Page 17 of Merry Kissmas

“No, we’re not.”I place my hand over hers on my arm.“Pierce and I are very much over.”

“Okay,” she sing-songs.

“I’m serious, Kenzie.”

“If you say so.”She shrugs with a wide smile.

“I do.”

“Maybe that’s what you’ll be saying to him some day.”She giggles.

My eyes widen.“Stop.”

“Pierce really is sweet.From what Andrew told me, he didn’t have it easy when he was younger.Andrew’s really happy to have Pierce here for the holiday season.Said otherwise he’d be by himself except for dinner on Christmas Day.It pulled at my heartstrings, you know?I love Christmas.Makes you extra grateful for what you have.”

I pretend to not be fazed by what she’s telling me, but my chest squeezes nonetheless.I had no clue.Pierce let me talk about my family a lot, but I realize that he never said anything about his own.He talked about his friends and funny stories, but not much else.

No.I cannot soften toward this man.I just have to get through the next week without being alone with him.As long as we’re surrounded by people all the time, it will be fine.Completely fine.

“I think you’re in my seat.”We both look up to see Pierce standing at the end of the aisle.

“This is your seat?”Kenzie points at where she’s sitting.

He flashes his phone with the seat assignment.“Appears so.”

Great.Now I’m stuck side by side with him for five hours.

“You can sit with Andrew.Kenzie can sit here.”I grip Kenzie’s hand.

She turns across the aisle to look at Andrew, who shakes his head.

“Please keep the line moving so we can leave at our scheduled departure time,” the flight attendant says over the speaker.

“Kenzie,” Andrew says, tilting his head.

She looks back at me and cringes.“I’m sorry.If I stay here, I might not be married by the time we land.I’m just across the aisle.”She springs up and moves to sit across the aisle.

It’s fine.I mean, I can totally spend five hours next to Pierce.It’s an evening flight, and I’m exhausted.I’ll just sleep, or pretend to sleep, until we land.

Pierce slips into the seat with a grace not many can accomplish, or maybe it’s just me who always feels as if I tumble into mine.He pulls out his AirPods, which I’m thankful for, and places them between his legs.

I try not to pay attention to him, crossing my legs and opening my book, but my thoughts get away from me, and the side of me that refuses to be quiet comes out.I inwardly curse her.

“Did you know this entire time?Did you somehow arrange this with Enzo Mancini?You two seemed pretty cozy after your interview.”

He turns, rearing his head back, and I earn a quizzical look from the woman waiting in the aisle to continue her way past us.I’m not sure if the line has stalled or if she just wants to watch the show.

“Are you mad?Of course I had no idea.It’s a coincidence, but then is it really?Of course Mancini would want you.And of course he’d want me too.We shouldn’t be surprised he reached out to both of us.”

I guffaw.“You don’t know anything about my career.I work for a small firm in Portland.”I bury my head back in my book.

“I know what kind of student you were.”

“For one semester, and you used to dissect everything I did.You were so paranoid that people would find out about us that you acted as if I was stupid, picked on me when it was your day to lecture, and cut every piece of work I handed in to pieces.”

“Is that what you think?”He turns to face me and leans in.

“Everyone knew you hated me.Said I challenged too much and that you wanted to put me in my place.”I slam my book closed.I’ve only read the first line so far.

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