Day seven was probably my favorite. After Finn saw how much I loved The Nutcracker, and how I reacted to the dog we saw at the bonfire with his friends, he did some research and brought me to the most spectacular event I had ever seen. With no hints as to where we were going, I sat on pins and needles in Finn’s car as he drove us thirty minutes outside of Aspen. He told me to dress nice but comfortable, so I was completely unsure what to expect…until we pulled up and walked inside an arena full of every dog you could imagine. I looked around and soon saw the large sign hanging up above the arena entrance: The Muttcracker.

My knees buckled at the sight, and when I saw one tiny puppy in a gingerbread costume, my eyes watered.

“Are you really going to cry?” Finn snickered next to me.

“Shut up.” I sniffled, and I hurried to our seats to watch the show.

There were ramps, hoops, rings, and slides for the dogs to perform tricks on. We watched each dog with amusement, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d smiled this much. Finn bought me a souvenir t-shirt featuring a puppy dressed as a ballerina. I even got a picture with a group of five French bulldogs. Finn said he was going to make the lockscreen on his phone.

Day Eight

He made plans today for the whole family to go ice skating. Of course, when I told them all, Mom and Taylor lost their minds, Dad, Matt, and Logan looked slightly miserable, and Sarah stayed quiet as always. After the last seven days with Finn, I couldn’t help but look forward to our eighth night. He always had something extra up his sleeve, and somehow over the course of the last week he had completely flipped my mood around.

Don’t get me wrong, I still hated Christmas, but I didn’t dread it nearly as much when Finn was around. Every time he texted me to say he was on the way to pick me up, my heart raced and my cheeks flushed. I was utterly spoiled by him, and I knew going back to Florida wouldn’t be as easy as I’d once assumed.

When Finn came to pick us up, Mom shouted, “Okay! Matt and Taylor in our car, Sarah and Logan in Finn’s. Bye!” She grabbed Taylor and Matt and shoved them through the door in a hurry. Very smooth.

I sat up front with Finn, and Sarah and Logan sat in the backseat. An awkward silence filled the air until Finn flipped on a Christmas playlist. Feliz Navidad drowned out the silence, which was almost worse. I couldn’t wait to get out of this car.

“So… Finn.” Logan’s deep voice traveled from the backseat. “Have you been keeping up with the NHL this season?”