“Honey, I’m home,” I yell into the foyer, flinging the front door open. No one answers me, no little footsteps running around or laughter ringing out. The expected soundtrack of Nat and Damion’s house. Weird, they knew when I planned on getting here.
The front door closes behind as Preston shuts out the biting cold. “You can just drop those there for now.” I direct him as I head into the living room, stopping dead in my tracks by what I find there. Sitting in front of me, occupying Damion’s favorite chair, very unexpectedly and like he owns the place. Robert.
The hefty thud against my back would have had me sprawled out on the floor if a strong grip on my waist hadn’t steadied me against his chest instead. “Whoa there, a warning would have been helpful.” Preston chuckles in my ear.
Robert’s gaze drops from me to Preston’s hold, and the smile leaves his face. “Hey, C, glad to see you made it home safe.” His words come out clipped, no trace of his usual warm greeting. But then, that changed last summer when he came home for break with his new girlfriend, didn’t it? We’d agreed to go our separate ways at the end of high school after dating for almost four years. I was still madly in love with him, but we agreed the distance would be too hard to handle on top of school. That didn’t stop us from picking back up right where we’d left off for every break we both made it home for. So, when he’d shown up withher, my heart wasn’t ready to see him with someone else. It hurt. We’d had a huge blowout fight, a first for us, and I hadn’t talked to him since.
“Why are you here?” I ask Robert, barely above a whisper as I feel a tight squeeze on my hip. Preston must be able to read the room. The comfort of his small touch grounds me.
“Nat and Damion had to take the kids to a last-minute rehearsal, they didn’t want you coming home to an empty house. Damion texted me.”
Of course he did. I never told him what happened with Robert, and I’d sworn Nat to secrecy when she found me sobbing in the middle of my bed surrounded by tissues and a carton of half-melted cookie dough ice cream. “Well, that wasn’t necessary.” I look up at Preston hoping he’s catching the vibes I was throwing out.
“I can see that. Are you going to introduce us C?”
I draw in a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “Robert, this is Preston, my boyfriend. Preston, Robert, my ex-boyfriend.” Preston stiffens behind me but quickly relaxes as his grip loosens and instead his entire arm wraps around my mid-section before he drops a kiss to the top of my head. His body engulfing mine with our height and build difference. I breathe a small sigh of relief at his willingness to play along.
“Boyfriend, huh? Damion didn’t say you were dating anyone.”
Before I can respond, Preston cuts in for me, “It’s new.” Robert’s face lights up like that bit of information changes everything. Preston catches it too. “But it’s pretty serious already. Hard not to be when she’s such an amazing girl. But I guess you’d already know that, huh, Robby.” Robert bristles at the nickname; he hates when people shorten his name to anything less than its formal fullness.
I hide my amused smile by shifting to look back up at Preston again. When his eyes drop to mine, I stifle the giggle threatening to burst free. “Hey, babe, can you take our bags up to my room? Second door on the left at the top of the stairs, just past the bathroom.”
He nods with a smile, then takes me by surprise by leaning down and quickly kissing my lips. And without another word, he’s off to grab our bags and head upstairs. Reeling inside, I knew what I’d find when I turned around. So, I schooled my features before shifting back to face Robert.
“What the hell, C?” he hisses out; no doubt pissed at the surprise. That makes two of us. I assumed he’d be home this week, but I had a plan to avoid him.
“I could say the same to you. Why are you here? You know, for a guy as smart as you are, you sure are dense. I figured the unanswered texts and calls this year would have been a big enough sign that I don’t want to talk to you, let alone see you.”
His shoulders heave with a sigh. “I missed you, Clara. I just want to talk. I hate how we left things. That wasn’t us.” He’s right, that wasn’t us. We were friends way before we ever became romantic. That’s why the betrayal hurt so much more. I hadn’t just lost a boyfriend; I’d lost my best friend.
“I can’t do this. You need to go.” He drops his head in defeat but nods in understanding. I can’t help but notice his gangly body has filled out in the last year. He’s no longer the lengthy kid I’d grown up with, but a man. He moves past me, dropping his hand around my wrist, squeezing gently. Our eyes lock as a sad smile pulls at his lips. Then he’s gone.
Trudging up the stairs, I walk into my bedroom to find Preston on the far side of the room, fingers running along the spines of the books lined tightly across the shelves. “Seems you haven’t changed much.” The lightness of his laugh lifts the weight pressing down on my shoulders.
“So, your ex, huh?” He shoves his hands into his front pockets. “Seems like the type of guy you’d date.” More assumptions. I’m just an open book to him.
“Look, I don’t know what the hell came over me down there. But thank you. I wasn’t expecting to see him while I was here.”
“Well, are we doing this or what?”
“What do you mean, doing this?”
“It seems to me that you just backed yourself into a corner with this guy. I asked you what else you wanted in exchange for the impromptu trip. Looks like you’re in need of a boyfriend for the holiday. Sounds like it could be fun.”
“Are you crazy? You want to date me? In front of my entire family? For two weeks? While we’re here. Why?”
“First off, ‘fake’ date you. And second, you’ve got your work cut out for you helping me pass this class. The least I could do is spread a little Christmas cheer and do this for you. Agreed?” He holds his hand out to seal the deal. I clasp it, my own feeling small inside his man-sized grip, and give two rough shakes. “Fine, deal.”
ChapterThree
“Clara Quinn, get your ass down here right now.”
Damion’s loud bellow breaks through the haze of my nap and I jolt up in the middle of my bed. I don’t remember falling asleep. Preston is snoring next to me on his back, his hands tucked behind his head, legs crossed.
I close the door quietly behind me, not wanting to wake him before rushing down the stairs. “Why are you yelling at me?” I sass, coming around the corner into the kitchen where my family is unpacking groceries.
My niece Charlotte rushes up and wraps her little arms around my legs, “Auntie C, Auntie C, you’re here!” she says excitedly in her little garbled baby voice. I reach down, scooping her up, and plop her familiarly on my hip.