Page 22 of My Fake Date With My Childhood Friend
He gestured to the crowded hallway. Between the baked good, the large Christmas tree, and everyone's cheery faces, it was obvious everyone was in the Christmas spirit. Alexander took my hand and led me through the slowly thinning crowd to the food table.
“Hey, Penn!” Liv said. She was one of the three people behind the table. “Oh, and Alexander.”
“Why do I feel like you're more excited to see my girlfriend than me?” Alexander asked.
“Because I am,” Liv said, sticking her tongue out at him. She came around the side of the table and pulled me into a hug. “I'm so glad you guys came by! What can I get you?”
“I think I'll just get a gingerbread cookie,” I said. I could feel the warmth of her smile against my cheek.
“Done!” she said. She put two gingerbread cookies onto a napkin and handed it to me. “And for you, Alexander?”
“Gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate, please,” Alexander said.
“Peppermint and whipped cream?”
“Yeah, thanks.” He glanced at me. “You sure you don't want a hot chocolate? Because if we walk away and you want mine?—”
“You would give it to me,” I teased. I wouldn't actually expect him to, but I thought it was something a girlfriend would say. Granted, I couldn't say for certain because Joseph had never been one to share anything with me. He said that if he always shared his things with me, then I would never learn to be 'independent,' whatever that meant. Maybe he was just preparing me for the break-up. He probably shared everything with Nikki. He probably bought her everything she wanted.
“Yeah, you're right,” Alexander sighed.
“I'll give you one just in case, Penny,” Liv said. “If you don't drink it, I'm sure Alexander would be more than happy to take it off your hands.”
“Hey!” Alexander said though he sounded more joking than angry. “What's that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” Liv said innocently, but when Alexander looked away, she winked at me. She put extra whipped cream on top and handed the drink to me.
“Thanks, Liv,” I said, taking it carefully. I didn't want to spill it everywhere. “How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing!” she said happily. “It's all free.”
“No, you guys worked hard,” I said. I tried to dig my wallet out of my bag, but it was too hard to reach with only one hand. “Let me give you something.”
“Don't bother,” Alexander said. “She won't take it. You have to sneak her the money somehow.”
“Sneak her the money?”
“Yeah, like, put it into her wallet when she's not looking or something,” Alexander said. “Trust me, she won't accept it otherwise.”
“Oh,” I said. I guess that made sense, though I wasn't used to it. Nikki and I never kept track of how much we owed each other; we just traded off paying for each other, which inevitably evened out. And Joseph was always very on top of how much we owed each other, going as far as to give me an itemized list at the end of each week.
“We'll find a way to pay her back at the Christmas party or something,” Alexander whispered in my ear. I laughed.
“What was that?” Liv asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Nothing,” I said quickly.
“We were just talking about what we're going to do now,” Alexander said. “I'm thinking we go back to Penny's place and watch some Christmas movies.”
“Sounds like fun,” Liv said with a smile. “I'll see you guys tomorrow.”
We said goodbye and headed out. After a quick trip to our lockers to get all of our stuff, we started walking back to my house.
“Are we actually going to watch a Christmas movie?” I asked. I dunked my last gingerbread cookie in my hot chocolate and took a bite.
“Of course,” Alexander said. “I refuse to let you wallow in this Christmas hate. I'm going to redeem it for you.”
“I don't hate Christmas,” I said. “It's just... different after everything with Joseph.”
