MY CHRISTMAS ROMANCE

CHAPTER 3: CHRISTMAS DEAL

I straighten up, my eyes growing bigger. "Maybe I could!"

Aden's eyebrows shoot up, and I don't know if it's in confusion or surprise, but I continue, "I mean I would just need someone who has no plan for the holidays and that would be willing to pretend to be my boyfriend for a week!" I grin as if proud of my idea, when inside I'm shaking in fear that he will think that I'm crazy. After all, if even my crazy friends have thought this is a mad plan, what will he think?

"Wow! That's an idea! I would have never thought of this."

This, I have noticed! But apparently, he doesn't look scared. I would say he's rather impressed as his wide eyes are staring at me.

"Do you think this could work?" I ask, biting my lip.

"Um, maybe..." He shrugs, offering me an encouraging smile that wraps the certainty that my real plan can work.

"I don't know... that would be lying to my family... But at the same time, it would be for everyone to spend nice holidays, and that wouldn't hurt anyone..." I pretend to be weighing the pros and cons that I've already measured precisely since yesterday. "I don't know why I'm even thinking about it! How would I find someone in just a day?" I shake my head, letting out a defeated sigh and waiting again.

Aden just nods at everything I've just said, his eyebrows finding back their crease as he genuinely seems to be thinking about it, yet not coming up with anything.

How can he be so oblivious? Does he really not think about the most evident under his nose? His own nose?

I guess I'll have to do it myself... I slowly lift up my head to him again. "You..." I whisper, not finding more voice as the loud beats of my heart resonating in my throat are like ticking the seconds until Aden realizes the underlying plan of this idea.

"Me?" He blinks, as lost about my secret plan as about what I'm talking.

"You, you could be my boyfriend – I mean my pretend boyfriend." Okay, maybe it isn't entirely a slip of the tongue, not entirely... maybe... "You've told me you're free next week, right? And that way, you could experience a real holiday for your article."

"Yes..." He nods slowly, leaving me in a few excruciatingly long seconds of silence. "That could really help me with those articles, and if it can help you... I guess it's a win-win deal. Okay." He offers me one of his easy breath-taking smiles.

Why have I ever been worried he could second-guess something when he's so unaware of my love for him, of love in general?

"Really?! You're sure?" It's almost too easy, well after how I've struggled to bring him to the subject.

"Yes, sure, if you are?"

"Oh, thank you! You save me!" I don't have to fake; my excitement is so real, tingling all my nerves like flashing fairy lights.

"No, I think you do because I'm really lost at this Christmas thing." He glances at the pictures and articles spread out on his neat desk with the same puppy look.

"We both need each other..." I smile shyly. "Let's hope we can make a credible couple!"

"Yes, why not." His casual shrug makes my heart leap, but it drops as fast as his eyebrows scrunch up in a frown again. "But what will you tell your family if you just told them you're going alone?"

"Oh, this... I think they'll be so overjoyed that they won't mind, but maybe we can find a plausible excuse..." I pretend to think when I already have the perfect one. "Um... Why not tell that we didn't want people to know since we're working together?"

"A professional reason, yeah, that sounds plausible... and we decided to spend the holidays together because finally, our relationship is getting more serious? But what will you tell your parents after the holidays if they don't see me for the next family meal or something like that?"