Page 12 of Holly Jolly July

I busy myself straightening up while humming “Santa Baby” until there’s a polite knock on the door. After a quick excited squeak I saunter to the door, adjust my posture (shoulders back, tits out), and open it.

Matt’s eyes pop when he sees me. “Oh, hey... Ellie. Wow, you look—” His eyes wander down my body then back to my face.

I smile, giving my bottom lip a calculated bite. “Hey, Matt. Thanks so much for coming over on such short notice.”

He blinks several times then averts his gaze. “Yeah, no problem. The, uh, stove?”

I step aside and let him in. He’s a little more cleaned up today than he was yesterday, his scruff trimmed neatly along his

jaw to form a fledgling beard. His sportsball cap has been replaced by a small man-bun, leaving it up to my imagination how

long his hair actually is—is it Kit Harrington long, or Jason Momoa long? Either way, I’m here for it. As he brushes past,

I get a whiff of his cologne, which is deeply earthy, constricting my throat as I inhale. There’s definitely a constriction

lower down, too.

I close the door and allow myself the privilege of checking out his ass, on full display with a pair of tight knee-length

shorts. His shirt is a little snug, wrapping around his broad chest and back, falling loose around his middle. He helps himself

to the kitchen and begins inspecting the appliance.

I lean against the counter and watch. “Sorry to keep pestering you like this.”

“It’s really no problem.” He smiles, his kind brown eyes alighting on my face and seeming to get stuck there. Our eyes meet

and he pauses what he’s doing. My heart flutters and there’s a twinge of heat that lights up in my belly. His smile deepens,

as if picking up on the effect he has on me and the natural connection between us.

“I think I know what to do here.” His voice is low, rumbling in his throat.

I lean a little closer. “What’s that?”

“The power’s out.” He turns back to the stove.

“Oh.”

He shimmies the stove away from the wall and bends behind it. “That’s weird.” He grabs the dangling cord and plugs it back

into the wall.

Well, that took him all of ten seconds to figure out, and I don’t have a backup plan to keep him around. Matt shoves the stove

back into place and dusts off his hands on his shorts.

“Wow, it was unplugged this whole time? That’s odd.” I take a breath and channel the inner vixen that matches the makeup on

my face. “But hey, since you’re here and I have a working oven, I was about to pop a pizza in. Do you want to stay? I can’t

eat a whole pizza by myself.”

He tucks his thumbs into the pockets of his shorts and slouches a bit, bringing his face closer to mine. “Yeah, sure. I have

to work later, but I have some time.” He smiles again, eyes twinkling. “And it’s been forever since I’ve had pizza.”

“Great!” I lean past him to turn the oven on, my arm intentionally brushing his.

“So, how’s the movie going?” he asks, taking a step toward the living room.

“So far so good. It’s hard to tell while we’re filming how it’ll all come together, but I have faith in our team. I’ve worked

with them before, and they’ve always delivered amazing results.” I refrain from telling him I haven’t actually filmed any

of my scenes yet. “What’s your favourite Christmas movie?”

He turns toward me, the corner of his mouth tilted up. “ Die Hard .”

I chuckle. “That is such a guy thing to say.”

“What about you?”

“Ooh, tough question. If I had to pick, I’d say... The Muppet Christmas Carol .”

He thinks for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.”

“What!” I slap his arm, which earns a playful smile. “How could you have not seen it? It’s a classic! Did you know it is widely considered to be the best Dickens adaptation?”

“A Muppet movie?”

“Yes! And Michael Caine’s performance? It’s top-notch. He’s a method actor, like myself.”

“I have to admit, I’m intrigued.” He takes a step closer.

“Why don’t I go get it? Not sure if you have time for a whole movie, but I simply cannot live knowing you’ve never had the

chance to experience the magic of The Muppet Christmas Carol. ”

He chuckles. “Let’s do it.”

I clench my fists at my side in excitement. “I have hot chocolate and peppermint Baileys. Want one?”

“It’s July.”

I flash him some finger guns. “Not in here it isn’t.”

His grins. “I’d love one.”

I contain my squeal of delight as I disappear into the bedroom for a moment to grab the VHS tape from the box in my bedroom

closet. I start it up, the cheerful sounds of jingle bells filling the room. Matt settles onto the couch as I pop the pizza

into the oven and heat milk in a pot. By the time Gonzo and Rizzo are off on their adventure with the ghost of Christmas Past,

I’m finished my preparations, with two steaming hot mugs of cocoa and an oven-baked pepperoni pizza on the coffee table.

Matt looks comfortable on the couch, his legs splayed apart in that way men do. I settle beside him, leaving a half inch of

space between us.

I grab my mug and hoist it toward him. “Cheers!”

He taps his against mine, smiling. “Cheers.”

We both take a sip. It’s the perfect amount of hot and sweet, the creamy mint coating my tongue and throat, warming my belly.

I hum a satisfied “Mmm-mmm- mmm !”

He chuckles, his cheeks turning pink.

“What?” I say, laughing at myself.

“Nothing, it’s just...” He takes a moment to regard me, his eyes lingering on my lips. “You’re really cute.”

I flush bright red, my insides turning to goop. “Thanks. You’re pretty cute, too.”

The rest of the movie passes as we chat about Christmas, movies, Chilliwack, and how he’s lived his whole life here. I learn

that he has three jobs and is saving to travel, and tell him about my goals and ambitions as an actress. We drink our hot

chocolate, nibble our pizza, and occasionally pause talking to watch the movie, all while inching closer and closer to each

other. By the time the movie ends, my legs are resting on top of his lap and our sides are pressed together.

“How random is it that of all the cabins I could have rented, I picked this one?” I ask, speaking low and quiet, not wanting

to break the spell that’s settled over us.

“I don’t think it’s random at all.”

“No?”

He gives his head a slow shake, then reaches up, tucking a tendril of hair behind my ear. “I must have been a pretty good

person in my past life for karma to bring you my way.”

I fucking melt. I don’t necessarily believe in karma, and I know from a Canadian Bollywood-style indie film I acted in a few

years ago that karma is a much more complicated process than the common Western appropriative context, but I appreciate the

sentiment.

“I feel pretty lucky, too,” I admit. “It feels like so many things had to align for us to meet. The movie I’m filming, the

Christmas lights, the old electrical in this place—”

He chuckles, nodding along.

“We could have very easily not met at all.”

“But we did,” he counters.

I nod. “But we did.”

A tense silence builds as we draw closer. There’s a thrumming in the base of my belly, increasing in intensity with every second. His throat bobs as his eyes fall to my lips, which part ever so slightly, welcoming him. I feel nearly dizzy with anticipation, my heart pounding in my ears, and—

His phone rings. The spell breaks and Matt pulls back, eyeing the device as it dings away. “That’s my alarm.” He gives me

an apologetic half smile.

I shrug, masking my disappointment. “We knew this time would come.”

He turns off the alarm and looks at me one more time, then gives my thigh a quick squeeze before standing. I follow him, waiting

as he toes his shoes on and opens the door. He pauses in the doorway, the bright July afternoon sun illuminating his tall

frame from behind.

“Look, Ellie,” he says, glancing up from his shoes back to me.

My heart thuds in my chest. Nothing good ever happens after someone starts off with look . Unless it’s look, there’s an ice cream truck . I swallow, bracing for the opposite. “Yeah?”

“I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable or do something inappropriate, especially given the circumstances of you renting

the cabin. Just say the word and I’ll leave you alone, but...” He takes a deep breath, then meets my gaze. “I think you’re

really cute and I’d like to see you again, if that’s okay.”

Squeezing my fists together at my sides, I contain as much of my excitement as I possibly can and keep my face set to a measured

smile rather than the full-out grin tugging at my cheeks. “I’d like that,” I somehow manage to reply in a cool and even tone.

His smile lights up his face. “Cool. Text me when you’re free.”

I nod. “Will do.”

He gives me a knowing, playful look. “Without breaking anything this time.”

“What!” I gasp in mock offence, pressing my hand to my chest. “I would never do anything so—”

Matt cuts me off, bridging the gap between us and pressing his lips against mine in a chaste kiss.

He pulls away, a naughty smirk on his face and a fire in his eyes.

He walks back to his truck, leaving me flushed with heat and wanting more.

My lips burn from where he touched them, a wildfire of tingles running down my body from the quick moment of contact.

After watching him drive away in his truck, giving me one last shy wave before backing away, I shut the door and lean against

it. I feel dazed, almost lightheaded from the interaction.

I can’t believe after all this time, after so many years of watching love stories unfold around me, it’s actually happening.

I’ve met the perfect guy, and he’s going to fall madly in love with me and whisk me away from the big city, like in every

modern-day fairy-tale romance.

This is so main character energy of me.