Page 127 of The One I Hate
I smile as he looks deeper into the picture frame that has a spot for two pictures—one is from the night we found out Bug was a girl. The second was from our one “not date” in college.
“I didn’t think there was a picture of us,” he says, his voice filled with wonder and curiosity.
“This is the only one,” I say. “From the crappy disposable camera I had on WrestleMania night.”
He thinks about it for a second before I see the lightbulb come on. “Holy shit! I made you take it!”
There we were, sitting at the local sports bar on the date that wasn’t a date. I was looking for something in my purse when I took the camera out. I don’t even remember why I had it. Either way, Simon got a hold of it and took a few of himself, before making a stranger take one of him and me.
“I didn’t even get it developed until that summer,” I say. “And I almost threw it away.”
“But you didn’t,” he says, his genuine smile from earlier now replaced with the cocky one.
“I didn’t.”
Simon reaches for me, his hand behind my head, as he pulls me in for a passionate, yet too short for my liking, kiss. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”
Perfect. I didn’t think that word was possible for anything. Nothing could be perfect.
I was wrong. So wrong.
“So how long do you have that Santa suit?” I ask.
A flicker of confusion runs through his eyes before his whole face lights up. “It’s Oliver’s. I’ll buy it from him if necessary.”
“Good,” I say. “Merry Christmas to me…”
Chapter 30
Simon
Emmett: Hey, slight problem I forgot to tell you about.
Simon: What’s that?
Emmett: Charlie invited me tonight.
Simon: What do you mean Charlie invited you? When?
Emmett: I don’t know how I could be any more clear. I came by the restaurant last week to check in, you know, the day you were playing Santa. She asked me before you randomly showed up.
Simon: What did you say?
Emmett: I told her thanks but no thanks. Some bullshit excuse about not liking to be around people on New Year’s. But she just texted me again asking if I changed my mind because there’s still time to get there before midnight. So if she says anything, don’t act weird.
Simon: I mean, that wasn’t a lie. You really don’t like people.
Emmett: At least one of us is telling the truth…
Ihate that he’s right. Fuck. How have I not told her yet? I told myself a hundred times that I wasn’t starting the new year with her not knowing everything. Yet here we are, New Year’s Eve, and she still doesn’t know that the rent she pays every month goes to me.
Well, it goes to a bank account that I don’t touch. Well, now it does. I didn’t cash the first few months.
Fuck. I need to tell her. But I can’t now. We’re an hour away from the New Year’s Gender Reveal Blowout Bash. She’s spent the day making sure the caterers she reluctantly hired are doing everything the way she wants. I’m making sure the betting stations are set and the band has everything they need.
And if being busy wasn’t a good enough reason, no one should have drama on a big event day. We’re celebrating Baby Bug with our friends and loved ones, and I’m not going to ruin it because of the dumbass decision I made months ago.
What’s a few more days going to hurt?
