The Only Thing On My Wishlist

My mom was ready to punch Lucy, and as amusing as that mental image was, I was genuinely afraid that there was about to be a throwdown over a batch of gingerbread cookies.

“Lucy, darling.” Mom seethed, a piping bag full of icing in her hands. “I’ve been making these cookies longer than you’ve been alive.”

“I’m just saying,” Lucy threw her hands up. “I think everyone would appreciate a straight line.”

Mom set the bag of white icing on the counter, placing her hands next to it as she turned to face Lucy. “I will return those two hundred dollar shoes I bought you if you don’t get out of my kitchen now.”

I snorted, turning to muffle it with my hand as I casually flipped the page of the newspaper in front of me.

“And what’s got you so amused, Elliot?” Lucy sneered.

I smiled innocently over at her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Don’t play oblivious. It doesn’t work when your boyfriend does it, and it certainly doesn’t work when you’re doing it.”

“Boyfriend?!” Mom’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head, and all I could do was glare over at Lucy.

“He’s not my boyfriend!” I told my mom quickly.

“Who’s not your boyfriend?”

“Joshua.” Lucy answered for me, a smile spread across her face. “Ellie fancies him.”

Mom sent me a look I’d never seen before—almost like she approved. There really wasn’t much for her to approve, though. Josh wasn’t my boyfriend. We weren’t even dating. We were just kissing… A lot.

“Josh is nice boy.” Mom finally said as she went back to outlining the cookies.

I didn’t have any doubt about Josh being a nice boy, but like I said, we were just hanging out. “Josh is a nice boy.” I agreed with her. “But we’re just friends.”

“Friends who snog in his car when they think no one’s watching.” Lucy chimed in.

“LUCY!” I didn’t have a chance to get my hands around her throat, Mom had already stepped between us.

“Both of you.” She said in a motherly tone. “Out of my kitchen now.”

All I could do was glare at Lucy as I climbed up the stairs.

~~

Lucy was blaring the soundtrack from The Grinch and I could hear it all the way upstairs, which was why I was conveniently avoiding the party going on downstairs. I didn’t like the movie and that meant I definitely didn’t like the music, so I’d stay in my room, rewrapping the present that I’ve already wrapped five times, until someone dragged me out of here. It was going to take a lot more than hanging out with Mr. Christmas himself to get me to warm up to the season.

“Ellie?”

I was too consumed in making sure the corners were neatly folded, the snowman wrapping paper warn from redoing it so many times, that I hadn’t heard him walk into my room.

“I hope you were at least a little discrete about coming up here.” I smiled, looking up at Josh. “Lucy informed my mom about us.”

A grin was pulling at his lips as he fell onto my bed, slightly distracted by the wheel of gold ribbon next to my pillow. “Is there an us?”

I felt my cheeks blush, biting on my lower lip as I silently kicked myself for using that word. “I didn’t… I just…”

He laughed, sitting up to kiss me. I smiled into it as he pushed the present from my lap. I fell back to my pillow, Josh crawling on top of me as I wrapped my arms around his neck. He broke the kiss soon after, his forehead pressed against mine. “We don’t have to label it right now.”

I smiled. “Okay.”

We laid like that for a while, completely forgetting that there was a party going on downstairs. It wasn’t until I was almost asleep when Lucy started to bellow, her voice traveling up the stairs, down the hall, and through the walls. I heard Josh groan and all I could do was laugh.

“I think Lucy The Tyrant is the only reason I’m excited for Christmas to be over.” He mumbled.

“Am I hearing this right?” I laughed, turning to face him. “Is Josh Franceschi all Christmased out?”

“No,” he replied kissing the top of my head. “Just tired of Lucy’s crazy ideas.”

“I HEARD THAT, JOSHUA.” Lucy screamed from god knows where.

I snorted, a look of defeat on Josh’s face as he sat up.

“NOW GET YOUR ARSE DOWN HERE BEFORE I TORCH EVERY UGLY SWEATER YOU OWN.”

“I think she’s got your room bugged.” Josh muttered.

I laughed, “C’mon,” I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him off my bed. Josh sighed, handing me the present he’d tossed aside.

Everyone was waiting for us when we got downstairs, my mom sent us shifty eyes as we crossed the room. I couldn’t blame her. I mean, her daughter was noticeably late for a party… With the boy she claimed she wasn’t dating, no less.

“Nice of you to join us.” Lucy said smugly. “I take it you two weren’t writing Santa a last minute letter up there…”

I felt my cheeks go red, avoiding eye contact with everyone as I sat on the couch next to Josh.

“Let’s get started, yeah?” Lucy shouted as she turned the music down.

When no one seemed to acknowledge her, she grew annoyed.

“I will chop your bollocks off if you don’t shut up. I will also replace your gift with coal. I’ve got it in the kitchen, so don’t test me.”

Everyone turned their attention to her, and she smiled.

“It’s a very simple process.” She started, clapping her hands together. “I’ll be calling numbers off in chronological order. If for some reason you’ve forgotten the number I gave you at the last party, I’ve got a list.” She waved her clipboard in the air.

“This’ll take forever.” Someone mumbled across the room.

“I heard that, Matt.” Lucy snapped. “Now you get coal.”

Everyone kept their mouth’s shut after that, and Lucy started calling numbers. It didn’t take nearly as long as I was anticipating. The only hold up was when we got to number seven. I’d been wondering why Max looked so nervous when Henry stood up to get his present, but my question was answered once Henry pulled out the lace nighty that obviously wasn’t meant for him. After a brief pause so Lucy could discipline him in private, the number calling went on.

“Number ten.”

I vaguely remembered Lucy telling me that was my number at the last party, so I stood up and walked over to the table. I wasn’t entirely sure why Lucy was smiling so wide, but I tried to ignore her, focusing on the poorly wrapped present in my hands. I may not like the holiday, but I wasn’t completely turned off to the idea of receiving gifts. The box left me curious. It was cube shaped, the red bow on top obviously trying to hide a taping error.

“Go on.” Lucy nudged me. “Open it.”

I tore the paper apart, lifting the top of the box off. Beneath a green layer of tissue was a plaid piece of fabric lined with fur. I quirked an eyebrow as I pulled it out, my cheeks blushing when I realized what it was.

“What is it, Ellie?” Lucy asked.

I bit back my smile as my eyes landed on Josh. “A trapper hat.”

I put the hat back into the box, slowly walking back over to the couch, sitting down next to Josh.

“Do you like it?” He asked quickly.

I nodded. “How did you know it was me?”

He shrugged. “I had a hunch.”

Lucy cut us off, calling off the next number. And things repeated after that.

“Number seventeen.”

I was curious, simply because that was the number of the present I’d bought. I had no idea who I could have had. When I felt Josh get up, my eyes went wide and I suddenly wondered how I didn’t realize this sooner. I mean, I had a Christmas freak who liked Trafalgar Square. I should have known.

“What did you get, Josh?” Lucy asked.

He pulled at my snowman wrapping paper, the ribbon falling to the floor as he opened the box. I’d bought it yesterday, completely aggravated because the mall was so busy. It was the first thing I saw, a red sweater with a sleigh on the front. At the time, it seemed like an easy way out, but now it seemed perfect.

“A sweater.” Josh answered, and I was sure he already knew it was from me. I’d been wrapping it when he came into my room.

When he sat back down, he placed a kiss on my cheek. “I can’t believe you got me.”

I laughed. “It’s funny how things work out.”

~~

I could barely move in the kitchen, people viciously attacking trays of cheese and frosted sugar cookies. I wasn’t even hungry, if we were being honest, but Josh was and I stupidly offered to make him a plate while he talked about an upcoming tour with Henry. I sighed heavily, hoping that would catch the attention of the boy hogging the ziti tray. Finally, he stepped away and I rolled my eyes, grabbing spoon before it fell into the sauce.

“I’ve got to hand it to you, Luce. I didn’t think it would work.”

I scrunched my eyebrows, Max’s voice filling my ears as I turned to see where it came from. It was slightly muffled, and I could only assume they were talking next to the fridge.

“Of course it was going to work.” Lucy laughed. “Ellie is perfect for Josh. She just needed a little push to realize.”

My face dropped and so did the plate, smashing against the floor, causing the entire room to go quiet. I wasn’t sure where the reaction came from, and I wasn’t sure if I understood what Max and Lucy were talking about. Slowly, though, it started to come to me. The Secret Santa wasn’t just a coincidence, it was a rigged.

My throat grew tight as the room gawked at me with wide eyes. I wasn’t sure what to do, or say, but I knew the second Lucy stepped toward me, I needed to leave. I spun around, slightly lightheaded as I stumbled through the living room.

“Elliot?”

It was Josh, his voice panicked.

“Don’t talk to me.” I hissed, rage slowly tickling at my every being. Normally, I’d be embarrassed to cause this much of a scene. I mean, it was evident that everyone was watching Josh and I, but right now all I cared about was getting out of here.

“Ellie…” He stammered. “I don’t—”

I whipped the door open, the anger clear across my face. “I can’t believe I was so stupid.”

His eyes were wide, like he was confused. “What?”

“I can’t believe how fucking stupid I was.” I repeated, stepping onto the porch and jogging down the stairs, not caring that it had started snowing.

“Elliot?” He called, chasing after me. “Elliot, where are you going? It’s fucking snowing, Ellie. You don’t have a jacket on and it’s snowing. You’re going to catch pneumonia.”

I didn’t care right now. Pneumonia was better than realizing that you were just a game to the guy you opened up to. And to think I was actually falling for him.

“Elliot!”

“Was this just a fucking game, Josh?” I snapped, turning around to face him.

“What?” He spat back.

“This… Us. Was this just a fucking ploy to get me away from Grant?” I screamed, forgetting that it was nearly ten at night. “I can’t… I trusted you.”

“Elliot, I had nothing to do—”

“Seriously, Josh? You’re going to tell me you had nothing to do with this?” I asked.

“Yeah, I am because I didn’t know, Ellie.” He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “This was all Lucy.”

“For some reason I don’t believe you.”