Nora and the Mermaid |ONC 2021|

Winter's Wonderland II - Kindling

2020, SUMMER

Something's sizzling, and it ain't attraction - A Kindling Review

♡

Once upon a time, sparks flew...and tragedy struck.

Candles equated class. At least it did in my limited experience of fine dining. The table Tamara reserved for us at the French bistro in downtown Lockheed had a candle. By its light, we dined under the stars and watched the rain fall. We waxed poetic and exchanged personal misfortunes. The air was musky and spiced, like mulled wine. It was the perfect start, on a perfect night.

Tamara had red lips and thick mascara, her hair luscious and full. Wild. The kind of curls I'd always envied as a child. When she looked at me, it was with a decided note of interest. I decided in that second, that I, too, was interested.

It should have been great. A textbook date. We had all the ingredients for success- shared chemistry, instant physical attraction, a movie-level romantic backdrop.

But then, I stupidly reached across the table for the pepper mill, and the bell sleeve of my dress caught on fire. For a moment, I was the girl on fire. The winner of the Hunger Games, the savior of Panem, that was, until a server doused my dreams, and my entire arm, in a pitcher of cucumber water. The excess of which splashed across my date's face.

Cucumber slices stuck to her cheeks and oozed down her neck. Her mascara ran. Her lipstick smeared. And then, as Tamara set about wiping off her face, all three of us noticed to our abject horror that the fire had spread. You'd be surprised at how quickly pine wood plate holders and organic cotton linens go up in flames.

Tamara paid for the meal, tipping extra. I spoke to the fire department and a duo of off-duty cops who glowered at me the entire time, displeased with being summoned to the scene of such a stupid fiasco.

Afterwards, my date said nothing before slinking into a cab and disappearing into the night. I chose to walk home after stuffing my coat pockets with complimentary dinner rolls, the ones that were the least scorched.

Well Kindling, there it was. While sparks flew between us, the rest of date sure went up in smoke.

#wheretheressmoketheresfire #breadcuresallwounds #candlesequalrisk #imawalkingfirehazard

HEA UPDATE: Winter Green's got early access to Happily Ever After!!! One of twenty thousand humble humans ready to put on their best faces and skimpiest black dresses/suits to brave the the uncharted territory of documented romantic liasons with their magical counterparts. Sure, the media claims an angel's kiss is heavenly, but I bet it's more devilish than they let on. Bet your butts, your girl Winter's gonna find out. ;-))

#HEA #happilyeverafter #onetruelove #bringonthekissingangels #prepareyourselfmajjos

Word Count Total: 10,532