winter festival. It was buzzing with people from all over and the feeling of excitement filled the air. The streets and every shop were adorned with intricate, silver decorations that sparkled and shined in the sun. The duo walked around the town and marveled at all of the festivities, enjoying each other's company.

“This place is so pretty during this time of year. Thanks for bringing me here!” Carmen as her face lit up, admiring all of the decorations hanging on a nearby booth.

“Yeah, everything here reminds me of you.” Caleb softly replied, showing a casual yet charming smile.

Carmen looked over and was taken aback by his comment, her face turning red with each passing second.

“Come on, let’s go over to those merchant stands.”

He motioned for her to follow him and they took a look at the many booths strewn about, appreciating the craftsmanship of everything they had on display. After passing a few stands, Carmen stopped in front of one.

On the table were various accessories ranging from rings, bracelets, necklaces, and key chains. Her eyes caught a platinum bracelet with three scarlet colored gemstones that were in the shape of snowflakes. As she was wowed by its beauty, Caleb took notice and stepped forward to talk to the merchant.

“How much for this one?” He curiously asked.

The merchant told him the price and Caleb reached into his pocket, pulling out his expensive wallet.

“Oh no, you don’t have to get me anything. It’s fine.”

“No, let me get this. It’ll be my gift to you for coming with me today.”

Caleb showed yet another charming smile, not taking no for an answer. Carmen reluctantly nodded as he handed the merchant a few golden coins and picked up the bracelet.

“Give me your hand.”

Carmen did so and he gently clasped the trinket around her wrist. It jingled and glistened while Carmen happily inspected it.

“Thanks Caleb, I’ll always remember today thanks to this bracelet.” She responded with a big smile.

The wind began to blow and Carmen’s silver hair flew around her, sparkling in the winter sun. At that moment, Caleb was taken back to the first day he had met her. He swiftly grabbed Carmen’s hand and pulled her along.

“Come with me, I want to show you something.”

Carmen was surprised by the sudden pull and followed after him, wondering what he had in store. Despite the fairly long distance they had walked, Caleb continued to hold her hand tightly.

The duo eventually found themselves in front of a large tree at the edge of the town. It was covered from top to bottom in beautiful decorations and trinkets. Carmen was at a loss for words at how gorgeous this tree was.

“It’s so pretty!” Carmen exclaimed, having never seen anything like this before. Caleb was quiet until he nervously sighed, turning his body towards her.

“Carmen… Um… I like you… I like you a lot.” He softly said with a nervous expression, clearly struggling to get this off of his chest.

Carmen looked over at him, her face overcome with shock.

“Huh?”

“Every time I’m with you, my day is instantly better. I think about you everyday and I can’t stand seeing you in pain. I’ve honestly never felt like this about anyone until I met you…”

In that moment, his blue eyes locked onto hers. Carmen’s gaze widened and she began to blush, processing his words at a rapid pace. Caleb nervously patted the back of his head, lightly laughing at her reaction.

“I know this may come as a shock, but I just had to tell you. You, uh, don’t have to give me an answer today.”

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He continued to laugh awkwardly, trying to quell the silence between them. However, to his surprise, Carmen did something that caught him completely off guard. She stepped forward and leaned in close, tenderly kissing his cheek. Caleb was stunned by her actions as her lips left his face.

“I’m glad you said it first, because I didn’t know how to tell you how I felt. I’ve liked you for a while now too.” Carmen said with a smile.

Caleb’s heart beat wildly as he still felt the warmth of her soft lips. He quickly snapped out of his stupor and stepped forward, gently placing his hand on Carmen’s face.

He leaned in and began kissing her on the lips. Carmen didn’t hesitate or flinch as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the kiss, wrapping her arms around him. Even though it lasted for a brief moment, their first kiss felt like an eternity of bliss. Their faces separated and they stared each other in the eyes, smiling warmly.

“I guess I’m in your care now.” Carmen said with a soft chuckle. Caleb nodded and smiled with infinite levels of charm.

“For as long as I live, Carmen.”

They hugged each other tightly as the snow began to fall, creating an incredibly picturesque scene. Caleb and Carmen gazed at the little flakes dancing in the sky, thinking that the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. They spent more time at the festival together before heading back to LaVeda.

Once the winter festival came to a close and the night sky crept into view, Caleb walked Carmen back to her dorm.

“I had a really great time. Thanks for today.” Carmen said with a smile.

Caleb agreed and nervously laughed, still reeling from all the events that transpired.

“Soo, did you want to make things public?” He asked with a cautious tone.

Carmen took a moment to respond, clearly trying to think of the best way to approach this moving forward.

“No, I think we should keep it private for now. I don’t really feel like dealing with all of the attention right now.” She replied. Caleb nodded and completely understood where she was coming from.

“Sooo, I guess I’ll see you later?” Carmen added with a slight blush. Caleb smoothly pulled her in close and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

“Yeah, see you later.”

He continued to smile with infinite amounts of charm as he held her waist tightly. Carmen hugged him back and after saying their goodbyes, he walked away.

‘Oh.. My.. Goodness.. Is this real?? Today felt like a dream!’

Carmen lightly touched her lips, remembering the feeling of their kiss. Carmen grinned and happily made her way into the dorms, humming a tune once she stepped through the entrance. As Carmen entered the foyer, she saw Olivia walking by.

“Ah, hey Olivia! How are you?” Carmen asked with a gleeful cadence. Olivia slowly turned her head and replied, her voice sounding incredibly soft and weak at that moment.

“Hey Carmen…”

Olivia’s face was pale, eyes baggy, and overall she looked like the life had been sucked out of her.

“Are you okay?” Carmen asked with great concern. Olivia slowly nodded, struggling to come up with the words to respond.

“Yeah.. I.. Think I’ve just got a cold or.. Something. I’ll be fine.”

Before Carmen could reply, Olivia began to slowly walk down the hall, cutting their conversation short. Carmen looked back with great worry and confusion, wondering if she should call someone to help her. She shook off the feeling and started to go in the opposite direction, heading to her room.

When Carmen entered her dorm, she saw Elise quickly sit up from her lying position. It almost seemed like she was waiting patiently for Carmen to come home. They greeted each other and Elise started to bow her head.

“I’m sorry about earlier! I didn’t want you to see that side of me, but it happened in the worst way possible. I didn’t mean to force you away like that.” She exclaimed, feeling extremely apologetic for her sudden freak out earlier.

“It’s fine, Elise. I just thought you needed some space. It’s no biggie at all.” Carmen replied, quickly accepting the apology.

“If anything, I should be asking you if everything is okay.”

As Carmen sat on her bed, Elise walked over and took a seat next to her. She sighed while looking at the ground, clearly pondering what her response should be.

“Remember that story I told you guys during the midterm? About my… uh, situation..”

Elise glanced over at Carmen and awaited confirmation. Carmen slowly nodded, prompting Elise to continue on.

“Well, ever since that moment in my life, I’ve been dealing with an issue… Every time a male of any kind touches me, I freak out. My skin crawls and those feelings of that man assaulting me comes over my mind and body. I can’t stand it at all.” Elise softly said with a heavy sigh.

“I tried to attend other schools and ignore the issue, thinking it would just go away with time, but the same problem kept happening. My grandma even put me in therapy for it, but it didn’t help. Nothing helps at all.”

Tears began to well up and stream down Elise’s face as she revealed her situation. Carmen sat there in silence, simply listening to everything Elise was saying. After a few moments, Elise continued to speak.

“And because of this, I’ve gotten a reputation of being an unapproachable object that will lose its mind if you get too close. Combine this with the financial problems my father caused and you can see why no one ever wants to be around me. I’m cursed to be alone forever.”

Elise burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Carmen patted her on the back and brought Elise’s head to her shoulder, letting her cry it out.

“Hey, there, there. You’re not alone anymore. You’ve got me and Mariah now, we aren’t going anywhere and we won’t treat you differently. That’s a promise.” Carmen said gently, rocking back and forth as she held Elise close to her.

They stayed like this for a few moments until Elise fell asleep on Carmen’s shoulder. Carmen smiled and laid Elise back onto the bed, pulling up the covers to keep her warm.