"It was nice, wasn't it?" Arya asked, throwing Gendry a quick glance while driving him home.

"It was great. Really great," he said softly, staring at her as she parked across the street from his apartment. She turned off the car and looked at him, as if sensing his stare. "Thank you," he said, almost whispering, his chest so full of emotions that he could barely speak.

"That's what best friends are for, isn't it?" she asked with a grin.

"I suppose," he said, smiling. He knew she was supposed to drop him and go back home, but he didn't want her to go yet, even though he didn't know what to say to make her stay a little longer. "Can you stay a little bit?" he finally asked, staring expectantly at her.

"No problem," she answered, and then he got off the car, grinning. She left the car as well, and they headed to his apartment.

That had been Gendry's first Christmas Eve without his mother. She had died 3 months ago, leaving him in a state of misery that had lasted for weeks. Arya had been always there for him, giving him all the support she could, even if it meant coming all the way from her university almost every weekend just to see him and make sure he was alright. Most of the times she didn't even let her family know she was around, so she could spend all her free time with Gendry. She even spent several nights in his apartment, just playing videogames or cards or watching movies, so that he wouldn't be alone, and he relished those times so much that he wished they would never end. But he knew she only did it out of friendship, while he nurtured other sort of feelings for her since forever.

To tell the truth, he couldn't help but start to wonder if Arya's actions were being driven by genuine friendship or something else. He wished he could ask someone if that was something normal for a friend to do, but then he pushed these thoughts aside. First of all, he couldn't have this kind of talk about Arya with anyone; second, she never acted like a normal person, so he could never ponder her actions based on someone else's opinions. She was unique, and that was why he loved her.

And then the holiday season came, and Arya insisted for him to spend the Christmas Eve with her family. He was taken aback at first; he didn't want to feel like an intruder in such a family moment. But she insisted, and insisted, and even her father insisted one day when he happened to pass by Gendry in the town.

When Arya showed up in his flat that night, he finally decided to go with her. And he couldn't have made a better decision. Even though he felt emotional most of the time, Arya was there to make him smile every now and then, and so was her family. Actually it seemed like they all had joined her in the mission of making him enjoy his time as much as possible. He had never spent the Christmas Eve with anyone else other than his mother. It would surely be a painful night for him if he had to spend it alone this time, but thanks to Arya it had been a very special night. It still had been painful, but it had been special nonetheless. Once more Arya proved to be a more than thoughtful best friend. And once more he wondered if friendship was all she felt for him.

By the time they reached his door, Gendry's heart was pounding. He desperately wanted to tell her everything he was feeling right now, and tell her how much she meant to him and how she managed, in the last few months, to become even more special to him than she already was. He needed to get all of this out of his chest, but he was still afraid of how she would react. He didn't want to screw things up between them. Never.

When they entered the flat, Arya immediately noticed the bare Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. All the decorations were still in a box next to the tree, practically untouched.

"Why didn't you finish the decoration? You've only added the lights," she asked, kneeling beside the box.

"I was going to finish it, but…," his voice trailed off, and Arya looked at him, frowning at his reaction. "I always did it with mom."

Arya gave him a sympathetic look and then looked at the box again. When she turned to look at Gendry again, she was smiling.

"It's not too late, you know."

He smiled back and followed her suit when she started picking the ornaments and choosing the best place for them on the tree.

When they were done, Gendry turned the lights on, and took his time to admire how gorgeously they reflected on Arya's grey eyes. She was smiling, appreciating their work.

"We did a good job, didn't we?" she asked happily, without taking her eyes off the tree.

He didn't answer. Instead, he reached out a hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She immediately turned to face him, her eyes wide and curious. He couldn't stop himself from moving his hand from her hair to the side of her face, and tentatively caressed her cheek with his thumb, causing her to close her eyes at his touch. His heart quickened at her reaction, and it quickened even more when she placed her hand over his and brought it to her lips, chastely kissing his fingertips.

If Gendry still had doubts on the true nature of Arya's feelings for him, they had just vanished right in front of his eyes. And suddenly he knew that, more than confessing his feelings, he desperately needed to show them to her. And that was what he did when he slid his other hand around her waist, pulling her closer, and, without warning, captured her lips with his.

She opened her mouth to him right away, and a spark of electricity ran throughout his body when their tongues touched and swirled around each other. She wrapped both her arms around his neck, standing on her tip toes, and brought her body even closer to his, moaning against his lips.

The kiss grew deeper and deeper, and all Gendry could think of was the amount of passion Arya was putting into that kiss, as if she had been suppressing her feelings for a long time and was finally releasing them. Just like him.

When they broke the kiss, gasping for breath, their lips were red and swollen, their hearts racing, and Gendry nearly went crazy at the way Arya bit her bottom lip, eyes still closed and a little smile forming in the corner of her mouth. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, blushing, her eyes shining.

"I thought this night couldn't get more special, but it just did," he said, stroking her hair tenderly with one hand, the other still on her waist.

She smiled shyly, her hands on his chest now, her fingers playing with the fabric of his shirt.

"You have no idea how long I waited for this…" she said, her eyes staring deep into his.

"I think I do," he said and leaned down again, his lips aiming her ear this time. "I don't have enough words to tell you how much you mean to me," he said, his voice lower and lower. "But, if you let me, I'll show you every day from now on", he whispered, right before planting a gentle kiss on her neck, earning a soft gasp from her.

"I want you to," she whispered back, her lips lightly touching his neck, "because you mean to me just as much."

Before Arya could say anything else, Gendry claimed her lips again, and she promptly returned the kiss. But before it could grow as deep and intense as the first one, Arya's phone buzzed with a message. She read it and sighed.

"I have to go… Robb says it started snowing and I better go home before the road becomes slick."

"Oh… Okay…" he said resignedly.

Gendry led Arya to her car, hands entwined. The street was already covered with little snowflakes, so was her car, and Arya sighed again.

"I wish I could stay more," she said, nearly pouting.

He held her close and kissed her forehead.

"We'll have plenty of free time till the end of the Christmas break," he said. "We can spend all of it together if you want."

"Of course I want," she said before kissing him again, long and deep. Then she pulled away. "By the way… Do you have any plans for the New Year's Eve?"

"Not yet."

She smiled widely.

"Good," was all she said, and then she got into the car.

"You're not gonna tell me what you're planning?" he asked, leaning down to her window.

"Not yet. Just trust me, right?"

She smiled, pulled his face for a quick kiss and with that she was gone.

To tell the truth, she wouldn't be Arya Stark if she didn't do exactly what she just did, leaving him gaping like an idiot. But he couldn't help, he loved her just like that. And there was no denying it; he could barely hold his excitement for whatever was to come.