Ahh, everything seemed to go according to plan and it made Loriel feel very happy. Now that Elise was here, the food was ready, the mood was set, Loriel was ready with his love confession.

"Then let's eat," Loriel placed the cake on one of the kitchen island. "I'll save this for our dessert, alright?"

​​

"I think I should change first, Loriel," Elise said. She looked at her overcoat, scarf, and gloves that she quickly chose before she went out earlier this morning. "Compared to you, I feel a little underdressed."

"You're beautiful no matter what you wear, Elise." Loriel readily answered.

Elise blushed at his words and she crossed her arms. "You really know what to say at times like this, don't you, Loriel?"

He chuckled and looked at her. "I speak from the heart, so I mean what I say. Whatever you wear, you look beautiful."

"I'll still change, okay?" Elise smiled. She started heading to her room and stopped right at the door. "I want to dress up a little since you did say it's a special occasion, it's really our first Christmas together. Thank you, Loriel."

***

The two of them were now seated together underneath the chandelier-lit room, enjoying their dinner together.

After some short conversation over their dinner meal, Elise looked up at Loriel and smiled. "Thank you so much for doing this, Loriel."

"It's the least I could do, I always spent this day all by myself, so I am happy to do something different this time. I'm grateful for your presence, Elise." Loriel looked at his wife tenderly.

"I feel like I'm the one who should really be thanking you," Elise said with a low voice.

Loriel chuckled and cleared his throat. He may have gotten too emotional. "Would you like more wine?"

"Thank you. You've really outdone yourself, Loriel. The food is amazing!" Elise raised her wine glass.

"Well, besides all of that… Christmas is the final holiday of the year so it's best to celebrate it." Loriel lifted the bottle and poured her a drink. "A little holiday spirit never hurts anybody, Elise. Cheers."

The two of them then clinked their glasses together.

Elise sipped her wine and smiled at him. She was happy to see Loriel was all smiles tonight. He looked genuinely happy and feeling festive.

Loriel stood up and smiled at her. "I'll go get our cake, Elise. It'll pair well with our drinks, so I'll be right back."

This was the moment he had been waiting for.

The moment of Loriel's confession was already near. He had waited for this moment and he couldn't hold it back any longer.

Elise looked up in surprise at Loriel's words. She was already enjoying their dinner together, and now he was going to get and slice the cake she brought him. She started to rise up from her seat.

"Oh, I can help you—"

"It's fine. Please just stay here and let me do it, Elise." Loriel reassured her. "I'll be grateful if you can stay there and wait for me. I'll be back quickly."

Loriel came back with the dessert plates in his hands, he glanced at Elise and smiled. There was a certain twinkle in his eye that caught her attention.

He was always kind and yet serious. So, to see him pleased and even excited right now, made Elise's heart jump lightly.

Loriel didn't return to his seat immediately and instead stood close to her. He set the cake right in front of her and inclined his head. "Thank you for the gift, Elise. You've really surprised me, this is thoughtful of you and I'm grateful for it."

"I'm glad you like it, Loriel."

"I have one for you as well."

"Oh you didn't have to get me one." Elise looked at him in surprise. The dinner he prepared for them was already grand and amazing. She was content and pleased already. "You've already done so much for me."

"But I already prepared my surprise for you and I did it because I wanted to." Loriel smiled tenderly. "Once again, I have to remind you that you don't have to feel bad about it." Loriel bent slightly in front of her until he was staring at her face to face. "These were all my own choices, Elise."

Elise's heart pounded slightly.

Elise and Loriel had always been around each other for the last few months, it wasn't the first time that he got close to her… but this moment was just different. It felt extremely intimate.

Loriel pulled out a small and beautiful box and presented it to her. "Merry Christmas, Elise. This is my gift for you. I hope you like it."

"Oh… thank you." Elise carefully accepted the box. Their fingers touching for a moment as she took it in her hands.

Slowly, Elise opened the lid and saw what he bought for her.

A beautiful ornate necklace came into her view and glimmered like a crystal jewel.

Elise looked up to him in surprise and wondered how much he spent on this. Even if it looked simple, she could somehow tell that he thought hard about this. This was no doubt expensive and yet for Elise to refuse it now was too much.

"Do you like it, Elise?" Loriel asked. He chose it because it reminded Loriel of her, but he was nervous if her tastes had changed over the course of months in NYC.

Elise smiled brightly at him. "This is too beautiful. I love it!"

She thought it was the most thoughtful thing that anyone could do for her.

Loriel held back the sigh of relief caught in his chest.

"Would you like to wear it now?" Loriel asked.

Elise looked down at his gift and carefully picked the necklace up and held onto the string, watching the jewel hang gracefully in the air. Once again, Elise was reminded of her late father's words… the reason why Loriel was doing this much.

Could it be true?