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Laney waited anxiously by the front window, watching for Shane’s truck. She ran her fingers over the cheap, dollar store window clings of snowmen and reindeer. They were so old that they had to be stuck on with scotch tape, but Laney loved Christmas and Dustin had been trying to make her smile.

A lot of other families seemed to fight at the holidays. Laney had lost count of the number of times her neighbour’s arguments could be awkwardly heard through windows left open to vent Christmas cooking. Mara, the woman with the Home Depot siding, had yelled herself hoarse at her kids that morning as they ran around the front yard with new toys that had clearly been meant to be their gifts the next day, on actual Christmas. She was in tears when she finally screamed “THERE IS NO FUCKING SANTA!” at them and slammed the front door, locking them out. They cried on the porch for half an hour before she let them in.

Christmas had always been a quiet affair for the Hawtons. It was the one time of year that Cary’s entourage actually made an effort to spend time with their various illegitimate children or their wives. Sarita had been gone all week, her entire extended family visiting from India. And Cary had always been strangely distant on her birthday. She’d never asked him why – it was a welcome reprieve.

Some years he was home for it, others not. But he’d never, ever caused a problem at Christmas. Even Ma didn’t cause problems – she usually showed up some time between Boxing Day and New Year with a birthday card with the wrong age on it, but actual Christmas had always just been Dustin and Laney.

It was her favourite time of the year.

“Happy birthday!” Cary said, dropping a kiss on the top of her head and ruffling her hair. “What’s on the docket for the day?”

“I want to get a Christmas tree,” she said.

“I’m sorry, baby girl – I’ve got a lot of deliveries today. Holidays and all. Can’t drive you anywhere.”

She took a deep breath and tried to sound nonchalant. “Shane is going to drive me and Dusty.”

She didn’t look at Cary, but she could feel the temperature drop.

“You and Dusty?” he asked tightly.

“Mmhmm…”

The longest silence of her life. And then…

“Okay.”

She almost fainted from relief, just as Shane’s truck pulled in the driveway. “Dusty!” she shouted. “Time to go!”

Dustin headed eagerly outside and Laney trailed after him, but the back of her neck pricked as Cary stuck his feet in some Doc Martens and followed them. He was wearing tearaways and a faded grey hoodie that said MOIST , and Mara was standing at her kitchen window which looked onto their driveway, visibly blushing at the sight of him.

He didn’t notice.

Shane got out of the car, spinning the keys on his first finger.

“Cary,” he said shortly.

Laney could have kissed Dustin as he slid into the passenger seat. Cary watched Laney move to the back door, but she stopped with her hand on the handle, feeling slightly nauseated, as she watched them eyeing each other.

The tension was palpable, and Shane’s knuckles were white where he was gripping his key ring. Cary pursed his lips and nodded in Laney’s direction.

“It’s her birthday,” he said. As if it were an explanation for something.

Shane’s jaw clenched. “Yup.”

Cary’s nostrils flared, but then he produced a hundred dollar bill out of nowhere and held it out for Shane, who shook his head.

“No need,” Shane said. “I got it covered.”

Cary gave him a short nod and turned around, finally noticing Mara gaping at him through the window. He gave her a charming, boyish grin, and then with one last glance at Laney he took the porch steps two at a time and disappeared back inside.

Laney launched herself into the car as Shane slid into the driver’s seat, and she leaned forward over the centre console at the same time as he turned around to speak to her.

It was like being electrocuted, finding themselves that close together. Images of the night before surged in her mind – his hands all over her, his frantic mouth pulling at her lips, his hips desperately pushing up into her, his thumbs digging into her skin…

She swallowed, hard.

I’m not saying no. I’m saying not yet.

She tried to clear her head. Friends. For now.

She slumped backwards with a flourish, making a spectacle of pulling on her seatbelt.

“Hi!” she said brightly.

“Happy birthday,” Shane said, his eyes unfocused.

In an unusual turn of events, Dustin filled the air with chatter, Shane nodding along or commenting here or there. They were talking about recipes, or something… she didn’t really know. She was just trying to survive the car ride without screaming I NEED YOUR HANDS ON ME!

When they arrived at the tree lot and hopped out of the car, she watched as Shane quickly and discreetly adjusted his crotch, and she couldn’t suppress her grin.

He looked up at her, a slightly sheepish expression on his face, and shrugged.

I want my hands on you, too.

Best. Birthday. Ever.