Page 94 of It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
Before travelling back to London that morning, I hadn’t known it was possible to feel any more untethered than I already did. But, right now, I felt as if everything I’d ever known was just beyond my grasp. I laid my head back onto the arm of the sofa and placed a scratchy hemp cushion over my face. Saskia sensed my internal existential unravelling.
‘Shit, Mally, I’m sorry – I keep talking about Josh when this is as big a deal for you as it is for him.’
I kept the cushion over my face as I replied, ‘don’t worry, I’m pretty used to coming bottom of the pecking order.’
Saskia had nothing to say to that, although I heard her take a large slurp of wine, followed by a shaky exhale and some fingernail taps on her phone. I wondered how much longer I could tolerate the rough fabric on my skin, although I was quite enjoying the relative peace under there.
‘Hey, Mally?’
‘Mmm?’ Still muffled.
‘Are you ready for a slice of chocolate cake?’
I nodded my head in an exaggerated motion so the movement could be detected via the medium of the cushion. I added a thumbs up into the mix for extra clarity.
While Saskia took the plates into the kitchen and prepped our puddings, I removed the cushion from my face, along with some rogue strands of hemp.
‘Do you mind if I put the telly on?’ I called to Saskia.
‘Go for it – the remote’s in the drawer under the TV.’
I switched it on and flicked to Channel 5 by reflex, letting the Christmas movie fill the silence.
Saskia set down two plates on the coffee table – with an enormous slice of rich, gooey dessert on each one – and curled up in the nook of the corner sofa.
‘Ooh, I love this one,’ she said, gesturing towards the screen with a forkful of cake.
‘You know this film?’ I asked, not even recognising it myself. After a while, they all merged into one. Which was absolutely no bad thing.
‘Yeah, it’s calledThe Road Home for Christmas. This is one of the 2019 Lifetime movies that mentions Winter Storm Meghan, which is this fictional megastorm that gets brought up repeatedly as if the stories are happening concurrently.’
‘Hang on a second. You love cheesy Christmas movies?’
‘Fucking love them, Mally. You?’
‘Yes, oh my God, I’ve never met anyone who loves them as much as me before! Or possibly even more than me by the sounds of it.’
‘Ha, yeah, I’m a total nerd when it comes to the Hallmark cinematic universe and its adjacent cinematic universes. I could talk about them all day.’
‘So could I! I’ve even created my own bingo game!’
Saskia’s eyes widened in delight. We squealed in unison and squeezed each other’s hands.
‘What’s your favourite one?’ she asked, not able to contain her glee.
‘All of them!’
‘That’s the correct answer! Right then, let’s turn off this big light and settle in for some Christmas movie magic. I’m sure Josh’ll be back soon. I’ll grab us a blanket.’
Dusk was falling by the time the credits rolled. Josh still wasn’t home, but he’d messaged Saskia to let her know he’d be back before dark.
‘You were right, thatwasa good film. Can’t wait to watch more Winter Storm Meghan ones now.’
‘See? I know my made-for-TV movies. What is it about them you love so much, do you think?’ Saskia asked.
I thought about my bingo lists as I fiddled with our shared blanket’s tassels. ‘The formula. They’re so predictable and familiar.’
‘Yeah, I love all the tropes so much.’
