Mistletoe Deadline

6 December 2018
10 days left in Operation Mistletoe

The text seemed unreal, mocking me as I stared down at the phone from the comfort of my tiny apartment kitchen.

"Hey."

It was all the message said, sent from an unknown number that I had a sneaky suspicion of the identity behind. I knew that late at the party last week Courtney had caught the glances between the two of us and had decided to do something about it. But the text quite frankly wasn't from the one person I couldn't keep off my mind.

I liked to pretend I didn't know what I had done wrong. But Harry hadn't spoken to me since that night. It wasn't like we hadn't run into each other at work we still managed to catch sight of each other whether it was in the food court or the many aisles of the department store but I worked clothing, and he worked, so we managed to keep our lives very separate.

"Knock knock," The words came subtly as Courtney pushed open the door using the spare key I had given her at the beginning of the semester. I didn't see the point in having to open the door every time that she wanted to come over.

"I have tea!" Came the next exclamation as she realized that I hadn't given her any response.

"Please." Was my only answer as I snuggled deeper into my blankets my copy of King Leer half opened and very unread on my lap in front of me. Finals were in less than a week, and both them and the emotional toll weighing on me had me getting little sleep and pushing studying to the last second.

"Hey," Courtney asked sitting down in front of me and propping her elbows on top of my bent knees. "What is going on?"

I just gave her a shrug before pointing at the coffee table littered with papers and half-drunk mugs of tea and cocoa. "I'm just stressed about school is all, and this ridiculous affair that mom and Heather and putting me through."

"Well after last week I'm sure that Louis might go with you. He was giving you eyes all night." She stated excitedly.

"Was not!" I started adjusting my legs so that Courtney wasn't leaning on me anymore.

"Did he ever text you? He asked for your number after you left without giving it to him." Courtney said in a disapproving tone as she sent me a sideways glance.

She didn't understand why I wasn't more excited about Louis. I didn't know why I wasn't more excited about Louis. But everytime that I thought back to that night, it wasn't the song that weighed on me even though Louis had held my gaze through it entirely, it was the kiss, the rushed kiss in the freezing cold that had me wondering and stressing and pushing off studying longer than I ever should. Courtney didn't know, she was so excited about Louis that I hadn't had the heart to tell her that I had been kissing strangers in the snow immediately before our 'heartfelt' rendition of 'Baby it's cold outside.' So instead of trying to explain the situation to her I instead just tossed her my phone from the couch beside me.

"Well, what am I supposed to say to that?" I said showing her the one-word text.

"He texted you two days ago!" Courtney asked nearly jumping out of her seat. "And you haven't replied?"

Apparently, my timeliness was more distressing than his vaguely worded and not entirely interested text.

"I didn't know what to say so I was just going to wait until I saw him in person or he sent something I could actually reply to."

We hadn't had a Louis sighting in nearly a week, and I think it was beginning to give Courtney a, but apparently, he was on a business trip and was meeting with some very official corporate accountants. I didn't know where he was and that actually probably was something I could have asked him in response to his rather lame attempt at starting a conversation.

"Girl! When the hottest guy in the entire company texts you, you don't just leave him on read. You find something witty to say."

Instead of the response that was running through my head of 'easier said than done' what slipped out of my mouth was something that I hadn't wanted Courtney to hear.

"Well, I wouldn't say the hottest guy in the company."

I was hoping that Courtney hadn't heard but since I turned bright red immediately after the sentiment and she let out a quick gasp I knew that I had been caught.

"Riley Marie Brooks, what is going on? Is there something that you're not telling me?"

I winced at the volume, glad that my neighbors were out of town for the week. They tended to send in noise complaints if really anything made it through the walls. Instead, I had to immediately backtrack and try to figure out how I was going to explain the situation to Courtney. If she knew that I hadn't said anything about Harry she would lose it and I would have to deal with a sulking best friend. But I also knew that I really couldn't get out of it anymore due to my stupid mouth saying things quicker than I could realize what I was saying.

"I'm just saying there are other hot guys in the company," I started to try and get her off of the idea.

Courtney was having none of it as she peered at me over the top of her steaming mug. She still held my mug captive behind her on the coffee table as if daring me to reach past her to get it. I could tell that she didn't believe me, but apparently, we were attempting the silent treatment as a way to get me to talk to her. So instead of pestering me out of all of the information she just sat there staring judgementally at me waiting for me to talk.

She knew me well enough to know that it would work too. I couldn't keep things from Courtney long, and at five days I was nearing one of my records. She knew that given enough time and enough awkward silence I would end up bursting out at the seams and she would find out what I had been hiding. Needless to say, I wasn't good with secrets.

"So please don't be mad." I finally exclaimed earning a triumphant cock of one of Courtney's eyebrows but no meaningful response.

I gave out a deep sigh not even knowing where to begin or how to describe Harry. So much of it, I was still trying to explain to myself.

"I might have met someone." I could see Courtney visibly flinch like I'd hit her but I didn't get more of a response. Apparently, I was on silent treatment until I told her everything.

"It was at the party Friday, well really the week before during lunch but we didn't really talk much then but then on Friday..." I was rambling I knew I was rambling but I just couldn't seem to stop myself.

So as Courtney sat next to me on the couch, the whole story came out from meeting Harry in the cafeteria to the walk, to him stonewalling me, to the kiss.

"...so he hasn't really talked to me since and like I don't know what to do because I don't want him to hate me but I didn't know how to react after he kissed me. And then he saw me with Louis on stage, and I think he was mad and now he's avoiding me at work, and I want to fix it, but I don't know how or if I should fix it." I finally concluded letting out a long breath.

I didn't know what Courtney's reaction was going to be, but it was good to have the weight off of my chest, and there still felt like something was missing, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"So let me get this straight, Louis is finally interested in you, and you get preoccupied with a probably stoned mall worker who doesn't have any idea of good timing?" Courtney stated a slight edge in her voice.

I knew that she didn't mean it that she was just trying to process the information in less time than I had had but the comment was still a little biting as I finally reached past her for my tea.

"I mean you were the one that liked Louis," I muttered before taking a sip of the drink that was now slightly cold.

"Bull shit." Courtney stated, "I saw you sneaking looks at him every time we saw him in public and from how he was looking at you at the party you have more of a chance with him than I ever will."

I tried to argue, but I didn't know how. I was too tired. So instead I just leaned back into the couch and sent a hurt look in Courtney's direction. It seemed to work because shaking her head Courtney took my mug gently out of my hand and set both mine and hers onto the table beside us. Hands-free she burrowed into the blanket with me until we were both lying across the couch.

"But hey it might just be personal preference," Courtney muttered next to me. "I don't know this Harry guy, but if you like him, then he must be okay."

"Thank you," I whispered burrowing my face into Courtney's rather bony shoulder. I didn't like when the two of us were fighting even if it was over something as stupid as me wanting the wrong 'boy.'

"So what are you going to do about it?" She asked.

"Hmm?" I hummed in response knowing what she was asking just struggling to come up with any kind of answer.

"About Harry?"

"I don't know," I admitted reluctantly.

"Have you thought about apologizing. You did kind of freak out after he kissed you and that's enough to scare off any guy, remember Alan freshman year."

"I think you were to blame for that one Court." I scoffed in reply.

Our freshman year of college Courtney had decided that she had a thing for our neighbor at the time Alan Banks. So she had decided to hang mistletoe over his door for the holidays. It had been considered a joke, so she had kind of freaked a little when Alan had kissed her in the middle of the dorm floor's holiday party.

"I suppose I was but come on an apology never hurt anybody."

"I suppose not." I conceded.

The idea had presented itself to me before, but I hadn't been sure if a kiss was something that one apologizes for. Especially since I wasn't the one doing the kissing but with Courtney to back up the idea it was beginning to sound like it needed to be my plan of action.

"I still think you should text Louis back though," Courtney stated leaning over me to grab my TV remote. "Want to watch a Christmas movie."

"Rudolph? And I will." I complained as Courtney finally returned to the lounging position behind me.

Grabbing my phone, I once again stared at the text on my phone before finally clicking on it to reply.

Hey! How're the meetings?

Notes

Here's the next chapter! Pre-written chapters are going to be miracles this week since finals are starting (pray for me).

Let me know what you think!
And please send me all y'all's favourite Christmas songs. I'm struggling to match Christmas songs to part 1 chapters (part 2's are all planned) and inspiration always helps!

-Abby