Fast Cars and Christmas Wishes: Chapter 3

17.12.20**

Dear Diary,

Yesterday was torture. Ja, my sickness is non-existent now, but I don’t know how to thank Alice Vargas for her help. I’ve been hitting my head against the wall trying to find a way to thank her. Flowers? Nein. A present? Nein. A card? Absolut nicht.

I’m going to ask Charlotte what to do at work today. She might just have an idea for my predicament.

---

Ludwig slammed the snooze button on his alarm as it went off. He groaned and turned over to see what time it was. 5:00 a.m.

He got up and stretched. He grinned. No achiness and no dizziness. Today was going to be a good day. Ludwig still took a couple aspirin to be safe though. He went downstairs and let the dogs out. He looked around the kitchen and decided to just make normal scrambled eggs this morning.

When the eggs were almost done, he heard the pitter patter of Monika’s feet from the stairs. He heard her walk over to the counter in front of the cabinet where the plates were and she made her now daily climb to get them. Ludwig looked over his shoulder to see her totter as she tried to close the cabinet. He quickly reached out and placed a hand on her back to steady her.

She looked over her shoulder at him, grinning. He nodded and she got down easily, grabbing the plates and putting them on the table. I’m glad I don’t have to speak to her often.

Monika got the forks and waited patiently by the table. Ludwig grabbed a potholder from the drawer and he tossed it on the table, setting the skillet on top of it.

Ludwig was still surprised by how much that little girl could eat.

---

Ludwig almost started to hyperventilate on the way to the Kindergarten.

Monika noticed this too. “Onkel Ludwig, are you sick again?” she asked with a concerned look.

“N-nein! I’m fein!” he stuttered.

No you’re not you dummkopf.

They finally made it to the Kindergarten building and Ludwig started to debate on whether he should stay in the car or just be a man already. He was really leaning toward staying in the car.

“Are you coming?”

Ludwig looked at Monika. She was giving him a pleading look and he tried to fight against it. He lost.

Ludwig nodded, trying to give her a reassuring grin. He slowly got out and he followed her in at a snail’s pace. What am I going to do if she talks to me?

The hallway to the classroom suddenly seemed much longer than usual. Monika walked into the classroom and Ludwig peered in. There she was, putting paper and other things on the little tables. Her dress was a pink floral print today and her wavy hair was pulled up into a pony tail again. Ludwig felt his throat close up and his eyebrow started to twitch.

No, not now, he groaned inwardly.

He took a deep breath and walked in. Please don’t turn around, he pleaded. Fate must have hated him because she did.

Her face brightened when she saw him. “Signore Ludwig! Are you feeling better? I hope you are!” she said, walking toward him.

Keep calm, keep calm, keep calm!

She put her hand on his forehead and Ludwig felt his eyebrow twitching again and he couldn’t breathe.

“No fever. You’re back to normal. That’s so great!” she said.

Lilies and fresh bread clouded Ludwig’s senses and he couldn’t think.

“J-j-ja. Back to normal,” he managed to choke out. His whole body was tingling now. She smiled and turned to Monika; and that was when Ludwig escaped.

He hurried out to his car and he quickly got in. He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel, taking deep breaths.

He sat up. “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”

Ja, right.

---

Ludwig grumbled about how a certain Italian will end up giving him high blood pressure as he walked into the shop.

Charlotte peeked out of her office. “Lud! Get in here!” she ordered.

Ludwig leaned in. “Was?”

Charlotte sat down and looked at him with a scrutinizing eye. “Are you better? No fever? Nothing?”

Ludwig nodded. “A little weak, but nothing else is wrong.”

Charlotte nodded in approval. “Well, I’m not paying you to stand here! Get moving.”

Ludwig turned to leave the office, but Alice crossed his mind; for the umpteenth time that morning. He took a deep breath and walked back into her office.

“Charlotte, what should I do if I wanted to thank a young woman for something?” he asked, eyebrow twitching.

Charlotte gave him a blank look. “Thank her for what?” she asked, eyebrow rising in suspicion.

Ludwig rubbed the back of his neck. “Fräulein Vargas helped me out when I was sick last Friday. She brought Monika home and helped around the house. So, how do I thank her?”

“What did you have in mind?” Charlotte asked, a sly grin coming onto her lips.

Ludwig stiffened. This was a bad idea. “Er, flowers?” he said tentatively.

Charlotte started to laugh. “You dummkopf! Just take her out to dinner or something!” she said, waving him off.

“Young women love a free dinner with a good looking man, now get to work!” she continued as he got up to leave.

Ludwig felt his ears grow hot at that comment, making Charlotte laugh even harder.

“You’re blushing again!”

“AM NOT!”

The sound of the door slamming and Charlotte’s laugh filled the office area of the shop.

---

“Dinner huh?” Ludwig said as he drove toward the Kindergarten.

His eyebrow started to twitch and his whole body started to heat up just even thinking about spending a lot of time alone with Alice, in a date situation too.

Ludwig shook his head. “I’ll just tell her that I’ll buy her dinner. That shouldn’t sound like a date right?”

He nodded and parked in front of the Kindergarten. He took a deep breath. Just ask her if she wants dinner and tell her why. That shouldn’t send any mixed signals.

He thought about how nervous she looked after that incident in the kitchen. It’s because you were sick and she doesn’t like you that way dummkopf, he thought dejectedly.

He shook his head as he got out. “Why am I sad about that?”

He pulled his coat around himself tighter, hurrying inside. His heart started to race and he could feel his eyebrow start to twitch again. Be a man!

He did the usual and waited outside as the kids sang Christmas songs. Ludwig peeked in to see Monika actually singing along with Charlotte’s enkel, Sebastian. Ludwig leaned against the door frame and he stuck his hands in his pockets, enjoying the scene.

His gaze unintentionally started to drift toward Alice. Ludwig’s cheeks got warmer as he watched her strum her guitar and sing along with the children. Her cheeks were a little pink and her hair swayed along with her movements. Ludwig realized he was staring and he looked away. All right, just ask her, then leave, ask her, then leave.

The song finally ended and the kids started to gather their things. Monika did her usual thing of being patient and Ludwig decided to ask Alice now.

Here goes, he thought, gulping down the lump that formed in his throat.

She was putting her guitar back in its case by the teachers’ desks and Ludwig slowly approached her. She stood up straight and Ludwig froze as he got close. Now what?

She suddenly turned around and Ludwig suddenly realized how close he really was to her. Alice literally had to crane her neck to look up at him.

“Ciao,” she said breathlessly.

Ludwig’s eyebrow started twitching and he felt every part of his body start to heat up. He couldn’t think all of a sudden. She smiled up at him and he stumbled back a little.

“Fräulein Var-….I-I-I mean Alice!”

“Si?” she asked with a small grin, putting her hands behind her back.

“I-I-I w-want to t-thank you for….what you did Friday,” he managed to mumble out.

“Si?” she said teasingly, stepping closer, causing him to back away again.

“A-and I was wondering i-if you would want dinner sometime, as a thank you,” he finally managed to choke out.

His throat was closing up again and he felt his ears start to heat up. He was surprised steam wasn’t coming out of them.

“A Grazie Date?” she giggled, stepping closer to him again.

Date?! “W-was?”

“You want to take me out to dinner as a ‘Grazie’ right? Then it’s a ‘Grazie Date’,” she said with a flirtatious smile.

Ludwig felt his whole body heat up. It was not supposed to be a date, he thought in dismay.

“So, when is this ‘Grazie Date’ going to be?” she asked, stepping even closer.

“F-F-Friday. 6:00,” he managed to choke out.

She put a hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. Ludwig’s whole arm began to tingle from the touch.

“Bene! I can’t wait!” she chirped.

She turned to pick up the play area and she smiled at him over her shoulder. Ludwig tried to grin back and he turned away quickly. Monika gave him a confused look.

“Onkel Ludwig, why is your face so red? And why is your eyebrow twitching?”

Ludwig just grunted and led her out of the classroom.

---

I am hopeless. I can’t believe that I almost broke down just asking her out to dinner! How in the hell am I supposed to get through the whole night with her?! When it’s just us?! Mein Gott, I hope I don’t pass out halfway through dinner. Then she’ll really think I’m a dummkopf, if I didn’t convince her of that already.

I’ll have time to prepare though. Tomorrow is Monika’s last day of Kindergarten before her Holiday break starts. I’ll have time to think of what to say and what to do without being distracted by Alice.

I should have listened to Gilbert more when he talked to me about girls…..I can’t believe I just wrote that.

---

Ludwig took a deep breath before following Monika into the classroom the next day. I will not stutter today.

“Ciao Monika! Ciao Signore Ludwig!”

Ludwig looked at her and his heart almost stopped, again. Alice was wearing a cornflower blue dress today and her hair was down.

“Hallo Fräulein Vargas,” Monika said as she took her bag off.

“H-hallo,” Ludwig said quietly. VERDAMMT!!!

Alice smiled at him and helped Monika get her coat off. “There we go. Now you go and have fun,” she said, gently pushing on the little girl’s back.

Monika nodded, grinning at her. Then she hugged Ludwig’s leg before going over to the play area.

An awkward silence hung over Ludwig and Alice as she walked away. Say something!

He cleared his throat. “You…look nice today.”

Alice grinned and tucked some hair behind her ear. Ludwig focused on breathing correctly and scratched the back of his neck.

“Grazie,” Alice replied, biting her lower lip as she grinned.

That’s…actually cute.

Ludwig felt his cheeks grow warm and he noticed how Alice’s cheeks turned pink too.

“Servus,” he said quickly, turning away and walking out before his eyebrow could start twitching.

You’re hopeless.

---

He dejectedly walked into the shop later.

Charlotte was standing next to the door to the shop, scribbling stuff on a clipboard. “Well, how’d it go?” she asked, looking up from the papers.

Ludwig’s shoulders slumped. “She said Ja.”

“And you’re sad why?”

“I acted like a trottel when I asked her.”

Charlotte chuckled. “How so?”

Ludwig sighed. “I got nervous and I kept stuttering and all that schrott. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s just doing this because she feels sorry for me!”

Charlotte patted his shoulder. “You’re not one of those men that women feel sorry for. Besides, just act like yourself, don’t worry about anything else and just have a good time. Oh,” she paused before walking back to her office, “I can watch Monika when you go too. I have Sebastian for a couple weeks so she won’t be bored.”

Ludwig sighed and felt a little better. “Danke Charlotte. I’ll drop her off Friday night.”

“Perfekt! And take the whole day off,” she studied him, “It looks like you’ll need it.”

Ludwig grumbled about women being the source of all his trouble as he walked into the garage.

---

Ludwig hid in the hallway when he went to pick up Monika. He peered in and waited until everyone left before walking in.

Monika grinned at him and held up two paper bags. “I made you and Vati Christmas presents,” she said.

Ludwig made a note to buy Christmas decorations soon. Looks like I actually have to celebrate it correctly this year.

“We’re getting a tree right?” she asked.

Ludwig nodded. “How ‘bout we go after we drop your stuff off?”

Monika grinned and tried to get her coat on by herself. Ludwig grinned and shook his head and he helped her. He heard Alice’s voice in the background and he looked out of the corner of his eye to find her.

She was helping the other teacher clean everything up before the holidays. She noticed his look and she waved with a smile.

Ludwig suddenly realized that he didn’t know where she lived. Monika finally got her coat and bag on and she picked up the decorated paper bags. He grabbed the loop on the top of her bag to keep her there.

Monika looked up at him in confusion. “Why aren’t you in a hurry today Onkel Ludwig?”

Ludwig took a deep breath, stood straighter, and walked over to Alice.

“Alice?”

She looked up from the table she was cleaning up. “Ciao Ludwig.”

She tucked some hair behind her ear and stood up straight.

“I forgot to ask you what your address was….” he trailed off, feeling his neck and ears heat up.

Alice grinned and got a piece of paper off the table and she grabbed a pencil out of a little can. Ludwig studied her handwriting. It was curly and it covered a lot of space. She held it out for him with a smile. Ludwig took it, accidentally brushing his fingers against hers. The electric shock from before happened again and Ludwig froze. He looked at her face and she looked up at him. Ludwig was kind of amused at how much taller he was than her. He found his gaze trailing down to her lips again.

“Alice! Stop flirting and get back to cleaning!” the other teacher teased.

Ludwig literally stumbled back from her this time. “Auf Wiedersehen!” he said quickly, grabbing the loop on Monika’s bag.

He basically dragged the poor little girl out to his car.

---

Ludwig pinched the bridge of his nose later as he let Monika pick out some ornaments for the small fake tree picked. The little girl perused the long aisle of decorations and Ludwig slowly followed her. She finally picked out some bulbs and normal lights. She held them up for Ludwig’s approval and he nodded. She put them in the little basket he was holding in his right hand, while the box the tree was in was tucked under his left.

He moved to walk toward the checkout, but a little tug on the back of his coat stopped him. He stopped, glancing over his shoulder. She was looking at the angels and stars that went on top of the tree. Ludwig turned and waited for her to pick. She finally grabbed a small angel that was dressed in white. She held it up for his approval. He held out the basket. She grinned, setting the little angel in the basket.

Ludwig stopped by the candy aisle, gesturing to the candy canes sitting on the shelf. She looked up at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. He nodded. She quickly grabbed a box and stuck it in the basket.

Ludwig held back a chuckle of amusement. He remembered putting candy canes on trees in his childhood. It was fun until Gilbert ruined it by eating all of them in one go.

He checked out and Monika carried the bag full of ornaments out while he carried the tree. He helped her put the bag in the trunk with the tree and then helped her in.

Ludwig drove home and he could see Monika basically quivering with excitement when he pulled into the garage. He helped her out, handing her the bag of ornaments. She quickly walked over to the door and waited for him to get there with the tree. He opened the door and she held up the bag away from the dogs.

“BACK!” Ludwig barked.

Aster and Berlitz trotted away and waited by the sliding glass door to the yard. Blackie still was a wiggling mess in front of Monika.

Ludwig nudged the puppy with a glare. The puppy finally got the hint and ran into the living room. Ludwig sighed as he walked into the living room. He set the box down and he watched as Monika set her bag on the couch and she gingerly got everything out.

He scratched his head and took the tree out of the box. After a lot of cursing and kicking, he finally got it set up; placing it in the corner. He gestured to the ornaments. Monika got the lights out and she wound them on the bottom branches. She got halfway up and she stopped, getting up her tip toes to try to put them up higher. Ludwig plucked the roll of lights from her hands and finished putting them on for her.

She opened the box of bulbs and she put half of them on the bottom. She handed the box to Ludwig when she couldn’t reach any higher. Ludwig grinned as he put the ornaments on. I haven’t done this in years. He didn’t care though. It wasn’t like his Vati was here to scold him for it.

Monika grunted in frustration when the candy canes wouldn’t come out of the box easily. Ludwig ended up having to open it for her and he put his half on the top and she got the bottom. She un-wrapped the angel from its package and she held up to him. Ludwig looked at the beautiful topping. He suddenly remembered when Gilbert would pick up Laura to put the star on their tree in the past.

He picked her up and set her on his shoulder. A small smile appeared on her lips as she put the Angel on the very top of the tree. Ludwig set her down and gestured to the plug in for the lights. Monika hurried over and plugged the lights in.

The duo stood back and admired their work.

“Ich mag es,” Monika said quietly.

Ludwig nodded in agreement.

---

21.12.20**

Dear Diary,

Today is my ‘Grazie Date’ with Alice, and I am a wreck. I have no idea what I’m going to do or say and Charlotte has been no help these last couple days.

Gott help me.

---

Ludwig’s eyebrow was twitching at light speed. He threw some more shirts out of his closet and he looked at them.

“Which one?!” he growled.

He didn’t want to look like an idiot in front Alice. He had green, red, black, and white button up shirts sitting on his bed. He ran his fingers through his hair and he tried to pick the best one. His shoulders slumped in defeat. “I don’t know,” he groaned.

He heard small footsteps in his hallway and he looked to see Monika standing at his doorway. She walked over to his bed and studied the shirts. She looked at him, then at the shirts again. She pointed to the white one and walked out.

Ludwig looked at the little girl in shock.

He grabbed the white one and slipped it on, rolling up the sleeves to his elbows.

He looked in the mirror and fixed his hair.

“I guess a woman of any age knows best,” he grumbled.

---

Ludwig was a mess as he was driving Monika to Charlotte’s house. He was gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were turning white. He felt a small hand on his elbow. He looked at Monika out of the corner of his eye.

Monika patted his elbow before pulling her hand back.

For some reason, that was enough comfort for Ludwig.

---

Ludwig studied Alice’s handwriting and he looked at the street sign. “I’m on the right one” he mumbled.

His heart started to race as he stopped in front of a small brick house on the end of the street. Ludwig took a deep breath and turned the car off. He opened the door and forced himself to get out, making his way to the house. He got to the door and knocked. He pushed the sleeve of his coat up and checked his watch. 5:55 p.m. The door suddenly opened and Ludwig’s heart stopped and he couldn’t breathe.

Alice looked beautiful.

Her dress was knee length and a deep red color. The short sleeves ended just after her shoulder and the neckline was a modest cut. Her hair was down and in perfect waves. She smiled at him and Ludwig felt everything heat up.

“Ciao.”

Ludwig rubbed the back of his neck and tried to speak. His thought process wasn’t working. Instead of telling her what he thought, he reached for her coat and helped her put it on.

“Did you perfect this with Monika?” she asked teasingly with a wink.

Ludwig laughed lightly. “Ja, you could say that.”

At least he didn’t stutter.

She smiled at him, starting to walk toward his car. Ludwig quickly got there before she did and opened the door for her, resting his hand on the top of it. She put her hand on top of his as she got in. Ludwig felt his neck and ears heat up again as his hand started to tingle.

He cleared his throat, closing the door.

His eyebrow started to twitch.

Here we go.

---

Ludwig was mortified when they got to the restaurant he picked to take her to. There was a bar across the street and it seemed like the whole city of Friedrichshafen decided to go out for drinks that night. He was forced to park a block away. He got out and opened the door for Alice.

“Mio dio, everyone is celebrating tonight, aren’t they?” she asked with a laugh.

Ludwig sighed. “I suppose so.”

They got on the sidewalk and they started to make their way to the restaurant. Ludwig put his hands in his pockets and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She did the same with her own hands. She whistled a tune and giggled. Ludwig gave her a questioning look.

She smiled. “It’s hardly this cold in Italia. I’m not used to seeing my breath.”

She whistled again and a thin stream of fog formed from her breath. Ludwig smiled at her childlike way of looking at things. Well, I guess you have to be that way to be a teacher.

“I’m really glad you’re taking me out tonight,” she suddenly said.

Ludwig’s eyes widened in surprise and he felt his whole face heat up.

She beamed up at him and giggled.

“W-was?” he managed to get out.

“The faces you make! They’re adorable,” she said, giggling.

Ludwig felt his face heat up even more and looked away.

They made it to the restaurant and Ludwig didn’t feel so nervous anymore. Is it because she said she was glad I asked her out to dinner?

They walked in and Ludwig helped Alice shrug out of her coat. “Grazie,” she chirped.

Ludwig grunted in reply and let the server lead them to a table. Ludwig pulled the chair out for Alice.

“You’re such a galantuomo Ludwig,” she said teasingly.

Ludwig didn’t know what she called him, but he was sure it was a compliment. He sat down and ordered a beer.

“Me too!” she chirped.

The waiter nodded and walked away, leaving menus with them. Alice opened hers and started to browse. I’ll just get whatever she gets.

“What to get, what to get,” she mused, biting her lip.

Ludwig felt her knee brush against his under the small table and he buried his face in the menu to hide his blush. Gott verdammt man, pull yourself together!. He barely browsed what was on the menu and hoped that the waiter would be back soon.

As if on cue, the waiter showed up and set two bottles of beer on the table. “Are you ready to order?” he asked.

Alice looked at him and she shrugged. “I’ll have Käsespätzle,” she said.

“Me too,” Ludwig said, handing his menu back.

The waiter nodded and walked away.

Alice took a sip of her beer and she grinned. “German beer is so much better than Italian,” she sighed, taking another sip.

Ludwig tugged at the collar of his shirt. “What part of Italien are you from?”

Alice smiled. “Firenze. I loved living there. But,” she paused and continued, “I don’t mind Friedrichshafen now.” She winked.

Ludwig took a swig of his beer and looked away. He lowered his bottle. “So, why are you here?”

Alice bit her lip and started to twiddle her thumbs. “I came here to get a fresh start, let’s say that!” she said, with a wave of her hands.  

What happened in Italien?

She gestured to him. “Enough about me. What is your story eroe?”

Ludwig felt his cheeks flush even more. “Well, I grew up in Munich. After I finished school I joined the military. I was stationed near here a lot and I grew to like the area. After I was released, I moved here and now I work at a body shop as a mechanic.”

Alice grinned. “So that explains why you keep a pistol in your house.”

Ludwig almost spat out his beer. “Was?!” he choked.

Alice laughed at his reaction. “Monika told me that you hit her Vati in the head with a pistol because you thought he was an intruder. I was wondering why you had a gun after she told me that.”

Ludwig pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ja, that’s one of the reasons why I keep a gun.”

“What are the others?” she asked, leaning forward.

Ludwig felt his throat close up a little and he tried to gulp it down as his father’s face flashed in his mind. “Let’s say it’s a habit,” he said, deciding to play the same ‘let’s be vague’ card.

She grinned and took another drink of her beer.

“Why Deutschland?” he asked.

Alice shrugged. “My fratello and I thought that Germania would be a good place to get a fresh start. We moved here because of the job offers and the lake.”

Ludwig nodded and set down his now empty bottle of beer. He looked to see her not even halfway through her bottle. “Your bruder?”

“Si! My twin. We’ve never gone anywhere without each other. Feliciano is too big of a baby to,” she chuckled.

Ludwig grinned, thinking about Roderick and Laura and how they were inseparable; despite the fact they weren’t twins.

“What are you grinning at Signore?” Alice asked.

Ludwig cleared his throat, wishing he had another beer. “I was thinking about my kleiner bruder and schwester. They are the same.”

“You have more than one Fratello?! Tell me!” she said, leaning her forearms on the table.

Ludwig rubbed the back of his head again, embarrassed from her enthusiasm. “Ja. I have Gilbert, who is the oldest. Maria, who is the second oldest, me, then Roderick, then the last is Laura.”

Alice smiled. “I have Lovino, who is the oldest, then Chiara, then Feliciano and I.”

Ludwig grinned at the way her eyes lit up when she mentioned her siblings. She must love them very much.

The waiter came back with two more beers and their food. The waiter took Ludwig’s empty bottle away and left them alone. Alice smiled and dug in. Ludwig grinned at her gusto and took a bite.

“How is Monika?” Alice asked when she was halfway through her plate.

Ludwig looked up from his food and shrugged. “She’s fein. She’s at a friend’s house right now.”

Alice smiled. “You know, she talks about you all the time.”

Ludwig almost spat out his Käsespätzle. “Was?” he asked, making sure he heard right.

Alice looked amused from his reaction. “Si. She says that she loves your house, your dogs, and how she just trusts you. I thought it was adorable.”

Ludwig looked down at his plate. She…trusts me.

“I’m….glad to hear that,” he mumbled.

Alice grinned and patted his hand. The tingling came and went with each touch. “It’s adorabile. She said that her Vati told her a bunch of stories about you and that she likes you a lot.”

Ludwig balked at that one. “I doubt that.”

Alice gave him a confused look. “Doubt what?”

“That Gilbert told her gut stories. We aren’t exactly best friends,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

Alice smiled. “Well, he must not think the same way.”

Ludwig shook his head with a small grin and finished his meal.

Ludwig paid for the meal and helped Alice into her coat again. They walked out into the chilly night and started to make their way back to his car. Ludwig almost put his hands back in his pockets, but an electric shock and the feel of soft fingers intertwining with his stopped him. He looked down at his hand to see Alice’s fingers in his own. He gulped down the huge lump in his throat, stopped his eyebrow from twitching and he readjusted their fingers a little.

Keep. Calm.

Alice leaned into his arm a little as they walked along. Ludwig’s whole right side started to tingle and burn up. They finally made it to his car and opened the door for her. She smiled up at him and got in. Ludwig shut the door and got in as well. The ride back to her house was surprisingly comfortable, even though Ludwig had to focus on breathing correctly when she held his left hand as he drove with his right.

They finally got back to her house and Ludwig walked her to her door. She got her keys out and started to fumble around for the right one.

Ludwig cleared his throat. “Alice, I had a gut time.”

She looked up and smiled. Ludwig’s heart flip flopped. She finally got the right key and unlocked her door. She suddenly stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.

“I did too,” she whispered with a small smile, opening her door.

Ludwig stood there in shock. He knew his face was red. He also knew his ears and neck were red. “A-a-a-alice?”

She stopped from going inside and looked at him expectantly.

“A-are you spending Christmas with anyone?” he asked.

She beamed up at him. “You.”

She walked into her house and softly shut the door.

Ludwig stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, then he started to walk back to his car. He got in and couldn’t help but smile.

Tonight went better than expected.