Between his sex-addicted roommate and finals, CHRISTOPHER “CHRIS” BRENNAN’s easy smile is wearing thin. His only calm now comes from watching the quiet girl who seems to have found a peace he can’t even imagine. When her usual order is unavailable, he buys her a peppermint mocha. That one drink is all it takes to rattle the lonely snow globe of her life. GUINEVERE “GWEN” PIERCE is used to driving people away with her bluntness. But now she can’t stop thinking about the guy with a worn-out smile—or how he accepts her aloofness without question. When she finds him stranded in the common room, she makes an offer: her couch. What starts as a practical roommate arrangement turns into a routine of study sessions and Christmas movies. But as winter break approaches, so does reality. He’s trapped between a stable future that feels all wrong and the fear of losing her. For the first time, she feels normal. Now, her only fear is that the future she’s building isn’t real if the one person who truly sees her walks away. This Christmas, the greatest gift they can give each other isn’t love— it’s the courage to fight for themselves.

The Peppermint Premise is an open-door holiday romance intended for an adult audience (18+). In the spirit of reader care, please be advised this story contains depictions of: •Grief and loss of parents •Emotionally absent parents •Anxiety and a non-graphic panic attack •An unwanted advance and a power imbalance (student/professor dynamic) •Sexually explicit content •Mentions of past bullying The story also features main characters whose experiences include social anxiety, sensory sensitivity, and navigating social expectations, with traits consistent with undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. While the author’s intent is to handle these elements with care, reader discretion is advised.