Josh put his hand on her cheek and tilted his face to hers. Their lips were now inches away. “All day, on set, I kept messing up my lines,” he said. “All I could think about was”—he moved his lips a millimeter closer to hers—“doing this.”
The kiss was soft and exciting, sweet and delicious. Even with closed eyes, she could see the flickering of the candles, warm and inviting, as perfect in memory as they were in the reality she knew would wait for her in this room when she opened her eyes again. Josh had his arms around her, and she had her hands on the back of his neck, touching his hair, drawing him closer.
Knock, knock, knock!
A sharp rap at her hotel room door startled them both. They jumped away from each other, and Anna felt abruptly cold, as if she had suddenly been pushed outside into the snow. She crossed the room to open the door and was surprised to see Tenisha Barlowe standing in the hall.
“Oh. Hi... um.” Anna was mortified. What had gotten into her? How could she have done this? Judging from the look on Tenisha’s face, she was more than just a rumored girlfriend.
“I was told Chase was in here,” she said. “I really need to speak with him.”
Josh went to the door and started talking to Tenisha in a low voice. Anna tried not to eavesdrop, but she was sure she heard Tenisha say, “I need you.” Anna’s heart now pounded not with the excited rush of a first kiss—but with embarrassment, disappointment, and a harsh understanding. Just moments before, Anna had felt as though Josh belonged to her, somehow. But he didn’t. He wasn’t just some guy she had developed feelings for who liked her back. She had become caught up in a fantasy world—and it was time to wake up.
“Okay,” she heard Josh say. “I’m coming. I’ll meet you in your room.”
He turned to Anna, his tall body framed by the door. Tenisha was still standing in the shadows—and when her eyes met Anna’s, she felt sure her expression was sympathetic. As if Tenisha felt sorry for Anna. As she should, Anna realized. What a fool she had been.
“Tenisha and I have some lines we need to work on. But... Anna, there’s something I need to explain to you.” He closed the door. “Tenisha and I... it’s complicated,” he began. Just then, Anna’s room phone started ringing. “And I feel like I owe you a proper explanation, because—”Ring. Ring. Ring.Whoever it was wasn’t giving up.
“I should get that,” Anna said. She crossed the room and picked up the phone. “Hello, Anna here.”
“Anna! Thank goodness! I’ve been frantic!”
“Nick!” She glanced across the room at Josh. “Can you just hang on for one minute?” She hit the hold button and put the phone down.
“Nick?” Josh repeated the name as if weighing it. And it felt heavy.
“Yes,” Anna said. “He’s my... well, he’s... up until a few days ago, he was my boyfriend. It’s complicated, too. We’re on a break.”
“Was he your boyfriend when I met you at It’s the Most Wonderful Time for a Beer?”
Anna nodded, feeling sick at heart.
“And he’s the reason you were heading to Toronto for the holidays?”
“Yes, but—then we had an argument. And we haven’t spoken since.”
“But that’s him, calling to make up.”
Anna didn’t know why Nick was calling. All she knew was her emotions were a confusing, boiling inferno inside her. “I...” she began. But the words didn’t come, and what did words matter? Josh was shaking his head and backing away.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain yourself. All this, it went too far. We both have complicated lives and other obligations. I should go. Ihaveto go.” His eyes were on the blinking hold light on the phone. “You need to talk to him,” he said. “I’m sorry, Anna. You don’t need me in your life, making things more difficult than they should be.”
He left, clicking the door shut decisively behind him. The blinking light on the phone was now a harsh accusation in the dim room. Anna stood still, watching the flickering candlesthat had given her so much joy moments before now slowly lose their appealing gleam as cold reality set in.
She crossed the room to pick up the phone again. “Hi, Nick, I’m here.” As she spoke to him, she looked out the window. The snow was slowing down now. And less snow made the world out there look different, less like a fairy-tale snow globe and more... real. She had been suspended in time here in Snow Falls—but there was another world out there, and that world wasn’t about kissing movie stars in hotel rooms. She shook her head as if to dispel the dreamlike state she had allowed herself to fall into. It had all really happened, at least. She really had been an extra in the sequel to her favorite holiday movie. And how many people could say they had kissed Chase Taylor, the new Hollywood It boy? It was a secret she would keep forever, but it was still hers. She touched her lips, where his had just been, and tried to tell herself it was okay. That she could forgive herself a few errors in judgment. Then she focused on Nick.
“Anna, answer me! Are you all right?”
“I think so...” she began, but he rushed over her words.
“I’m so sorry the last time we talked I made it seem like I didn’t care about your well-being. These past few days have been torture. Have they been torture for you?”
She wanted to be as honest as possible. “Well, it’s been a busy few days. I’ve actually made a few friends. This is a really sweet little town, and there’s a—”
But again Nick interrupted. “I’m sending my father’s plane, now that the snow has stopped. It can’t leave until morning, but it will be there first thing to pick you up and bring you here. You won’t have to be alone for Christmas.”
“Oh.” Anna hadn’t been considering the fact that if she didn’t get out of Snow Falls, she was going to be “alone.” In fact, Snow Falls was a pretty difficult place to get a moment alone in. She opened her mouth to try to explain this to Nick—but couldn’t find the right words. You had to see Snow Falls to believe it. She started again. “Thank you, but I’m not sure if I—”
