Page 94 of Christmas off Script
Come on! It’s fine. It’s better this way. Giving herself a shake, she stood. She had work to focus on, then the Muppets to look forward to. That film was not only one of her favourites, but also had a zero per cent chance of inducing sexy thoughts about Leo.
At half-past six,showered and nervous, Ella knocked twice on Leo’s door.
‘Who’s there?’ he called out.
‘Mary!’
‘Mary who?’
‘Mary Christmas!’
The door opened to reveal a laughing Leo, who then clocked her t-shirt. ‘No way!’
She was wearing one that said, ‘All I want for Christmas isyoupigs in blankets’. He pointed at his, which had the words, ‘All I want for Christmas isyouto win the Christmas quiz’ on it, then raised his hand for her to high-five him.
She slapped his hand with hers. ‘This is getting uncanny.’ Looking past him into the room, she blinked at what he’d done.
His room was immaculately tidy, with strings of fairy lights criss-crossing the high ceiling and framing the windows. At the foot of the bed was a huge television mounted on a wheeled stand, and across the counterpane was a red picnic blanket covered in food on plates decorated with paintings of holly and ivy. His pillows were hidden under a mountain of cushions that Ella recognised as having come from one of the drawing rooms downstairs.
‘Oh, my god, Leo. This is amazing!’
He shrugged, looking relieved and also proud of himself. ‘Hungry?’
‘Absolutely. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.’
‘What? Why not?’
She pulled a face. ‘After the delightful call with Oliver’s dad, I couldn’t stomach anything. And the afternoon was so full-on, I forgot about lunch.’
‘Well then, milady, a feast awaits! Please, take a seat.’
Taking off her trainers, Ella climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged, gazing at the food, her mouth watering.
‘We’ve got clementine and chilli halloumi skewers, maple and mustard pigs in blankets, hasselback potatoes wrapped in bacon, blue cheese and sage filo bites, smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill blinis,’ Leo began. ‘Then for pudding, we’re having dates stuffed with dark chocolate—’
‘My favourite.’
‘I know. Then Christmas popcorn and Christmas rocky road as per your special secret recipes that only the two of us know, but also now Perry, as she helped me with everything.’
‘I was wondering how on earth you managed to do this in a couple of hours.’
‘Well, I am your BFFFFFFFF.’
‘Have you just added another f?’
‘Yep! For fast.’ He grinned at her expression. ‘And a jug of cranberry and orange juice with soda water.’
‘No mulled wine?’
Leo hesitated briefly. ‘No alcohol on a school night.’
‘In a house where at least two different wines are served with dinner every evening?’
‘Er—’
‘And I’ve got a miniature behind every window of my advent calendar?’
‘Um…’
