Free Last Christmas by Lily Greene

bit, causing their journeys to take a little longer.
    On the final return trip back to Ella’s studio, light snowflakes began to fall. Ella looked out at the delicate flakes mesmerized and thought about the evening ahead of her. Tonight she was going to Fergus’ house and she had a feeling she might be staying the night. Although they had only known each other for less than a week, after four dates Ella felt ready to take that step with him.
    The car pulled up outside her studio and Mark’s voice startled her out of her daydream.
    “Good luck with tha exbition Ellah,” he said in his cockney accent that was so strong that Ella thought it could not be a hundred percent genuine. “Let me know ‘ow it goes afterwards.”
    “I will Mark. Thank you for all your help today. You’ve been such a star!”
    “No worries luv. Now be careful wit tha ice.”
    Ella closed the van door behind her and walked to her front door. The snow that had fallen was so light it wasn’t settling. Ella wished that just once the snow in London wouldn’t melt as soon as it touched the dirty city streets.
    She stepped into her studio and went straight to the bathroom to prune, prep and groom herself for the approaching date.
    *
    Ella arrived at Fergus’ flat in Islington at seven thirty with a bottle of Rioja in hand. He greeted her at the door with a kiss and ushered her in, taking her blue mohair coat and hanging it up on his coat rack. Underneath her coat, she was wearing a long-sleeved black silk dress that had a dipped neckline, emphasizing her cleavage. Her hair was swept off her face into a short ponytail exposing her neck. This was the first time Fergus had seen Ella dressed in something more revealing than winter polo necks and coats. His expression reflected her outfit’s success and she blushed at the way he looked at her. He took her in his arms, placed his arm around the small of her back and kissed her on the lips.
    “Are you hungry?” he asked.
    “Yes I am. Can I help with anything?”
    “Well actually yes, you can help with a lot.” He had a suspicious grin on his face.
    “Okay,” she said nervously. “Show me to the kitchen.”
    They walked through a large Victorian living room with a beautiful open fireplace. The walls were adorned with black and white prints from floor to ceiling and two comfortable looking grey sofas were positioned in an L shape around the fireplace. On the left of the fireplace was a medium-sized Christmas tree covered in red and gold glittering baubles. Ella stopped to admire the wooden carvings of angels and reindeer, which hung delicately on the smaller branches. On the top of the tree was a striking dove with a long glistening tail, perching where the star normally went.
    “Come on,” Fergus said, prompting Ella to follow him into the kitchen.
    To her surprise, there was a short, dark-haired Mediterranean man in the kitchen, standing over the cooker.
    “Ella, this is Luigi. He is going to be our teacher tonight. We’ll be cooking some authentic Italian food.”
    “Oh wow. It’s lovely to meet you Luigi,” Ella said as she shook the chef’s hand. “Fergus this is an amazing idea.”
    “Not bad for a ‘normal’ dinner date eh?” he asked mischievously, walking around the kitchen island to organise the pile of ingredients which stood on a thick wooden chopping board.
    “Not bad at all,” Ella replied.
    “Ima gonna teach you ‘ow to make Italian winterr dishes. Arancini , deep fried balls ofa risotto, Sicilian fish soup and Polpette di pollo , which is chicken ameataballs in rich tomato sawce.”
    Ella was besides herself. “Incredible.”
    “He’s also given me a recipe for mulled wine, which we could make after. You mentioned you’d love to know how to make it when we went to the planetarium.”
    “Oh Fergus.” Ella was lost for words. This man was so thoughtful and clearly listened to everything that came out of her mouth. “I’m totally bowled over by your kindness.