Page 55 of Cross Check Christmas
"Come on, we had dinner by candlelight, got snowed in at a cozy cottage..." I gesture to the crackling fire, dropping onto the couch beside her. "It's like something out of one of those movies my aunt watches."
"I don't date," she says flatly.
"Ever? Like, at all?" I lean forward, genuinely curious. "Is this some kind of vow of celibacy thing? Because?—"
"No," she cuts me off. Her voice carries an edge that makes me pause. "I just... don't. I'm too busy with work and the pageant and?—"
"Bull," I blurt before I think better of it. "Sorry. But I've known you since high school. You're one of the most organized people I know. If you wanted to date, you'd pencil it right into that color-coded planner of yours."
She turns away, staring into the fire. The silence stretches between us, heavy with things unsaid.
"It's not that simple," she finally whispers, so quiet I almost miss it.
"Then explain it to me."
But she just shakes her head, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders like armor.
A sigh escapes her as she tugs on her boots, not even bothering to lace them up before she stomps outside to the back of the house, her boots making deep impressions. I watch through the window as she stands on the patio, arms crossed, staring up at the falling snow. The moonlight catches in her hair, turning it silver.
Great job, bro. Way to push too hard.
But something about the way she's standing out there, all alone in the quiet night, tugs at my heart. I can't leave her like that. Grabbing my own boots, I follow her.
The snow crunches under my feet as I step outside. Without thinking too hard about it, I scoop up a handful of snow, pack it tight, and let it fly. It hits her square in the back with a satisfying poof.
She whirls around, mouth dropping open. "You did not just?—"
Another snowball catches her in the shoulder. "Oops. My hand slipped."
"Oh, it's on." She dives behind a snow-covered bush, already gathering ammunition. Her first shot grazes my ear, and I duck, laughing.
"Your aim could use some work!" I call out, dodging another projectile.
"Annoying as ever, Ellis!" But I hear the smile in her voice.
We chase each other around the yard like kids, pelting snowballs and trash-talking. She nails me right in the face, and I dramatically fall backward into a snowdrift.
"Hendrix?" She peers down at me, concerned. "Are you okay?"
I grab her ankle, pulling her down beside me. She lands with an "oof" and a burst of laughter that echoes across the silent yard.
I spread my arms wide. "I surrender!"
We lie there, catching our breath, watching snowflakes drift down from the inky sky. Her cheeks are flushed from the cold and exertion, her hair dusted with snow. In this moment, she looks more alive than I've seen her in weeks.
The quiet stretches between us, broken only by our breathing and the soft whisper of falling snow. Colette's eyes stay fixed onthe stars peeking through breaks in the clouds. Something in her expression shifts, like she's a million miles away.
"You know," she says, her voice barely audible above the wind, "growing up wasn't exactly... ideal for me."
I turn my head to look at her, but she keeps staring upward.
"My father..." She swallows hard. "Let's just say he didn't exactly make anyone want to date men. He had a temper."
My chest tightens, and heat floods my body despite the cold snow beneath me. My hands clench into fists, and I have to force myself to breathe through the sudden rage building inside me.
"Did he hit you?" The words come out rough, almost a growl.
Colette stays quiet for what feels like forever, each second making my heart pound harder. Finally, she speaks, her voice so soft I have to strain to hear it.
