But it’s not like I haven’t made spontaneous plans with other people I’ve met on my travels, is it? Am I overthinking this just because it’s Jasper?
Is that disappointment in his eyes? He quickly rearranges his expression to one of understanding. ‘Totally get it. It’s a big trip. We barely know one another and here I am asking you to spend an entire month with me. But something tells me we’d have the time of our lives, Aubrey.’
Damn it. Something tells me that too.
I can’t control my big goofy smile.
* * *
Later that evening, we meet the Unlucky in Love Travel Club at Tivoli Gardens. It’s a popular theme park and lush gardens with something for everyone. It’s rumoured to be the magical place that gave Walt Disney his inspiration for Walt Disney World. During the festive season, the park sparkles under thousands of twinkling fairy lights, making the place feel like something truly out of a fairytale.
‘There they are.’ I point to our friends huddling together, steaming mugs of hot drinks in their hands. The scent of pine trees fills the air as we make our way to them.
‘Did you know,’ Princess says, ‘Tivoli has over one thousand Christmas trees? You’re not the only guidebook nerds, you know.’
I laugh. ‘You want to be a guidebook nerd too?’
‘Yes, I hate missing out.’
Jasper grins. ‘Of course. It’s all part of our club.’
‘Shall we check out the stalls?’ Karen asks. ‘I’ve been told I can’t leave Copenhagen without trying Æbleskiver, a deep-fried dessert with a crust which has the texture of a pancake, and the inside is like a donut, and you dip them in jam and then icing sugar.’
‘Count me in,’ I say.
‘Best served with gløgg,’ Princess adds.
‘I love all the different names for mulled wine we’ve encountered along the way,’ CJ says.
We meander along, cosy in our little group of six, checking out the carnival rides and the happy smiles of the people riding them. It’s like a dream being here, with people who I now consider friends. This kind of bond doesn’t come along very often and so I enjoy the glimmer of happiness at how lucky we are to have met and bonded over our shared singledom. Though by the way Barry has his palm hovering at Princess’s lower back, some of us aren’t going to be single for long. At least I hope so.
Soft snow seesaws lazily from the starry sky. ‘Are you cold?’ Jasper asks as I hold out a gloved hand to catch a snowflake.
I’m not cold – I’m layered to the hilt – but I say, ‘A little.’
‘Let me warm you up.’ He swings an arm over my shoulder and pulls me in tight. ‘Is that OK?’
‘Much better.’
‘Who wants to ride on the Elf Train?’ Princess asks.
We giggle at the idea of riding a far cutesier train than the one we’re staying on, but we duly comply, grabbing our seats and munching on candied almonds as we’re driven around the park with a view of snowcapped mountains in the distance. After the train, we take a ride on the Forest carousel with the sound of tinny Christmas carols playing loudly from speakers above. Princess jumps from her horse to take photos of us. It’s one of those magical evenings and I wish I could stop time, so it never ends.
Later we find a spot sheltered by a fir tree that’s swathed in twinkling fairy lights to watch the fireworks explode across the sky, and it feels as if I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. Jasper and I exchange a glance. Does he feel it too?
23
22 DECEMBER, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
Jasper walks me back to my cabin, as if we’ve been out on a real date and he’s escorting me safely back home. It’s sweet, in a gentlemanly way. ‘Thanks for today,’ I say. ‘I had the best time.’
‘It was great.’ He leans against the door frame, doing that manly deep stare-down thing that sends my heart close to cardiac arrest. How does such a simple gaze hold so much weight? Silence hangs between us, charged, tense, and I hate myself for dithering in these stolen patches of time while I fight the urge to grab the man by his collar and pull him into my room. That’s not me. I need to obsess over all the ways this is not a good idea before I even think about a tumble in the bedroom, yet here I am, on the cusp of doing such a wild thing.
While I enjoy bursts of glimmers, tiny explosions of happiness, my mind spins with reasons why I should act on these urges. I haven’t heard from Miles, and I’m not a doormat. If I want to throw myself into this experience, what’s stopping me? I deserve happiness just as much as the next person, and if this turns out to be nothing more than a festive fling, is that so bad? Maybe Jasper will be the bridge that I have to cross to get to the next phase of my life.
I rise up on tiptoes as Jasper’s head lowers to meet mine.
‘Evening all!’
