Cassie sat cross-legged on the floor of their small dorm, arms folded, glaring at the offending strands of Christmas lights now tangled around her like some bizarre festive punishment. She could feel the ridiculous Santa hat slipping to the side of her head, the fuzzy trim tickling her temple. The familiar, overly cheery strains of Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" blared from a tiny speaker on the desk, and Cassie fought the urge to groan out loud.

She didn't know how she'd ended up here. One moment, she was finishing a sketch in her notebook, perfectly content in her Christmas-free bubble. The next, someone had burst into the room with a bag of decorations, a mischievous grin, and boundless holiday energy. Cassie had tried to resist, but they had this infuriating way of coaxing her into things without even trying. Before she knew it, Cassie was stringing lights around the doorframe—well, trying to before they took over with a laugh at her "terrible technique."

Now here she was, part of the décor, while her partner hummed along to the song, perched on the desk hanging snowflake garlands from the ceiling. Cassie watched her, the twinkle lights reflecting in her eyes, her cheeks flushed with excitement. The sight stirred something warm in Cassie's chest, something that made her want to scowl even harder.

This was supposed to be miserable. Cassie hated Christmas—the forced cheer, the tacky decorations, the never-ending onslaught of holiday music. But she couldn't bring herself to feel annoyed, not when her partner was practically glowing with happiness. "How long is this going to take..." Cassie muttered under her breath with a dramatic sigh.