There was something magical about the heart of the town on Sundays as it got closer to Christmas. The market was bustling. Each stall had its own gem- fresh dairy produce, seasonal delicacies, homemade pies and handcrafted trinkets.

As the weather chilled and nightfall came earlier, fairy lights hung around the trees, all the shops and cottages creating a soft ambiance. People drank mulled wine and hot cider. The air was filled with the smell of roasted chestnuts and fried churros. There was an anticipation of the festive season in the air.

"This," Rafe said, gobbling up his pumpkin and cream tartlet, "is amazing."

Lorraine, the maker of the said tartlets, stood beaming and smoothing down her apron as she watched Rafe singing praises over her homemade goods. No one was immune to his good looks and charm it seeemed.

Norah took him on a gourmet tour which had started off with a potato and leek pie, cheesy spinach quiche, and now they had stopped to taste a variety of tartlets. Rafe was on his sixth one.

"Okay enough you won't have space for dessert," Norah said pulling him away from the stand.

"What's for dessert?"

"It's my grandmother's pièce de résistance. White chocolate and peanut butter brownie."

Rafe made a guttural noise of pleasure. "That sounds incredible already. Is she here? Your grandma?"

"No, she's home. Jeremy is selling the sweet stuff on her behalf."

As they approached the stall with desserts, Rafe sniffed the air. Jeremy was Norah's neighbour and owned his own bakery. He was a constantly cheerful man in his forties who left the stresses of a corporate job behind to pursue his passion for sweets.

"What's that amazing smell?"

"It's freshly made toffee," Jeremy answered, showing him pyramids of tiny, camel brown cubes of toffee with flavours such as butterscotch, Bailey's Irish whisky, peanut butter, banana split, caramel and so on. They grabbed a piece of her nana's brownie, a couple of toffees, a cup of tea and found an unoccupied bench. Norah wouldn't be Norah without having antiseptic wipes, wet wipes and napkins for both of them. The start of the gourmet tour began with wiping their hands with sanitizer.

"Man, I haven't eaten this well in so long. I don't think I've ever had a brownie this good," Rafe said, letting out a satisfying sigh.

"Ohh this one is just the best," Norah said taking a bite of crème brûlée flavoured toffee. The soft buttery texture melted on her tongue and reminded her of childhood.

"Oh let me try," Rafe said opening his mouth. She realised both of his hands were occupied so it was up to her to feed him. She broke off a piece and gently put it in his mouth. His lips brushed her fingertips, and it made her tummy tingle. She was glad it was dark because her reddened cheeks would've stood out on her pale skin.

Rafe paid no mind to her reaction and closed his eyes in bliss.

Now that their gourmet tour was over, she wasn't sure what else would impress him. Berkshire couldn't compete with London, especially for a city boy like Rafe, but it had its little treasures. She had shown him the town's church and they browsed through some vintage shops.

They walked down the high street that was brimming with lights from different shops and restaurants. Norah pointed out a couple, and Rafe took note.

"This one has the best seafood... they bring fresh oysters from Dover every Monday..."

"If you go here always ask for the special when choosing dessert."

"If you feel enjoy having a steak, this is the place to be..."

Rafe had been to a couple already and made a note to himself to visit those Norah had advised. She hasn't recommended any bars or pubs because she didn't frequent them. He and his friends mostly went to pubs on the weekends after a game of football.

"If the weather was warmer, we would've gone hiking. There's a hilly area and an ancient, medieval fort. It's beautiful."

"We can go in summer," Rafe said with an indifferent shrug. He was sure they weren't missing out on much. Truthfully, he enjoyed eating and drinking more than he'd enjoy hiking.

Norah hugged herself and let out a chuckle. "I'm not going to be your tutor anymore in summer... we probably won't hang out like this again."

Rafe stopped in his tracks. "Cara, of course we'll hang out. We're mates, aren't we?"

"Really?" She said shyly, tucking away a strand of her hair.

He had a sudden urge to come and envelope her in a dizzying hug. But he settled on snaking his arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. "Of course."

Norah smiled. "All right, mate. We'll go in summer. Now I have one more place to show you and we can see it from there."

"Lead the way."

He noticed that she was becoming much more relaxed around him. She showed more emotion and was generous with her smiles, which Rafe was glad to see. He got to see a more relaxed, girlier side of her.