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Ralph reread the Sue Dearbon case file for what felt like the hundredth time that day, trying once again to pick out any information that could help him. And, just like every other time, he found nothing. Nada. Zip, zilch, zero. How hard could it be to find one person?
He sighed and let the manila folder fall onto the desk. He was getting nowhere with this. It was almost seven, and he had somewhere to be…
As if on cue, his phone vibrated, and he pulled it out of his jacket pocket. It was a text from Frost.
You still up for this?
Ralph didn’t hesitate before tapping out his reply. Yep. Jitters in 15?
Sure. A pause, and then another text. Stop sending me emojis, Ralph.
Would you prefer gifs?
…point taken.
Ralph stuffed his phone in his pocket and grabbed his coat, scarf, and earmuffs from where they had been tossed aside when he had arrived at his office. Sliding his coat on, he left for Jitters, locking the door to his office behind him.
Frost was already there when he arrived, standing awkwardly by the entrance with her hands shoved in her pockets. She wore her usual skinny jeans, boots, and leather jacket, and she pushed off the wall when she saw Ralph approaching.
“Nice earmuffs,” Frost greeted, teasingly.
“Hey, some people don’t have an immunity to cold,” Ralph replied, a smile appearing on his face. “You ready?”
“Yep.”
Ralph opened the door, his motion accompanied by the jingling of a bell. He gestured to Frost. “After you.”
Frost entered, Ralph behind her. He fished out his wallet as they approached the counter.
“Welcome to C.C. Jitters, what can I get for you?” the barista asked.
“Hi. I’d like a decaf Killer Frost, and…” Ralph looked at Frost expectantly.
“And I’ll have a decaf Elongated Man,” Frost stated.
The barista punched in their order. “Will that be for here or to go?”
Ralph tilted his head, deferring to Frost. “To go,” she decided.
“Frost and EM, decaf to go!” The barista called over her shoulder, then rang them up. While Frost made her way to the pick-up area, Ralph fished a ten out of his wallet to pay for it.
As the barista handed him his change, she leaned toward him and whispered conspiratorially, “Good luck on your date.”
“We’re not dating,” Ralph corrected immediately, stuffing his change into the tip jar. “But thanks.”
A confused look crossed the barista’s face as he turned away to join Frost at the pick-up area.
“What was that?” Frost asked.
“It was nothing.” Ralph shrugged. “Just a little bit of miscommunication.”
Frost made a noncommittal noise. “Do you have a plan for tonight, or are we just making it up as we go along?”
“I mean…” Ralph rubbed the back of his neck. “I have a vague idea, but if you see something you like, it can always be changed. I’m flexible like that.”
Frost rolled her eyes. “Back at it with the puns, I see.”
“Did I ever stop?”
“No.” Frost sighed.
“Killer Frost and Elongated Man, decaf to go!” a different barista called out, setting the drinks on the counter.
Ralph grabbed their coffees and handed Frost’s to her as they made their way to the door. He sipped of his, savoring how the heat from the cup leeched into his cold hands as Frost took a drink of hers.
“So? What are we doing first?” Frost inquired.
“I was thinking we’d take a stroll through the city center first. They decorate the whole place every year with lights and trees and stuff,” Ralph explained. “I figured you’d like to see it.”
“Sounds good to me. How many times have you been?”
“I went three or four times when I was a kid. I haven’t gone since I was… twelve, probably.”
“This’ll be your first time in a while then, too.”
“Yeah.”
Frost sipped her Elongated Man again, and Ralph must have made a face, because she turned to look at him. “What?”
“I don’t understand how you can drink that,” he admitted, gesturing to her drink.
Her eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
“It’s just so…” Ralph struggled to find the word. “It’s sickeningly sweet. They put enough caramel in the Elongated Man that it kind of just pools at the bottom and-” He shuddered. “Anyway, I just don’t like it.”
“Your loss.” Frost tilted her drink back to get the last few drops out. “The caramel residue is the best part.”
“I disagree, but whatever floats your boat.”
Frost tossed her empty cup in a trash can as they walked by. “What’s so appealing about the Killer Frost then? It’s not like it isn’t sweet.”
“It’s a different kind of sweet,” Ralph protested. “It’s got chocolate and vanilla, sure, but it’s not overpowering. It’s got a nice balance.”
“Whatever you say, Ralph,” Frost teased. It seemed she was about to say more, but she suddenly stopped, looking out across the scene in front of her in awe.
In front of them sprawled the city center, the park now lit up with Christmas lights. A few larger trees stood at the corners of the plaza, with an even larger one in the center. Families could be seen walking through the forest of lights, while a little further off, couples could be seen skating on the ice rink. Faint holiday music could be heard emanating from speakers littered about the area.
“Woah,” she breathed.
Ralph smiled. He had nearly forgotten how impressive this place looked every year, but seeing it now, his memories were flooding back. Frost seemed frozen in amazement, so he grabbed her hand and tugged her along with him.
“C’mon,” he prompted, heading into the park. “You can’t see it all if you stand right here.”
That seemed to snap her out of it. She followed him in, her head almost on a swivel as she tried to take in everything around her. Ralph walked slowly to better let her experience everything, but kept holding her hand. He didn’t have a plan for if they got separated.
Slowly, they made their way to the biggest tree in the city center. They weren’t the only people with that idea. While the square wasn’t packed, there were a few too many people for his comfort. Ralph and Frost stuck to the edge of the crowd until Ralph spotted an uninhabited bench, not too far from a group of carolers. They managed to make their way over to it and sit down before anyone else managed to occupy it.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, and Ralph finished off the last of his coffee. He tossed it into the trash can nearby before Frost finally spoke.
“Is it like this every year?” Frost inquired, watching as a kid ran up to the carolers and dropped a few dollars into the bucket in front of them.
“From what I can remember, yeah, pretty much.”
“Wow.” Frost’s eyes swept over the crowd in front of them. “It seems like all of Central City is here.”
“I wouldn’t say all, but I think it is a tradition for most people,” Ralph commented. “I mean, when I was eleven, my mom and her boyfriend Rob took me here. I’m pretty sure Joe took Barry and Iris when they were kids, and I know for a fact that Cisco and Camilla came here earlier this week-”
“Kettle corn! Get your kettle corn!” Ralph was interrupted as a kettle corn vendor walked into the plaza while the carolers took a short break, brandishing his wares. “Fresh hot kettle corn!”
Ralph shot a glance at Frost. “You want some?”
“Sure, why not? You’re paying, after all.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. My treat, or whatever.” Ralph dug his wallet out of his pocket and extracted a few bills before getting up from the bench and approaching the vendor.
“What can I get you?” the vendor inquired.
“One kettle corn, please.” Ralph handed the vendor the cash.
The vendor handed him back a bag of kettle corn. “Here you go.” The vendor’s eyes flickered over to Frost, then returned to Ralph. “Can I get you two lovebirds anything else?”
Ralph tensed. “I think we’re good, thanks,” he managed, wondering why everyone seemed to think they were together. Was it so foreign for a man and a woman to just be friends? “Also, not dating.”
The vendor raised an eyebrow, but then shrugged and walked off, resuming peddling his wares. “Kettle corn! Get your kettle corn!”
Ralph opened the bag on his way back to Frost, grabbing an handful before sitting down and offering the kettle corn to Frost. She took out a kernel, examining it for a moment before popping it into her mouth. She chewed pensively for a moment, then swallowed.
“It’s sweet,” she finally said.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.” Ralph took another handful out of the bag. “It’s good though, right?”
“I mean, yeah, but I just… I wasn’t expecting it.”
“Should the vendor have put a label on it?” Ralph mimed writing a sign. “Warning: this kettle corn is deceptive. It does not taste like regular popcorn. It is sweet. Caution is advised.”
Frost swatted his arm before snatching the bag of kettle corn out of his hands. “Shut up.”
“Shutting up.”
The carolers began to sing again, opening with “Carol of the Bells”. Frost and Ralph sat and listened, neither of them willing to break the spell. Well, besides to steal the kettle corn from the other person. But even then, both of them relished the tranquility of the scene before them.
As the carolers began singing “Let it Snow”, and Ralph glanced at his watch. 9 p.m.. He stood up, crumpling the empty bag of kettle corn up and throwing it away. “There’s one more thing we have to do before we leave.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ice skating,” Ralph declared.
“Ralph, I have ice powers, I’ve skated before-”
“No, I’m talking in a rink, with ice skates. Not any of that ‘high stakes zooming around the city’ stuff.” At Frost’s reluctant look, Ralph added, “It’ll be fun! And besides, it’s a tradition.”
“If you say so.” Frost got up from the bench and linked her arm with Ralph’s. “Lead the way.”
Ralph did his best to find a path that involved the least amount of pushing their way through crowds, but even so, there were a few especially stubborn groups of people he and Frost had to force their way through. It was only a few minutes later that they arrived at the entrance to the rink, in front of the stall that was selling admission tickets.
“How may I help you?” the elderly woman running the booth asked.
“Two tickets for the skating rink, please,” Frost stated. Ralph fished out some cash and handed it to the woman. She counted it, placed it in the register, then handed Frost two tickets.
“Here you go, darlings. Have a nice date!”
Ralph sighed.
“Did she say-” Frost began, but Ralph wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her away.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“If you say so.”
The two of them retrieved their skates and were soon out on the ice. Frost was a force of nature on the ice, making skating seem effortless. Ralph, however… not so much. He wasn’t bad, per say, but he certainly wasn’t as skilled as Frost. Apparently, that was obvious to her, and she slowed her pace to stay next to him.
“You doing okay?” she asked.
“Mmhmm,” he managed, brow furrowed in concentration. He wobbled slightly on his skates and reached for the wall next to him.
Frost outstretched her hand to Ralph, sliding gracefully to a halt next to him. “Want some help?”
“Yeah.” He grasped her hand gratefully and used it to steady himself.
They skated, hand in hand, until both of their legs ached. When they finally stumbled out of the rink, it took them a moment to acclimate to walking on normal ground once again. Ralph’s neck and ears were flushed from the cold, while Frost was unfazed. They returned their skates and began the trek out of the park.
It was when they arrived at the entrance that Frost turned to him, a genuine smile on her face. “Thank you, Ralph. For all of this.”
Ralph grinned and nudged her shoulder with his own.
“Happy holidays, Frosty.”