December 24, Christmas Eve, 6:30 pm. 

     Standing in front of the park where they first met, Cane checked his phone. He grew nervous as he checked on incoming text messages to see if he had received anything from Yvette. Refreshing and refreshing until he finally received something: A message from her reading, "Just got here, where are you?".

     As he answered back, he tapped the tip of his shoe on the pavement without noticing. Then, a shiver went down his spine. He felt she was near. " Who would have thought both of our days off would fall today?", he thought as he looked up. 

     His eyes widened as he felt time slow down for a moment. The warm lights on the trees illuminated her as she was revealed through the crowd. Surrounded by warm hues, she moved those extra bouncy curls from her face, cheeks flushed by the cold, lips tinted very sparsely, and her eyelashes full and long. A long teal coat covered her body, but he could see a cream long-sleeve turtle neck underneath. He wondered if her legs were cold due to the dark-colored pants seeming thin. 

     He felt himself in a trance as he went back up as she stood right in front of him. Why was he dissecting her so much? He felt his face flush with embarrassment as her voice penetrated his ears. A melodic sound that made him smile as she spoke, " Sorry, I'm out of breath. Were you waiting long?".

     Yvette walked next to Cane, clutching her bag. He looked so handsome. His hair was freshly cut and styled back; he was wearing jewel-tone colors that brought out a mature and sophisticated look. His cheeks were flushed due to the cold, but it also brought an innocent glow to him. She never noticed how confident and upright he walked. But, even though he walked in such a fashion, he moved for others if he was in the way.

      However, as the crows lessened, he kept stealing glances, and she kept catching him. She began to feel self-conscious as she tried to fix her hair. "Do I look strange? Did I overdo my make-up? Are my eyelashes too big? Is my hair too big?", her mind went through her entire outfit as she tried not to seem affected.

     He noticed her jittery shoulders, and he stopped staring so much. He cut through the silence as he commented, "You look beautiful by the way. I'm sorry if I was staring, it's just the first time I've seen you dressed up. Not to say you don't always look nice...Sorry, I'm babbling", he laughed at the awkwardness in his words, but she felt warmth in his sentiment. " No. Thank you. I was just thinking the same. You look very handsome today, Cane...and every other day". They both began to laugh at the awkward statements they just spouted as the tension diminished.

     The couple walked closer together but still refused to touch. The lights became more elaborate as they went deeper into the park. Warm, sugar-like colors, rainbow-like structures, candy, and sweet-like scents made you want to get closer. As they walked to the center to see the main event, Cane sprang up the conversation to fill the silence, "Did you not have any plans for tonight, like with family or friends? I would feel guilty if I made you come here with other people waiting for you?". 

     Yvette didn't look away from the light sculptures, unmoved by the question, "No, I, fortunately, or unfortunately, don't have a family or many friends". Her response was so cut and dry that it left Cane silent. 

     Yvette looked over and saw his perplexed face and immediately apologized, "Ah, Sorry about that. I've been asked that question so many times, and I guess the default answer came out". 

     Cane gave a sympathetic smile. He didn't expect that answer. He thought she would be surrounded by people or at least raised by doting parents, but...she was just like him in a way. "You don't need to apologize. I can guess when people hear that answer, they treat you like a child or make a weird, sad face?". 

     Yvette slowly turned to him as he heard his response. He was right, and he could see the surprised look on her face. "It's like you were right there with me," she laughed. "How did you know?". 

     Cane looked forward as they walked. He tried to gather his words, "Well, I don't have any family left, and when people hear that, they would say 'sorry' or 'it's okay' or try to invite me to their family home out of pity. Never really liked that reaction. They act like I'm made out of glass". 

      Yvette snickered at the statement. "I don't like it when people feel sorry for me. There were times when I told others about my life, and they would coddle me. Then, by the coming week, they would forget about me. Honestly, it makes me feel like less. I once had a classmate who would act nice to make herself look better; I felt like a purse." Her smile remained as she looked at him," You know, sometimes I feel like you're in my head when you say such things". 

     The night sky was adorned with stars, and the couple made it to the center. Every inch was covered and every light moved, blinked, swayed. Colors mimicking jewelry, and people taking pictures nonstop. The couple sat on a bench. Cane bought a warm drink, the sweetest he could find, and Yvette bought a bitter one from the same stand. 

" Cane, do you like sweet things, or have a preference for them?", Yvette asked.

"Only when I'm drinking something warm, I feel like it fills me. And you, why bitter drinks?".

"It's just a habit. The bitterness helps with suppressing hunger".

"Oh, are you hungry? We can get something to eat?".

"Oh no. It's more like phantom hunger. I don't know what causes it. Even though I eat, I still get them".

"I've never heard of something like that. Have you managed all your life with it?".

"Yeah. But, there have been times when I couldn't feel them. The feeling was replaced with something else".

     They both started at the dazzling lights in front of them, the heat warming them both.

"Like what?" he asked sweetly as he placed his hand on the bench.

"Hmmm...I remember the feeling somewhat clearly. It started in my chest, then warmth all over me", she spoke as if entranced, her hand now beside his.

"Have you ever felt like that recently?", his hand inched closer.

"Yes," her hand slid over, now a centimeter apart.  

     He saw the lights reflected in her eyes as she remembered the feeling. A beautiful display right in front of him. He wanted to hold her in his arms, cage her in, and never let her go. He felt that she could understand the ache he had at his center. The way she spoke was without resentment or malice. He wished he could have met her sooner.

     He saw her hand so close to his. His heart began to pound in his ears. Why was he so nervous? She liked him; he knew she did, so why was he hesitating? He then looked back up, and she was staring directly at him. 

     Fear was in her eyes. A horrific expression that made his heart plummet and skin run cold. He couldn't hear anything anymore. His hands became clammy as his thoughts raced. "Please don't look at me like that. Look at me like you always do?".

      Yvette then quickly pushed him out of the way. Cane fell with a hard thud, but when he looked up, a familiar-looking woman had a knife plunged through Yvette's hand and into her side. 

     Cane quickly stood and tackled the woman. The whiplash caused her to let go of the knife and hit her head on the pavement. The crowd began to scatter, and Cane regained his hearing. He could hear people calling for an ambulance and others rushing to Yvette's side. 

     Cane looked over at Yvette, and blood spewed onto the concrete. Her body shook as people from the crowd tried to stop the bleeding. He then looked at the woman he was pinning down, anger bursting at the seams. 

     The woman cried incoherently, but she stopped the moment she got a better look at him. She then screamed in anger as tears fell as she yelled, " I thought you were...YOU'ER NOT HIM! WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS SILAS?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!".