snow in december.

Angel wandered down the sidewalk, her jacket pulled tightly around her body to fight off any bitter wind that tried to nip at her skin.

She wished had brought a coat, though she was nearer to the bookstore than she was to her home.

December was a beautiful time of the the year, despite the pernicious temperatures. The tarmac of the roads and the concrete sidewalks all frosted with ice. Shards of ice hung from window ledges and roofs alongside seasonal fairy lights.

Having to defrost your car window and handles before work using a kettle of boiling water in a desperate attempt to make it to work on time.

It truly was the most wonderful time of the year.

Angel swung open the door to the bookstore, feeling the swarm of heat from the old radiators scattered around the old library as she stepped inside.

The bells above the door made a gentle ringing sound from the collision with the mahogany door, slowing to a stop soon after the door closed.

Christmas decorations were hung around window frames and sprawled out across the top of the bookshelves.

The artificial Christmas tree sat in the corner of the store, decorated with golds and whites rather than the traditional red and white decorations.

Angel went to the romance and fiction section, obviously first saying hello to the old lady who was in charge of the establishment. She had read almost every one of the long books that were there.

"Hello Angel!" she smiled, peering over her thin glasses at the raven-haired girl. Many books were scattered across her desk, all of which she had scanned and were ready to be put back on the shelf.

"Hi Abigail!" she smiled back before gesturing towards the pile of books labelled mystery and fiction "Should I put these back on the shelf?"

Angel loved this bookstore, she had been there almost everyday since she was a little girl, it was a place where she felt safe.

She knew every isle of the store like the back of her hand, and with the help of Abigail, she learnt how to organise each book by genre and alphabet.

Her eyes lit up at Angel's offer, quickly standing up and lifting the up the pile of books, discarding the neon yellow post-it-note on the top, "Could you, dear?"

Angel nodded, she loved this store and would do anything to help them out. She wanted to work here one day, look after the store with as much care as Abigail does.

Abigail handed the pile of books to her, thanking Angel a dozen times before returning to the black plush chair behind the desk.

She slotted the books into the corresponding spaces with care, even rearranging the books which had been carelessly discarded on the wrong shelves.

Already being in front of the bookshelf she began her search to find a book that she had not read yet, a difficult daily task Angel faced.

A boy came up to her right and spoke, "I would recommend that one," he pointed exactly towards the second book of the fifth row up.

To Angel's surprise, it was one she hadn't read before.

"Oh," Angel hummed, glancing at the boy beside her. She had never seen that man before, he had dark brown hair, effortlessly swept to the left in a messy-controlled manner.

"Wow, I have never seen that there, I swore there was another one there," she extended her arm towards the book and grabbed it, turning the book over to read the blurb scribbled on the back.

Within seconds of reading the blurb she was in love with the book, desperate to separate the thin pages and get immersed within the author's writing.

"Hey, thank you-" she turned her head to the right, there was no one.

She shrugged it off, assuming he had to go somewhere. Though he lingered on her mind, she hadn't caught his name.

Angel carried the recommended book over to the window sill, sinking into the plush antique cushions organised around the curved alcove.

It was a strange recommendation from a boy his age, he looked no older than 21, a book like this was more popular with older readers. Nonetheless, Angel wrapped her hands around the hard-back cover and flicked through the delicate pages.

✧˖°࿐

"Did you enjoy it?" a familiar voice appeared in front of Angel, leaning against the pale cream wall with a curious smile on his lips.

He was back.

"I did, though the ending was tragic," Angel frowned, closing the hard-back book carefully before resting it on the window seat cushion.

He stifled a laugh, sitting down beside her, "That's the point, leaves you with a heartache," his pale fingers picked up the book, flicking through the brittle pages delicately.

"Heartache? It broke my heart! But in a good way," she smiled, pulling her legs to her chest with a shiver, the window seat was better in the sun.

He rose to his feet again, stepping towards the bookshelf to return the book, "I'm glad you enjoyed it, I recommend it to anybody who cares to listen,"

He put the book back in the right space too, alphabetically and in the romance and fiction section.

He cared about books as much as Angel did.

"Have you got anymore recommendations?" Angel looked up at him with a smile, turning her body to face him more, "Preferably ones with a happy ending?"

"Boo! You're no fun!" Mystery boy frowned lightheartedly, dragging the pad of his finger along the spines of each book before pulling one out and presenting it to her, "How about.. have you read this one?"

It didn't look like a book Angel would pick out on her own accord, though neither did the previous book.

"I haven't," Angel took the book from his hands, admiring the art on the cover before reading the blurb, "What is it about?"

He tutted his tongue with a shake of his head, "You have to read it to find out, I wouldn't dare spoil a book for someone else,"

"Fine, though I'll have to read it another day, I should be getting home,"

Angel turned back to the window to sling her purse onto her shoulder, though her eyes got caught on the sight outside of the window.

"Snow?" she smiled in awe, it had been years since it snowed in London, a Christmas miracle some might say.

"You can't go out there without a coat," he picked up his own coat, pulling the black fabric around his body, "I'll walk you home, I have an umbrella,"

"Oh, you don't have to-,"

"I wouldn't forgive myself for leaving you to freeze on the sidewalk," he smiled, swinging the closed black umbrella on his curled finger, "Please, I insist,"

Angel scanned out the book mystery boy suggested, she'd read it here tomorrow but feared someone else might get ahold of it before she returns.

"Thank you Abigial! Have a good evening," she smiled, sliding her new book into her bag before turning back to the brunette boy who waited for her at the door.

He slid his hand up the pole of the umbrella, extending the skeleton of it manually, it must've been old due to how it struggled against his hands.

They both stepped out of the bookstore with a grimace, mystery boy holding the umbrella above the both of their heads as Angel directed him to her house.

Falling hard, the snow lands soft. Crunching under their trainers as they walked the streets of London together.

i love christmas sm