“In all fairness, the only time Dad is in the kitchen is when he’s eating.” I chuckled again and sipped my coffee.
“Yeah, I know.” He shook his head back and forth. “Okay, so you’re sure that you don’t mind wearing the suit all day?”
“I don’t have much of a choice at this point. You’re already knee deep in turkey and all the trimmings.” I looked over at the Santa suit. “I think I can handle it today.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it, bro.” He nodded and turned back towards a bowl that apparently needed to be stirred at that exact moment.
“Alright, I’m going to shower and hit the road. Have fun today.” I grinned and carried my cup of coffee towards the bathroom.
I thought about the orphans as I drove to the mall. They really did deserve a nice Christmas and I was happy that I was potentially going to be their Santa Claus. It would be a lot of money to sponsor the whole orphanage, but we had enough to do it. After our grandfather passed, the money he left behind was split into three bank accounts. Our parents didn’t like to dip into that account unless they had to. My mother made good money, and they still collected residuals that usually got them the rest of the way. The other two accounts were set up as trusts for Andy and me. Our father let us dip into them in order to pay for college without taking out loans and to get cars, but nothing fancy. The rest of it was supposed to be untouched until we were ready to begin our adult lives.
This is probably one of the most adult decisions we’ve ever made, so I think he’ll be fine with it.
I hoped that I would get some more meaningful requests when I sat down in my chair to greet all of the kids at the mall, but it was just the normal stuff. Some of the kids had lists so long I could fund the entire orphanage before I would even be able to satisfy their greed. When it came time for Santa to take a long overdue break, I wasn’t rushing out to change places with my brother, so I took off the suit and headed to the food court. It was nice to be invisible after being the center of attention since I walked into the mall. After getting some food in my stomach, I started wandering around the mall and looking and various stuff. My shopping list was done, and the crowd got worse every day as we approached Christmas, but it was nice to see so many people in the holiday spirit. As I strolled around aimlessly, I saw something out of the corner of my eye that caught my attention.
Wait—is that her? The girl from Spencer’s?
There was no mistaking that vision of loveliness. I saw her in one of the stores, casually looking around like she was bored. She was even more beautiful than I remembered. I had to talk to her. I didn’t want to push my way through the crowd and knock over stuff just to get to her, so I tried to weave between shoppers, but I lost the gorgeous brunette in the sea of people. By the time I got to the spot where she was standing, I couldn’t find her. I looked around quickly and saw her leaving the store. I cursed under my breath and asked a few people to excuse me as I pushed back to the exit. I couldn’t lose her—not again. I should have tried to talk to her the first time, and I regretted that decision, even more, when I got outside the store. She was nowhere to be found.
Fuck! No—come on! Where the hell did she go? There she is!
She was walking towards the exit. I had to get to her—but there were so many freaking people. I memorized every feature on her face, from the oh-so-fucking-kissable, pouty lips to the heart-shaped ass that made my cock want to immediately stand at attention. I was a man possessed with more determination than I had felt in a while, but fate wasn’t ready to give me a Christmas miracle. By the time I made it to the exit, I didn’t see her anywhere. I looked at my watch and realized I was going to be late if I didn’t get back to the middle of the mall and put on the suit. My hopes were crushed and I took each step towards the chair was defeat weighing on my shoulders. I imagined meeting her, inviting her to dinner, and turning it into a double date. That wasn’t going to happen. All I could do was take my spot in the mall and do the rest of my Santa duties.
Totally fucking unfair.
That night
“How was it?” Andy looked up at me as I walked into the house.
“Not entirely miserable, but frustrating as fuck.” I tossed the suit over the back of the couch. “Damn, it smells just like Christmas in here.”
“I’ll take that as a good sign.” Andy grinned and opened the oven to take a peek. “Everything is almost done.”
“When is your date getting here? I need to shower after wearing that suit all day.” I sniffed my shirt and grimaced. “Definitely need to shower.”
“You’ve got time.” Andy motioned towards the bathroom.
I was still thinking about the beautiful girl I saw in the mall as I stepped into the shower and let the water pour over me. I knew it was just physical attraction that was causing me to lose my mind, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t just as amazing on the inside. She teased my thoughts as I got ready for the dinner party and prepared to meet my brother’s date. I opted for a nice button-down shirt and a pair of dress pants. If it was Christmas dinner, I could at least dress the part. I walked back into the living room and saw Andy taking off the apron. He still needed to get ready and I hoped he had time because it was getting late.
“Okay, I’m going to go hop in the shower. Can you get the door if she shows up?” He looked my way as he walked toward the bathroom.
“Yep, you got it.” I nodded quickly.
I debated a tie as I sat down in the living room and turned on the television. It seemed like too much and I wasn’t really trying to impress anyway—I wished I was, but I could at least play wingman for my brother. If h
e liked the girl, he deserved to have a real shot with her. I hoped it wasn’t an elaborate plan for her to get into her panties, because it was the first time I had seen him make a real effort. I wanted it to be more. I wanted both of us to be happy one day, and spend our holidays together with kids carrying on the family legacy. I wasn’t sure they would ever wear the suit—or that I would put it on again after my stint at the mall, but we had always been a close family. I wanted to be able to pass that on to the next generation when they finally came. I sat there lost in my thoughts until the doorbell rang.
“I’m almost ready!” Andy leaned out of his bedroom.
“I’ll let her in.” I chuckled and walked towards the front door.
Andy had described the girl he met to me, so I expected her to be beautiful. Our perceptions regarding that were pretty well synced and it wasn’t just because we were twins. I opened the door and my jaw nearly fell off my face. It would have landed on the floor and rolled over near the fireplace where our stockings were hanging with care, I wouldn’t have even been surprised. The girl in front of me wasn’t a pretty girl—she was the pretty girl. The one I saw in Spencer’s—the one I tried to talk to earlier that day. She had teased my thoughts since the first day I saw her, and she was right in front of me. It couldn’t be her. There was no way it was her. She couldn’t be the same girl I had been following. I tried to compose myself as I stood there staring at her.
“It’s—it’s you.” I blinked in surprise, barely able to say anything as she took a step towards me.
“Yep, it’s me.” She grinned—and then she didn’t something unexpected.
She kissed me. Her lips came for mine like a devil in a red dress that was determined to devour my soul. That’s exactly what she did—I didn’t even have a moment to consider what was happening. She was kissing me, and I wanted to pull away immediately because I knew she didn’t realize she was kissing her date’s twin brother, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t even think rational thoughts. I got lost in the moment as her tongue tried to coax mine to a dance I never wanted to attend—I couldn’t do that to my brother. We didn’t cross that line, no matter how much temptation waited on the other side. I finally regained control of my limbs and pulled away, the second I did I saw Andy walking into the room with a horrified expression on his face. That expression immediately spread across the face of the girl who had been desperately trying to kiss me only moments before.