The Christmas Party

A Christmas Miracle

I snatched a Starbucks gift card right before the cashier finished ringing me up. This had to work.

When I showed up at Taehyung's doorstep, he laughed at me.

"What the "

"They're for your sister."

"Excuse me?"

"Taehyung I have literally no one else to ask since you wouldn't ask any of the single moms at your school. Jennie is literally the last girl I can ask before I have to venture into the dating app world and I'm honestly not ready for that." Taehyung eyed me and crossed his arms as he leaned against his door frame. "Do you think she'll say yes?" I asked hopelessly. Taehyung plucked the bottle of wine from my hand and inspected it.

"If she says no after you give her this bottle of wine you had no chance."

I grinned and clutched onto that glimmer of hope. I put Jennie's bribe on the table and settled onto the couch with a glass of wine while we waited for Jennie to come home. I obsessively checked the time until it was five thirty, then I obsessively looked to the door, my heart in my throat.

"Calm down," Taehyung said.

The moment I heard the lock jiggle, I jumped to my feet and rushed to the kitchen to grab her my bribe. Jennie kicked off her shoes with a loud sigh and untangled her scarf. When I approached her with my arms full of her favorite things, she was pulling her tucked-in shirt out of her slacks.

Jennie did a double-take when she noticed me. "Hi?"

"Hi."

"What's all this?"

"I have a favor to ask."

Jennie narrowed her eyes. "What is it that you want?

I offered her all of my gifts, then with my best puppy dog eyes and sweetest smile I asked, "Will you please go to my company Christmas party with me?"

Jennie blinked. "No."

"What?" I asked crestfallen. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"Jennie, please!"

"No."

"Jennie, please, it's Christmas!"

"You're still talking about this?"

"Jennie there are only two weeks until the party! Soojoo is growing smugger by the second! Please! I'm desperate."

"I'm your 'desperate' option, huh?"

I looked to Taehyung for help; there was no way for me to get out of this one unscathed. He shrugged. Jennie looked at me with her eyebrow raised while the gears in my brain turned, trying to come up with a plausible argument that didn't involve me putting my foot in my mouth.

"Free dinner on my rich boss and endless booze."

Jennie' quirked her eyebrow. Impossibly, I was making progress.

"Please, I'll do anything."

"Be careful what you promise."

"I'm serious! I'll do anything! Please don't make me go alone and listen to Soojoo gloat all night. I'll bring you coffee, I'll drive you to work, I'll do your laundry,."

"Hmmmm."

"I'll even watch all of the shitty Christmas movies with you and bring hot chocolate and make mulled wine!"

Jennie chewed her lip in thought.

"I am literally begging you," I said, dropping to my knees and clasping my hands together. "Please, Jennie!"

"Okay, fine."

I jumped up and wrapped Jennie in a bear hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Okay, okay. You're crushing me. Get off."

I pulled away and gave her a big kiss on the cheek which she immediately wiped off. "You're literally a saint. I owe you. Literally anything."

"I have a list of demands."

"Here comes the lawyer," Taehyung muttered.

"Name it, you got it," I said.

Jennie put up one finger. "You have to do all the Christmas shopping with me."

"Done!" I said quickly.

"You have to bring me coffee every morning for the next two weeks."

"Done!"

Jennie raised her eyebrow and was assessing just how much she could get away with. She glanced at Taehyung. "Are you going to come ice skating with me this year?"

"Absolutely not. I told you I will never touch a pair of ice skates again."

Jennie looked at me again. "You have to go ice skating with me."

"Okay, okay fine. Anything else?"

"And you have to watch any Christmas movie I want when you're over."

"Easy."

"And make me mulled wine."

"Done."

"I'll let you know if I think of anything. I reserve the right to add on to my list of demands."

"Deal!" I stuck out my hand and Jennie shook it.

"I don't think you should have agreed to that," Taehyung said from the couch.

"No one asked you," I retorted. "Hey Jennie, can we take a couple of pictures for like, my phone background, so Soojoo will actually believe we're dating?"

She sighed but agreed. "Fine."

We sat on the couch with a glass of wine in our hands and I leaned in close with a huge grin on my face. I snapped the picture and changed my phone background to a picture of us. "There. Irrefutable proof I have a girlfriend. Ha! Take that Soojoo."

"Fake girlfriend."

"Fake girlfriend," I agreed.

Jennie finished her wine then stretched. "I'm going to bed everyone. It's been a shitty week."

"No dinner?" Taehyung asked.

"I ate at work."

Taehyung frowned but didn't comment.

"Jisoo," Jennie said, turning back to me. "I'll pick you up tomorrow at eight."

"What?"

"We're going shopping."