Page 8 of Under the Mistletoe with You

‘Me too,’ Christopher says.

‘This was supposed to be our grown-up, calm Christmas!’Haf wails.

‘I don’t think it was ever going to be exactly that,’ murmurs Kit, which earns a weak chuckle from Christopher.‘Fuck this weather.’

‘What are you going to do?’asks Haf sadly.‘Do you even have any food in?’

‘I’m not sure,’ he admits.‘There’s fish fingers in the freezer, and there’s some bakery stock.’

‘I mean, a Christmas where you live off cake isn’t too far off what we’d normally be doing,’ says Kit.

‘I don’t want you to be alone,’ whispers Haf.

‘It’s okay.My friend Shaz invited me over to hers yesterday.’Even if it was just an offhand comment, he knows she’ll strong-arm him into coming when she finds out he’s home alone.Hopefully, anyway.

‘And the weather could all change by Christmas Day,’ he says, even though this is counter to what the station guard told him.‘There’re still four days until Christmas.Anything could happen!’

Kit and Haf nod with forced smiles.

‘Have you heard from the person coming to house-sit?’asks Kit.

‘Oh Christ,’ Christopher says, wiping a hand down his face.‘I hadn’t even thought about her.Hang on.’

Christopher clicks out of the app and scrolls through his email to see if Tessa has reached out, but there’s nothing.Just brand emails promising last-minute gifts and teasing Boxing Day sales.And she has his number, but there are no missed calls.Maybe she got held up?Or her flight from America got cancelled?He sends her a quick text asking if she is on her way.

‘Nothing from her yet.I bet her flight was cancelled,’ Christopher sighs, slumping down over the extremely clean counter.‘I can’t believe I’m stuck here.’

‘You can come as soon as the snow clears.They’ll honour your tickets, right?’says Kit.

‘They have to; it’s Christmas!’insists Haf.‘Maybe you’ll still make it?’

None of them wants to say the true thing.

‘We can just have a Christmas as soon as you get here,’ she continues, keeping her tone light.‘It can’t stay like thisallweek.’

He can’t help but laugh at her determined face.‘I admire your optimism, Haf, but I don’t think Mother Nature is going to change her plans just because you said.’

‘Well, sheshould,’ she huffs.‘Maybe this is some kind of climate—’

‘And that’s enough of that,’ growls Kit, covering Haf’s mouth with her hands.‘No existential dread today, please.’

She squeaks as Haf bites her hand and they start fighting, wobbling the phone around.It would be adorable if Christopher wasn’t feeling quite so lonely.

‘Look, I should go,’ Christopher says, as they continue to wrestle.‘I’m going to call Tessa and work out what’s going on.’

‘OKAY WE LOVE YOU,’ yells Haf from underneath Kit’s armpit as he hangs up.

* * *

His call to Tessa goes to voicemail, hopefully a sign that she’s still at home.

There’s no point wallowing.If he’s learned anything this year, it’s that you have to keep going.He can wallow later.

He puts on Cher’s Christmas album, which is just the right tone to convince himself that nothing bad is happening, and takes his case back upstairs.At least he’s got a fresh bed to sink into.He lies back and makes a to-do list on his phone.After all, he needs a plan.Inventory food, then pick some new recipes to bake.He can do this.It feels like just enough of a plan to keep him going.

He’ll start enacting it later.For now, he needs some comfort.Something to ground himself.He auto-pilots to the couch and puts on one of his favourite films from the past few months.InChristmas at the Rink, Nash Nadeau and Barbie Glynn (an iconic duo, honestly) play rival high-school ice hockey coaches and fall in love.It’s a classic, clearly.His favourites don’tallhave Nash Nadeau in them.Just ...a lot of them.There’s something about that man’s smile that puts him at ease, makes him feel ...almost safe.

Christ, he needs to get back on the dating scene.It’s been so long since he kissed someone that he’s falling in love with fictional characters.