Page 128 of Make You Mine This Christmas

‘About what?’

‘About your shitty, horrible job.’

‘It’s not that bad,’ she says, a little defensively.

‘Haf, I’m pretty sure that was a direct quote from you.’

‘Oh.’

‘Not going to follow in my brother’s footsteps?’ she asks softly. ‘Maybe it won’t be so bad if someone else is doing it too?’

‘I’m pretty sure Christopher was on a living wage and probably has some savings to fall back on.’

‘You’re plucky. I’m sure you could find something new quickly. I really think you should quit,’ she says. ‘You’ll spend so much of your life in a job. What’s the point of doing something that makes you miserable?’

Haf sighs deeply. She really didn’t want to talk about this at Christmas. ‘I just feel like I’ll have failed if I just quit. Like, what was the point of moving cities, and changing my whole life? What was it all for if I just leave?’.

‘It’s not failure. Not every job is perfect for every person. Stop being so hard on yourself.’ She sighs. ‘God, no one could pay me to be your age again.’

‘Aren’t you only like three years older than me?’

‘Trust me. It makes the difference. You just have to think about what you actually want from life, you know?’

Haf’s mind screams,You, you, you!

‘If you’re not bothered about a high-flying career, then why not find a job that does pays the bills and find your passions elsewhere?’

‘You never know, I could be a corporate career girlboss just waiting to come out of my chaos chrysalis,’ Haf says.

‘Gross.’ Kit laughs. ‘But that doesn’t sound like Haf Hughes.’

‘You know what sounds more appealing? Swapping your house for the holidays to get away from your life,’ she says, directing them back to the movie, even though the end credits are rolling. ‘Jack Black should be the romantic lead more often.’

‘Men aren’t really my thing, but I get it,’ Kit murmurs.

‘His scene inSchool of Rockabout being sexy and chubby and liking food sold it for me.’

It’s still early, so they decide to do one more, picking the newest Christmas film where Vanessa Hudgens plays several versions of herself.

‘You know, I like to think this film series takes place in the same universe asOrphan Black.’

‘Isn’t that the show about clones?’

‘Yeah,’ Haf reasons. ‘They had Project Leda and Project Castor. Maybe this is Project Caster Sugar.’

Kit snorts. ‘You’re a dork.’

Somewhere in the middle of the film, they both fall asleep, only waking up as a loud, poppy Christmas song plays over the credits.

‘Come on, we should go to bed,’ sighs Haf, pushing herself up from the very comfortable couch. Both of them seem to freeze at the suggestion, before Haf stammers, ‘In our separate beds.’

Exhausted from a very weird Christmas Day, they both giggle with nervous laughter.

At the bottom of the stairs, Kit sighs with weariness. ‘This house is too damn tall.’

‘Do you want a boost?’ Haf asks, following her up, and just as Kit asks what that entails, she puts both her hands on Kit’s bum and pushes.

‘Don’t.’ Kit laughs. ‘You’re going to push me over.’