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“What do you mean?” Edwin asked, shocked.
“Look,” said Felix in a placating tone. “I like you, right? But I… I fell in love with this place and I know this isn’t your thing-”
“It could be,” Edwin interrupted him, something he normally wouldn’t do unless he was saying something very wrong. “I’ve only just arrived. I could fall in love with this place, too.”
That was a lie, of course; he had had a horrible time in the town already, with people giving him dirty looks in his fancier clothes. He had been expecting something more like London, where the snow was slush within a day and gone by the next, so he hadn’t prepared properly. Just as he had been wishing that he was at home and hadn’t followed his boyfriend over to America, Felix had sprung this on him. Why Felix would want to stay in this nowhere town when he had a whole life and all of the money he loved so much in London, Edwin couldn’t work out. Given a little more time, he could, but Felix was already trying to get Edwin to go home, as if Edwin wasn’t worth his time after dating him for three years.
“We could move here,” Edwin suggested in a last ditch attempt to keep Felix’s attention.
Felix shook his head, looking amused. “I’m sorry, Winnie, but I didn’t just fall in love with this place.”
Edwin’s eyes widened. “What? What do you mean?”
“I met this guy. Richard. Ricky. He’s amazing. So ruggedly handsome.” Felix sighed dreamily. Actually sighed. “We just… connected. Somehow. And he’s shown me the magic of Christmas in this adorable little town. And the magic of love. It’s like I’m in a Hallmark movie.”
“But… I thought you loved me,” Edwin said. “You said it enough times.”
“And you never said it back,” Felix pointed out. “I was never sure whether I should keep putting all of my energy into our relationship when I wasn’t getting anything back. Anyway, I’ve decided that I’m going to follow my heart, so you should probably go home. Have the family Christmas you wanted before I asked you to come here instead.”
And that was how Edwin found himself sitting in a small airport waiting for a cross-country flight to connect to an international flight. His shoes were wrecked and his hair was in such a mess that he kept having to run his fingers through it to tame it. He was utterly exhausted since he had barely spent a day in the town. The terminal wasn’t heated or the cold from outside was too great because Edwin was trying to suppress shivers.
But the worst bit about the whole thing was that Edwin was utterly alone.
At least, he was until another man dropped into the seat across from Edwin and hunched in on himself. He looked miserable, his mouth downturned in a way that didn’t sit well on his handsome face. His hair was a little dishevelled, though it was shorn at the sides. An earring dangled from one ear and Edwin was surprised by the sudden desire to bite it. Shaking that away, he took in the man’s clothes; a leather jacket and a pair of trainers that were falling to bits. And he was soaked through with more snow melting on his shoulders.
Edwin was curious as to who else would be in this rural airport on Christmas Eve - surely most people would have already finished their travelling by now - but he tried to keep himself from watching the man in case he took offence. His efforts were in vain when he heard a sniffle. Alarmed, Edwin looked over at the stranger to find him rubbing at his eyes. Normally, Edwin would be far too uncomfortable to approach him. But it was Christmas and Edwin figured that the man might need someone to lean on.
“Excuse me,” Edwin said, startling the man into looking up. He had the most beautiful eyes and Edwin paused as he took them in. Remembering himself, he cleared his throat and added, “Are you quite alright?”
“Oh! Sorry, I-” The man rubbed at his eyes a bit more before flashing a wobbly smile at Edwin. It quickly faded as he blinked away more tears. “I’m fine, mate. No worries.”
Edwin didn’t believe that for a minute. “You appear to be crying…”
“What, this?” The stranger waved his hand. “Nah, this is just… allergies.”
“Hm.” Edwin debated with himself for a moment. Should he let his curiosity win out or let the man believe that Edwin wouldn’t bother him any further? In the end, he couldn’t resist the tiny mystery before him. “Either way, I do believe that I have had a worse day than you.”
“Really?” The man looked him up and down. “You don’t look that upset.”
“Well…” Edwin paused. He supposed he wasn’t. Still, it was the principle of the thing. “Have you just been dumped by a long-term partner?”
For a moment, the man simply blinked at Edwin. “Uh, yeah. I have.”
Edwin stared at the stranger and he stared back. “Really…?” said Edwin, faintly.
With a bark of laughter, the man leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped before him. “What if they broke up with us for each other?” he suggested.
“Were you dating someone named Richard?”
The man looked surprised and shook his head. “Nah. I was dating Beth. Her sister lives out here and she needed help during her pregnancy so Beth came over. She saw the town and was really excited to spend Christmas here, but I couldn’t come over till school finished. But…”
“She’d fallen in love with a guy who, I suppose, works with the Christmas trees?” Edwin finished for him.
Laughing, the man nodded. “Pretty much.” He glanced around the terminal, then stood and stepped across the distance. “Do you mind?” he asked, gesturing at the seat beside Edwin.
“Not at all,” said Edwin, politely. He turned in his seat so that he could face him, intrigued by someone who wore their emotions on their face. Felix had never been like that and Edwin had struggled to see his affection.
“So… Wait, what’s your name?” asked the handsome stranger, turning to Edwin.
For a long moment, Edwin was unable to respond. Up close, the man’s deep brown eyes captivated him. Eventually, he remembered himself and held out his hand. “Edwin Payne.”
“Charles Rowland,” his new companion replied. He gripped Edwin’s hand and shook it once.
“Well, Charles Rowland, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Even if it’s in dire times.”
“Nah,” said Charles with a cute, little chuckle. “I suppose me and Beth weren’t really going anywhere. I never have a girlfriend for more than a year.”
“Through no fault of your own, I’m sure.” Edwin could see no universe in which this rather sweet man would be at fault.
“I’m probably a little at fault,” Charles admitted. “I mean…” He trailed off and shook his head. “You don’t want my life story, huh?”
“I’m curious now,” Edwin protested. Then he noted the haunted expression on Charles’s face. “Though you do not have to say anything if you don’t want to.”
“Mm. Let’s just say that we were usually looking for different things, even though I clung to them a bit.”
“Yes, I can understand that.”
“You too, huh?”
“In a way. Though, I was with Felix for longer than a year. Three years, to be more precise.”
“Felix? Yikes,” said Charles, holding back laughter. “Sounds like a twat.”
Surprised, Edwin laughed. “I suppose he was. I didn’t see that, though; I was blinded by… By something like love.”
“But not quite?” Charles asked, curiously.
“No. I hadn’t quite admitted it to myself, but I think I had a lucky escape thanks to this Richard.”
“Maybe it was fate,” suggested Charles. “That it would work out like this. We got to meet each other, yeah?” He bumped their shoulders together and Edwin blinked at how comfortable he was with Charles that he didn’t flinch away. It was almost as if he’d known Charles a lot longer than a few minutes.
“Are you saying that fate wants us to meet? Here?” Edwin gave Charles a disbelieving look. “It’s not the best place to meet, is it?”
“Maybe we’re on the same flight,” Charles pointed out.
“Or we could be going in the opposite direction.”
“Nah, mate. I’m trying to get back to England, too. London. First flights we could get, yeah?”
“I- You’re right. We likely won’t be anywhere near each other.”
“We’ll just ask people to swap with us so we can stay together,” Charles declared. “Or we can go and fix it right now.” He leapt to his feet, clearly intending to storm the help desk.
Flustered, Edwin grabbed hold of Charles’s jacket and tugged on it. “Don’t! I don’t want to make a fuss. I don’t have the energy for that.”
Charles paused then sat back down, to Edwin’s relief. “Yeah, you’re right. Kinda draining to be dumped. Don’t teach you that in school.”
Edwin chuckled. “No, they don’t. Unless you experience it at school yourself.”
“Did you?” Charles asked. “I did, but I had a lot on my plate, so it didn’t bother me as much.”
After thinking for a moment, Edwin hummed. “I suppose I did. But, now that I think about it, I think I was mainly relieved. Both of my partners in school liked me far more than I liked them. I don’t think I was very fair to them.”
Charles nudged him with his shoulder again. “Just haven’t found the right person, have you?”
“No. Actually…” Edwin paused, wondering if he should really talk about him. But he felt eager to be candid with Charles. “There was only one boy I loved enough for it to hurt. He became rather famous and had to travel a lot and keep me a secret at the same time. I think he broke up with me for my sake, but it still hurt.”
“Oh, man, that sucks.” Charles suddenly slung an arm around Edwin and gave him a tight squeeze. Edwin went very still, though his heart pounded in his chest. What was happening? “You deserve to be happy.”
“You don’t even know me, Charles,” said Edwin, rolling his eyes.
“Well, I know that you’re kind. And you’re a bit of a romantic, if you can’t find someone who’s your soulmate. And I think you really wanna be home for Christmas - you could’ve gotten a hotel room and stayed here, but you’re trying to get back to London for half of Christmas Day.” Charles finished his diatribe with a beaming grin that made Edwin’s cheeks grow hot.
“That hardly means anything,” Edwin pointed out.
“It’s a start.”
Edwin felt rather bashful at that, though he told himself that he couldn’t get his hopes up. Charles was straight and likely going to disappear once they got to London. Yet… Maybe it was the magic of Christmas, but he felt lighter in Charles’s presence.
“What else do you wish to know?” Edwin asked.
Charles’s grin brightened. “Everything, mate. You seem pretty interesting - as well as pretty.”
With an entirely red face, Edwin spluttered as he tried to rein in his blooming feelings. “What on Earth?!” he finally exclaimed.
With a snort, Charles started laughing. He leaned into Edwin’s side and squeezed him tight. Edwin felt his heart flutter, but he sternly told himself not to look into it. “What,” said Charles before Edwin could compose himself, “did that surprise you? The flirting?”
“I’m sorry,” said Edwin, a little breathlessly. “I’m afraid I don’t quite know what’s happening.”
Charles knocked their knees together. “I’m flirting with you. Just a little, nothing serious.” He paused and pulled away from Edwin entirely. “Unless that’s making you uncomfortable?”
“But… why?” Edwin asked, utterly confused.
“’Cause you’re handsome. And, I dunno, there’s just something about you that makes me want to…” Charles trailed off and a sweet blush spread across his cheeks. “Uh, you know.”
Edwin gave Charles a sidelong look. “I must say,” he teased, “that I don’t.”
Though he tried to hide his amusement, Charles seemed incapable of not smiling. “So, you want me to list everything I want to do to you?”
Once again, Edwin was blushing. “You are a cruel man, Charles Rowland,” he declared, pouting a little.
That seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Charles’s expression dimmed. “I-”
Edwin cut in before he could get the wrong idea. “I’m only teasing.”
Charles blinked at him. Then, for some reason, instead of being disgusted with Edwin, he smiled again. “Oh. Aces. So, you know me enough to tease me, huh? Or is this your idea of flirting?”
Before Edwin could respond, his head ducked to hide his warm face, the tannoy screeched and a woman began to speak in a bored tone. “Due to storms on the east coast, the fourteen-ten flight to New York has been cancelled. Any passengers requiring help, please head to the help desk at gate three.”
They looked at each other for a long moment. “Uhh…” Charles said. “I suppose we should go to the desk?”
“Yes…” Edwin agreed. “Maybe there’s a flight we could get elsewhere to travel back to London.”
But they soon discovered that there was no way for them to get to England, not at this time on Christmas Eve. “I really am sorry, sir,” said a nervous-looking woman. “Only flights going west, north or south are available, but any connecting flights would have to depart from the eastern seaboard if you are trying to get to London.”
“So you are saying that we must go farther away or be stuck here for the rest of Christmas Eve?” Edwin asked.
“And for most of Christmas Day, I’m afraid. The next flight to New York will be at nine-fifteen p.m.” The woman grimaced. “I’m not sure if the airline will put you up in a hotel or not, but I think their employees have finished for the day. You’ll definitely be able to reschedule your flight for free.”
Edwin’s shoulders slumped. Now he had nowhere to go for Christmas, all thanks to Felix. What was he going to do now? Stay in the airport until the flight? That would be miserable. But would there be any hotels or inns with free rooms?
“Thanks,” said Charles, stepping in when the woman seemed to be on the verge of fretfully apologising again. “We’ll take it from here.” He took hold of Edwin’s elbow and pulled him away.
“What? Charles, what are we supposed to do?”
“Well, did you have any checked luggage?” Charles asked, apropos of nothing.
“No. I was only going to be here for a few days.”
“Then, we don’t need to hang about here. Come on.”
“What? Charles, where are you taking me?”
Charles turned so that he was looking at Edwin and still walking backwards. He grinned widely at Edwin. “Do you trust me?” Charles asked as he held out his hand.
“I…” Edwin looked at the handsome man who had brightened Edwin’s horrible day. “I think I do,” he said. Slowly, Edwin reached out to take Charles’s hand and Charles immediately squeezed it once their fingers were clasped together. It took Edwin’s breath away and he could do nothing but follow along in his wake.
The little inn that Charles directed their taxi to was quite sweet. It had been decorated with tasteful fairy lights for Christmas, but it also had numerous gingerbread men dotted around the front garden. With a few additional dustings of fake snow and some candy canes, the building looked like a gingerbread house. Edwin thought that it would have been a good place to bring his family so they could celebrate the season they loved.
“It’s perfect,” Edwin said, breathlessly. He was pleasantly surprised; Charles had refused to tell him where they were going. Instead, for the ride there, he had insisted on playing 20 Questions. Now, Edwin knew more about Charles than he’d known about Felix, or he felt like he did. Turning to Charles, Edwin asked, “Did you stay here while you were visiting Beth?”
“Nope,” said Charles, cheerfully. “I saw it on the way to the airport and thought that I should’ve, so I figured we should come here.”
“Why here?”
Charles smiled at him and somehow it seemed fond. “Well, you seem to love Christmas, so I thought this would be perfect.”
“I… What?” Edwin blinked at him. “How do you know I love Christmas?”
“When she said that we wouldn’t be able to get home in time for it, you looked so defeated,” Charles explained. “So I thought that this place looked like the best place to spend Christmas Day - until we can get a flight home.”
Edwin stared at Charles for a long moment. “Why would you do this for me? This is a lot of effort for someone you just met.”
Shrugging, Charles rubbed the back of his head as he glanced away. “Well… You tried to comfort me when I got to the airport. I just figure that I should repay that. And, I mean, you’re breathtaking when you smile.”
Flustered, Edwin ducked his head. But, since Charles had commented on it, he lifted his head when he couldn’t fight his smile. Charles seemed to brighten at the sight of it. Then, almost excited, Charles grabbed hold of Edwin’s hand and led him through the winter wonderland and into the little guest house.
Inside was spectacular. There were lights and tinsel everywhere, but it wasn’t too much. A fire crackled merrily in the reception area near some comfortable chairs and sofas. The Christmas tree had been placed there and it was laden with traditional decorations. Edwin marvelled at it all as Charles approached the desk. As Edwin wandered through the room to take it all in, a sharp ting sounded from behind him and he turned back to where Charles had just rung the bell.
“Oh, hello!” said an older woman who came through the doorway on their right. Edwin was momentarily distracted by the set of stairs festooned in holly and tinsel but he dragged himself away to go to the reception desk. “How can I help you?”
“We’re hoping to get a room,” Charles said.
“Rather late in the day to be getting a room…” the woman mused. “But, you’re in luck! Or it’s a Christmas miracle. For you, at least. A couple just had to cancel their trip due to the storms out east and I have their room free.”
“Just one room?” Edwin asked with a certain amount of trepidation.
“Oh…” The proprietor looked between them. “You wanted more than one? We’re fully booked bar that one…”
“Ah.” Edwin turned to look at Charles. “You-”
“We’ll take it,” Charles declared. “How much?”
Slowly, the woman looked between them both. “Well… Why don’t I work that out for you while you get settled? The couple’s lost their deposit, but the rest of the rate will need to be calculated.”
As the woman turned to fetch the key, Edwin grabbed Charles’s elbow and pulled him aside. “What are you doing? She said there’s only one room. And, if it was for a couple, there will only be one bed.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Charles said with conviction. “Besides, I don’t mind sharing.”
Edwin’s eyes widened. “You…” He felt his face go red. “You’re sure?”
Charles suddenly put an arm around Edwin’s waist and Edwin found himself relaxing into the touch. “I’m sure,” Charles said into Edwin’s ear. “The bed will be big enough for both of us.”
Edwin shivered and let Charles deal with the rest of the interaction with the woman. Dazed, he watched Charles charming the woman into giving them a free Christmas dinner. And, somehow, she was going to send up hot chocolate and gingerbread. It was very impressive and also didn’t bode well for Edwin; there was going to be no way to refuse Charles and sleep on the floor.
Not that Edwin minded. In fact, he was very much looking forward to their night together. Maybe they had both come out of unfulfilling relationships today, but it felt rather like the magic of Christmas had brought them together. And Edwin decided that he was going to make the most of it.
Just over a month later, Edwin was woken by his phone vibrating across his bedside table. He groaned and reached for it, twisting so that he didn’t move much. “Edwin Payne,” he said into it, his voice raspy from more than sleep.
“Edwin, darling!” said an overly cheerful voice that Edwin recognised. “I’m so glad to hear your voice!”
The voice was loud enough that Edwin flinched. A groan came from beside him and Edwin sighed. “Felix. I assume you are calling about your things. I still need your address so that I can send them to you.”
“Ah.” There was a pause. “Actually, I was hoping to see you.”
“‘See me’?” Edwin asked. “You’re in America. With Richard.”
“Well… You see… I’m actually in London right now, so I was hoping we could meet up today.”
There was a cute little moan and Edwin began to pet the figure beside him to calm him. “I’m busy today, Felix. What are you doing in London? Did you bring Richard to meet your family?”
A longer silence prevailed. Normally, Edwin would push Felix to talk, but he became quite distracted by the arm draped over his waist. The fingers on that hand began to brush lightly against his hip and sent thrills down Edwin’s spine. So, Edwin waited and twirled his fingers in his lover’s hair.
“Not… exactly…”
“Oh?”
“You see,” said Felix, “it turns out that we’re not a good fit for each other after all. It seems as if we were rather… blinded by the Christmas magic of the town, and… Well, I was hoping you and I could make another go of it.”
“No, thank you,” Edwin chirped, letting his fingers trail down to his partner’s shoulders.
“What?”
“I’m not inclined to take you up on that offer,” Edwin told him.
“What are you talking about? You love me!” Felix exclaimed, his loud voice rousing the man next to Edwin even more.
“Hmm. No. I don’t think I truly loved you. Perhaps the idea of you.”
“You-” Felix paused. “Wait. Did you move on? You got a rebound?”
Edwin frowned, the cozy feeling of the morning gone. “He is not a rebound. He’s perfect. Now, if that was all you wanted to say to me, then I shall roll over and cuddle with my new boyfriend. And you can send me your address to send you your things, then never contact me again. Please.”
As soon as he’d hung up, Charles’s head popped up and he blinked sleepily at Edwin. “Your ex?” he murmured.
“Indeed,” Edwin replied with a fond smile.
“Huh. Even though I know that it wasn’t, it almost seems like our exes were together - it’s only been twelve or whatever hours since Beth called.” Charles grinned.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Charles. You know they weren’t.”
“Not that we care, right?” Charles pointed out, shifting closer. “We’re alright just us, ain’t we?”
“We definitely are,” Edwin agreed, sliding his fingertips over Charles’s cheek.
Somehow, even though it had only been a few months, Charles knew what that meant. He was more than happy to prop himself on his elbows and lean down to kiss Edwin. The lazy kiss filled Edwin with a happiness that made him feel as if he was floating.
When Charles pulled away enough to look Edwin in the eye, he murmured. “Reckon I’ve found the best partner who stays with me in bed even though he has to get up in an hour or two.”
Edwin hummed. “I really think that we should be getting up and greeting the day at an appropria…” He trailed off when he spotted Charles already grinning. “Don’t you dare.”
But Charles only smiled at him, his most charming one, and said, “Don’t know what you’re talking about. But I do think we should stay here for a bit. Right?” The charming smile only grew and Edwin’s defenses, weak as they were against Charles already, crumbled completely.
“Oh, fine,” was all Edwin was able to say before he was cut off by Charles kissing him again.
As they giggled through their morning, Edwin thought that their meeting in the airport had been more of a Hallmark movie moment than their exes had experienced.