Page 23 of Under The Meh-stletoe

"I didn't say that was the problem." My eyes didn't waver on his. "I don't want that either."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't want anything for a while."

"I don't think I want anything, ever."

"Then we're good. Maybe we'll end up friends."

"Maybe we will. We're good."

He gave me a reticent smile and let me have the blanket while he drove me back home.

December 15

Daniel

Thegazebointhetown square had been covered in red and green garlands, in preparation for the cookie decoration competition. About a hundred people surrounded it; they faced the platform and the table set up in it, where the contest would take place.

Ale stood alone by the table, and the sight of her interrupted the signals keeping my lungs working at a constant rhythm. That was the likely reason for the way my breath hitched. All because of the way she dressed.

I hadn't braced myself to see Ale in an elf costume.

I frowned and strode to the gazebo with a strange flutter in my gut. Were these the famous butterflies people talked about? If so, this was terrible news. It meant that my attraction to Ale hadn't decreased by spending time with her, rather, it continued to grow.

Maybe science had failed me, but the new evidence explained why I had almost kissed her in the truck a few days before. Habituation was nowhere to be found. My feelings had intensified. Fuck. At least, Ale and I agreed: we would not pursue anything we might be feeling.

A new confidence fueled my steps as I climbed the stairs onto the platform. It encouraged me to admire Ale's body like it wouldn't have much of an impact on me. I gazed at her shapely, full legs in white and red striped tights; her forest-green little dress, with a skirt that somehow both highlighted her thick thighs and her plush ass; and a ridiculous red-green hat combo that clashed with her fun hair. And it made me want to devour her. Oops.

It. Would. Go. Nowhere.

I gulped and approached her. The fact that Ale frowned as intensely as I did distracted me. She seemed half-irritated, half-panicked, by the way her lips pressed tight and her eyes opened wide.

"This is quite the development," I said. "What an outfit."

"Don't start." She glared in my direction. "I was coerced."

"By whom? Who do I need to scare off with a harsh look and stern words? How dare they do this to you."

Six trays of cookies lay covered on the table, with no other markings. That way, the competition would be anonymous and impartial.

"My sister and Janet. Don't be mean to my sister though."

"It wouldn't be fair to be mean to Janet alone."

She sighed. "Then don't be mean to her, either. She was the one who was going to wear this costume and judge the cookie decoration competition. She can't now because her whole family came down with a cold."

"This can't be Janet's costume?" I gazed down her body again. Couldn't help myself. "This looks too good on you to be meant for someone else."

Feelings may have intensified, and I may have been counting on them going away eventually, but it didn't mean I had to lie. She lookedhot. Casual flirting was harmless; casual friends could flirt. Right? Because it wouldn't lead anywhere.

She cut me a glance. "No. It's my sister's."

"She just had a sexy elf dress in her closet?"

"Yes. She wears it every year. She probably wore it last year too."

The vague memory of Renata in an elf costume came back to me from the previous Christmas. I didn't remember it catching my eye the way it did when wrapping Ale's body.