Page 3 of Blame It On The Carols

Three

Aiden

“Ican help you here,” Victor said, smiling as he stood behind the register. I was expecting Sam to be there this morning but was too tired from not sleeping last night to worry about it. I could catch up with him later.

“Thanks. Can I get a large black eye?”

“Woah. Sounds like someone had a rough night,” Sam said, coming around the corner. I knew Victor had worked with him for a few weeks now, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the shocked and confused look on his face as he tried to figure out what I had ordered.

“Something like that,” I mumbled, running a hand through my short hair.

“It’s coffee black with two shots of espresso,” he explained to Victor as he set a stack of napkins down on the counter behind them. “What’s up? You seem off.”

I stepped to the side and out of earshot of Victor and the other customers as Sam followed me to the end of the counter.

“Makayla showed up last night.”

Sam’s eyes widened as he folded his arms over his chest.

“As in yourex-girlfriend, Makayla?”

“The one and only.”

“The one who broke your heart and moved to LA to start a music career?”

“Yup.”

“The one who has won several awards, including album of the year?”

I tilted my head and leveled him with a look. He knew damn well who I was talking about.

“Wow. I don’t know what to say. What did she want?”

“Honestly? I have no idea. She said she’s in town because of her mom and the caroling competition, but I didn’t ask questions.”

“That’s crazy. Did she say how long she’ll be here?”

“A few weeks.”

“How do you feel about that?”

I shrugged and took the cup Victor handed to me.

“I don’t know. It kept me up last night knowing she was back in town. It was like she had already gotten under my skin, and we weren’t even around each other for more than ten minutes. I couldn’t stop thinking about the last time I saw her, and we all know how that went.”

“Maybe that’s a sign,” Sam said, cocking his head to look at me.

“A sign about what?”

“That the universe is bringing you two back together for a reason. If she’s already getting under your skin, maybe that means you never really got over her. And if you still have feelings for her, this could be your chance to act on them. To tell her how you really feel.”

“I appreciate your delusion with this,” I said sarcastically. “But it’s not like that with Makayla. Even if I still had feelings for her, she wouldn’t be willing to put her life on hold to be with me. Nor would I ask her to. That’s why we didn’t work out the first time and why things won’t work out for us now. Our lives and what we want are too different.”

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