Somehow, it's December—I swear I still think it's October sometimes—so I thought I'd share something sort of seasonal. I haven't written a Christmas story yet, but The Merchant's Love is set in fall/winter and over Tournai's winter holidays. And it's overall a warm and fuzzy kind of book (demisexual bookish royal and bisexual merchant who is awkwardly besotted with him fall in love over books and baked goods), which is what I always want in a story this time of year. So, here's a snippet from The Merchant's Love. (We're in Faelen's point of view.)
He bought a bag of roasted chestnuts from a cart on a corner and kept walking. The bag warmed his hand even through his glove, and the chestnuts were as delicious as he remembered. They didn’t grow in Teilo, but he used to eat them practically by the pound during the winter when he was a child. The treat warmed him inside and out, at least partly from the glow of pleasure and nostalgia.
When he approached the theater, Maxen was coming toward him from the other direction, and Faelen smiled. He kept walking until he and Maxen met, until only inches separated them, and looked up into Maxen’s twinkling eyes.
“Hello.”
“Hello.” A ripple of something—pleasure, amusement, happiness—ran through Maxen’s voice before he dipped down and stole a kiss.