It was a brisk morning in Baltimore, Maryland; snow on the ground and a chill in the wind as shoppers dashed from store to store avidly trying to get their last minute Christmas shopping done, whilst others simply sipped their hot chocolates and cappuccinos, enjoying that feeling you only get this time of year from seeing decorations up in shop windows and on street lamps: a mixture of excitement, anticipation and warmth.

It had been 4 years since Olivia Summers had even set foot in the state which she was born and raised, and here she was, stood in line at what used to be her favourite coffee shop, dressed like she had been plucked straight from an episode of Gossip Girl. She received the occasional curious glance from passers by, but it was nothing she wasn't already used to, she was completely stunning, with long blonde hair and naturally tanned skin, it was hard not to stare at her.

Olivia was excited to be home for the holidays, although she didn't exactly feel at home. Home is a word you associate with family, holidays are a time you associate with family, and yet she was completely alone.

When she was 18 years old her father uprooted their family and packed them off to Los Angeles, California, where he started up his now incredibly successful law firm, and that's where her family would be spending Christmas. In fact, Olivia didn't have any remaining family on the East Coast, she was planning on spending her Christmas here with just her fiancé Derek Randall. However, last minute he decided to head up to New York – his birth place – and spend Christmas with his family, like he and Olivia usually did. New York is such a beautiful place to be at this time of year, but Olivia wanted to show Derek her hometown; show him around and tell him all about her childhood, but Derek wasn't interested, in fact he hated most of the places Olivia took him and complained the whole time, so while she was sad to be alone she was also kind of glad that she could just enjoy the nostalgia and memories without anyone ruining it.

Derek and Olivia had been engaged for just over a year now, he proposed the day he got a full time job at her father's law firm – that's how they met. Her father loved Derek, sometimes she would joke that he loved Derek more than she did. Her mother was indifferent towards Derek, feeling he was a little snobby and pretentious, but Olivia didn't mind. She loved Derek; he was very stable and sensible, he was good for her.

“Regular coffee and a blueberry muffin to go?” a lady in a red apron shouts from the front desk. Olivia instantly snaps out of her trance and collects her order from the lady, “thank you” she says with a soft smile as she goes to leave.

Suddenly, just as she's spinning on the heel of her Louboutin, she feels her paper bag holding her muffin drop to the floor as she bumps into someone. Their hands grab her at either side to steady her and she sees only darkness as she slams into their chest.

“Oh my God, I'm so sorry,” she blurts out before she can even see who it is she just almost assaulted with her hot coffee, which surprisingly she had kept a safe, tight grip of – one of those mornings where spilt coffee was no an option, she thought.

She heard a chuckle, followed by a raspy, sleepy “Don't worry about it, my fault.” Olivia took a step back, now stable and watched as the man in front of her bent down to pick up her bag. He had shaggy, brunette hair which clearly hadn't been brushed, he was wearing a camel coloured sweater and a pair of black skinny jeans, topped with a grey trench coat; he looked good. “Here ya go, sorry 'bout that,” he chirped, trying to sound awake, as he looked up and passed her the bag. Upon seeing his face, Olivia's mouth dropped open, she was speechless – and no, he was not that gorgeous, although he was very attractive – but the rush of emotion she felt when she saw those chocolatey eyes looking back at her was so intense, there were no words.

He tilted his head at her and furrowed an eyebrow, confused. Olivia was hurt, she couldn't believe he didn't recognise her, how could he forget her? Had it really been that long? Did she really mean that little to him? She couldn't believe it. But then she remembered the huge pair of sunglasses on her face, along with the fact that she wasn't wearing converse and ripped jeans like he probably remembered her to always be.

She scooted the sunglasses down her nose, showing her piercing baby blue eyes, she raised her eyebrows as if to say 'remember me now?' and watched as his eyes widened in total shock, he was also totally speechless. This was a moment he never thought would ever occur, he simply had not prepared for it, if it were possible to prepare for this. Was this real? He found himself questioning his stability, surely he wasn't that tired, right? Do you hallucinate from sleep deprivation?

“Liv,” he murmured, it was so quiet she barely heard him, but she did. It just fell out of his mouth, like he had been waiting to say it for the past four years, and in a way, he was. “Liv,” he said again, louder this time, “oh my God,” he whispered. His eyes didn't leave hers, although they remained very wide. She was having trouble reading them, was he scared? Shocked? Nervous? She had no idea, which was kind of comforting because she had no idea how to feel herself.

Notes

olivia's outfit

hey, this is the first fanfiction i've wrote in sooooo long, so i'd really appreciate some feedback, positive or constructive it's all welcome :) i'm a little rusty ahaha, but let me know what you think!

- emily x