A Bachelor For Christmas

Cider

"Debbie said that Ellie seemed quite dependent on you."

"Debbie doesn't know shit or else she'd have told you I'm just as dependent on her."  I snapped back around to glare at Noah, but found him not quite as smug as I left him.  After a deep breath he continued.

"Which is why you won't leave her out there."  There was that patronizing gleam to his eyes again.

"You're an asshole."  Still I slammed down my fork and headed to where Ellie was standing.

"All part of the job description," he called before running back to where the production crew huddled on the sidelines.

"Ellie, let's go," I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the crowd around Rowan.

"No, no.  I'm not ready."  She used her free hand to try to pry my fingers away, but she didn't stop her legs from following me.

"When it comes to love," I said, coming to a halt and turning to look at her, "is anyone really ready?"  It probably would have been more powerful if I didn't finish my point off with a melodramatic pout, but it got her to laugh and that's all I needed.

"No, I guess not."

"Good, then let's get a move on.  I have maybe a half hour left of free food and I won't be able to enjoy it if I'm worried you won't get a chance to meet him."  I tried to start our trek to the center of the party again, but this time Ellie's feet held fast.

"What if I can't do it Charlie?  What if we get in there and I freeze?  Or worse, what if I do talk with him and he decides not to keep me?"

At this I dropped her hand and looked at her in full.  It was made a bit difficult by the fact I could feel cameras moving in on us, but I tried only to focus on Ellie.  "If he meets you, he'll keep you.  I know it.  And even if he doesn't — which I don't think will happen — you'll still be here around town.  You'll find chances to win his heart, even if you aren't on the show anymore."

"But, that won't stop him from having to pick someone else to proclaim his love to in the end."I looked at the cameras, that kept their distance, but were still clearly trained in on our little conversation.  Then I sighed and turned back to my friend.

"Well, let's keep you on the show then."  I grabbed her hand again and this time I only had a groan in protest, otherwise she followed willingly.

We reached the shell of women hovering around Rowan and I managed to shoulder our way through.  Though Ellie made sure to apologize to everyone as we did.  Once we got in, there were five women who were seated in the semi-circle booth that was specially brought in to seat Rowan during the Thanksgiving dinner.  The crowd of women we had just pushed through, all tried to gain interest by laughing at the conversation the booth ladies were having or by vainly attempting to interject their own point into the discussion.  However, it was clear that whoever managed to snag those seats were in complete control of what Rowan was exposed to.  Well, other than Rowan himself, but he just nodded with a placating smile and pushed his food around with his fork.

"Hey," I said, stepping out into the little space left open by the semicircle of less fortunate women.  "I think it's time you ladies moved on.  Keep it up and Rowan here might think you are a bunch of obnoxious leeches."  Ellie pulled at my arm, her regret in following me practically vibrating through her body, but a quick glance from Rowan told me he was perhaps already thinking those very thoughts.  "Come on, up, up, up.  Time to share."

"Excuse me," snarled one of the women flanking Rowan.  "If he didn't want us sitting here, he would have told us to go."  She rose up from her seat as far as she could considering how close their table was.  Too much movement and the wide assortment of untouched pumpkin pie tarts, apple turnovers, and candied cranberries may be knocked to the ground.  "You're making a fool of yourself, you better leave before you completely ruin your chances."  With that she slid back into her seat, but when she turned to face Rowan, he only greeted her with a nervous, boyish smile.

"Actually Miranda, it would be nice to meet some of the other ladies.  It's a bit difficult to hear them over the rest of you."  He turned to look at the cluster of standing women around him and the collective swoon that followed nearly caused me to lose my stuffing.

"But, Rowan, I thought our discussion about the recent labor laws and their effect on factory workers was a breath of fresh air.  I don't usually have someone I can talk shop with..."

"Move along," said a woman to my left, who apparently found some courage in my intrusion.  "He's done with you."

"Yeah, give it up.  It's our turn."

"The bunch of you have been hogging him for an hour!"

I started quite a riot, one that convinced all but Miranda to slink out of the booth and away from the angry mass.

"Miranda, do you mind moving?  I'd like to meet everyone here and give everyone as much time as I can to get to know them."  Upon Rowan's request the crowd got quiet and watched just how the boisterous blonde would handle it.

"Of course Rowan," she said with a forced smile.  "I'm glad I got what time I had with you."  She picked up her glass of sparkling cider and stepped her way around the table.

Now I will admit, the table did look difficult to navigate.  The semi-circle booth sat far too close to it, probably to make the atmosphere all the more cozy.  Moving through those tight confines in a dress and heels, would make it all the worse.  So I granted Miranda that she could very well have gotten away with her next series of actions with plausible deniability.  And at the end of the day, she likely did in fact get away with looking completely innocent.  

However, anyone with a brain cell could tell that her trip and subsequent toss of her cider was far from an accident.  Unfortunately for her, my dear friend was more of a dating show buff than I realized.  Ellie must have seen her plot a mile away because she threw herself in front of me, just in time to get a face full of cider while I remained high and dry.

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