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“I can’t believe I agreed to do this,” I mutter, looking at myself in the mirror and cringing at the sad reflection staring back at me.
One of the ugliest Christmas sweaters I have ever seen is adorning my chest and I wonder who in their right mind thought this up. It’s fire-engine red with tinsel scattered over the front in the shape of a Christmas tree. There’s a star at the top of said tree that lights up, and if I press a button, it flashes and starts singing “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.” If that wasn’t bad enough, I decided to be extra and wrap a bright red sequin bow in my hair…you know, because the sweater wasn’t enough.
“JJ, you know you didn’t have to say yes,” Clara, my roommate, says from the doorway. I turn and laugh at the look of utter hilarity on her face. She has her blonde hair in a messy bun on top of her head and her small frame is drowning in a college sweater that we share from time to time. I bend over and throw a pair of socks at her, watching it hit her chest. “Hey! You’re the one that agreed to go to an ugly Christmas sweater party that also happens to include your bastard ex and his new fiancée.” I chuckle at the disdain Clara emanates at the word fiancée.
I stare at my reflection again and mutter curses at my pride for making me agree to this night. My auburn hair hangs loosely around my shoulders and my green eyes pop because of the red shirt against my skin. I tilt my head and wonder how awful this sweater makes me look. I’ve never been a skinny girl, and as much as I love myself and my body, I still want Derek to take one look at me and wish he never left. Not that I would ever take him back. “You know I have to go. Derek thinks I’m coming and I can’t show weakness,” I say, as if he’s the final boss in Mario Brothers. “Plus, I need to meet this chick that he wants to marry. I need to make sure I’m better than her.” That’s my ego talking. I’m sure she’s a lovely person, but I need to see that for myself. And if for some reason she’s horrible, my ego will be appeased for one night.
“You think it’s a good idea to go alone?” Clara asks, sitting on my bed and leaning back against the headboard. I shrug.
“It’s not like I have a line of guys waiting to take me out.” I swear my dating life has all but died a slow horrible death these last few months. “Plus, I don’t need to bring a guy with me to show Derek that he made a mistake.” Do I want him to think he made a mistake? That’s the question of the day, isn’t it? Do I want Derek and me to get back together? No. That was obvious after we broke up, but do I want him to be this happy, this fast? Nope.
Does that make a bitch? Maybe.
“I saw all those packages that came in the mail this morning. They all for you?” I ask and Clara just shrugs. Clara and I both work from home. I’m a freelance editor, something I’ve wanted to be since my last year of college. When all my classmates wanted me to look over their essays, I found out I loved it and decided to make it a career. Clara, on the other hand, reviews products on YouTube, mostly makeup and hair products, but she has around ten million followers and makes more money off one video than I make in a month.
“Yeah, mostly new makeup releases. I’ll give you some once I’ve looked through them.” My reflection smiles at her as she plays with the hem of her sweater. “Sometimes I think you live with me for the free stuff,” she teases, giving me a wink from across the room.
“It’s a definite perk,” I joke as I take one last look in the mirror and resign myself to the fact that everyone else at the party will look just as ridiculous. “I better get going. I plan to drink my weight in alcohol tonight, so I’m taking the subway.” Clara gets up off the bed and makes her way over to me. She takes my shoulders and locks eyes with me.
“You don’t need to impress anyone at that stupid party. Remember you are a badass woman who doesn’t need someone like Derek in her life.” I smile, hoping she’s right. I pick up my coat off the hook by the front door and grab my purse off the kitchen island.
Here we go.
It’s the first weekend of December and it’s like Christmas puked all over downtown. Every street light has a tinsel-covered decoration attached to its post. It is supposed to resemble a candle with some holly beneath it, but the unfortunate soul that designed it didn’t take into account the size of the cherries. Now they look like huge penises that light up.
Every window is Christmas themed with lights and fake snow everywhere. I love this holiday as much as the next person, but sometimes I wonder if it’s all too much. Since my parents died during my last year of college, I haven’t had a reason to celebrate the holiday. Derek always berated me for my lack of enthusiasm, but no matter how much I tried to explain the reasons behind my melancholy, he never understood.
The subway ride was as eventful as it could be…some drunk asking for money, a guy muttering about the wait times, and a woman who refused to give up her seat for a pregnant lady because “it’s not her fault she decided to get pregnant.” Just as I round the corner, a gust of wind blows, and my precious red bow detaches from my head and flies behind me. Lucky for me it lands against the wall of a coffee shop and I grab it.
“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter as I try and get the damn bow to stay on, but it’s no use. I look through my purse, hoping Clara might have put a compact in there for me, but no luck. Of course, the one time I need her here, she’s not.
I can see the party from here and I notice the steady stream of people flowing in and out of the house. I spent the last year of my life in that house, and for a second I wonder what the hell I’m doing here. I stare at the bow in my hand and wonder if I’m being an idiot by going to this party. I shake the doubt from my shoulders and start walking. There are cars lined up the side of the road and I notice a black Camaro with tinted windows up ahead. Man, that’s a beautiful car. Slick black lines, sexy as fuck front end…I would die to drive a car like that one day, or even just sit in one.
When I approach the car, I look around and make sure no one is watching. I bend over, seeing my reflection in the window, helped by the street light overhead as I take the bow in my hand and try attaching it back to my head. After a few tries it works and I shake my head at the sheer ridiculousness that is my reflection. “I guess this is as good as it’s gonna get,” I mutter.
Still bent over and staring at the hideous red bow on my head, I hear a mechanical sound, and to my sheer horror, the window in front of me starts to descend. There was someone in the car the whole time? Well shit. I can’t help the flush that creeps up my neck and over my cheeks as the window continues to fall. I contemplate running in any direction, but knowing my luck, I would end up tripping over my own feet and falling on my face. I think allowing one embarrassing moment is enough for tonight.
“Need any help?” a deep, sultry voice says from inside the dark car. The sound passes over my skin like silk, and my nails dig into my palms. I struggle to pick out his features since he’s shrouded in shadows, but from his voice I can tell he’s a force to be reckoned with.
“Excuse me?” My voice is small, almost non-existent, and I berate myself for allowing his voice to affect me so strongly.
“You seemed to be having trouble with your…outfit.” I can hear the smile in his voice and I wonder what that smile looks like. I look down the street and see Derek standing on the porch, and I avert my eyes quickly, hoping he doesn’t see me.
Wait. Aren’t I going there so he can see me? Obviously my brain is as confused as I feel right now.
“You going to a party?” Mystery Man says from inside the dark car.
“No, I just really like obnoxiously large bows.” My sarcasm is harsher than I intend, but he laughs.
“Well, if it’s any consolation, it looks good on you,” he says as he steps out of the car and my jaw hits the ground.
All I wanted was for the night to be done and over with. I spent most of my day and night at the office, which isn’t out of the ordinary. When I took over the family’s investment company, I knew I would be spending a lot of time at the office. What I didn’t expect was for Dad to throw all his mistakes at me and expect me to fix them. I love my old man, he was a genius in his prime, but right now, I’m trying to make sure our clients don’t find out what a shit show our company has turned into.
Not only did my father take bribes from investors, but he also decided that he would gamble in insider trading, which landed him in some pretty hot water. The only reason he’s not in a jail cell right now is because we have a very good attorney.
What I didn’t expect from tonight was the gorgeous sight in front of me. This woman is sin incarnate. And damn, do I want a fast-track ticket to hell. Her auburn hair cascades down her shoulders in waves and I rein in the need to touch the strands. The red bow atop her head makes her look adorable, but it’s her eyes that rock me to my core. Her emerald depths suck me in and I wonder for a moment how eyes could be that green. Her curves seem like they were plucked from my most epic fantasies and my hands itch to touch her.
As I get out of the car, her eyes flick to the lit up house down the street once again. “You supposed to be at that party?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
