The Twelve Dates of Christmas

by Andi James

  “No! There are no more dates, Chelsea. This ends now.”

  Chelsea furrowed her brow. “Look. I’m not setting you up with just anyone. I was honest in your profile about what you like and what you’re looking for.”

  “I’m not looking for anything!”

  “So the guys who are messaging you,” she continued, ignoring him, “are good guys. They want to meet someone too.” She continued to swipe through her phone and grimaced. “Oh, except that one. No one with the username Holden MaGroin could be a good guy.”

  Aiden ground his teeth. “Chelsea…”

  “Aiden,” she said mockingly, “just let me do this. There are worse things in the world than going out for drinks and meeting some new people. Worst-case scenario, you spend a few evenings outside of your sad, little house.”

  “It’s not sad, it’s cozy.”

  “Best-case scenario? You meet someone you like enough to bring with you to this party. Someone you can smile with, who laughs at your dumb jokes, who can be a welcome distraction from a night of certain agony.”

  Aiden rubbed his temples. He rarely put his foot down with Chelsea, but he knew this would have to be one of those times. He tried to keep his voice warm but firm. “Chelsea, I love that you love me enough to go through all this trouble. But I really can’t do this right now. I’m sorry.”

  Chelsea set her mouth in a line.

  “Promise me, Chels, no more dates.”

  She rolled her eyes but held up three fingers in a little salute.

  “Are you giving me the Hunger Games sign?”

  “It’s a Girl Scout salute, Aiden. It’s like, the most serious of all the promises.”

  “Like you would know.”

  “I was a Brownie Scout!”

  “Yeah, for Halloween. That doesn’t count.” Aiden glanced at the clock. If he was lucky, he had just enough time to toast his bagel before his next meeting. He grabbed the bag from his desk and walked quickly from the room.

  The staff kitchen was gloriously empty as Aiden swore under his breath, hacking at his bagel with a plastic butter knife. The result was less than glamorous, and he was fairly certain he would’ve drawn blood if the knife had been sharper than a marble, but he managed to shove his wonky bagel into the toaster. He stepped away to quickly use the restroom, and as he walked back to the kitchen, he was assaulted with a familiar smell. An alarming smell. The smell of a bagel fire.

  He raced into the kitchen in time to see someone expertly remedying the situation. The person pulled the plug from the wall, managed to put out the small flames, and shake the blackened crumbs of the only thing good about that morning onto a plate.

  Goddamnit. He walked up behind the mystery firefighter, feeling awkward but appreciative that someone had been there before the fire had gotten completely out of hand. “Hey, thanks,” he said to the man, who turned around and smiled at him.

  “No problem, Aid.”

  Justin.

  If Aiden had three wishes at that exact moment, they all would have been related to the floor swallowing him whole.

  “Did you still want this?” Justin asked, holding out the paper plate.

  Aiden wondered if there was any way to salvage his breakfast. Maybe some extra cream cheese?

  “I know how much you love these.”

  Aiden thought the symbolism was a little too perfect as Justin handed him the charred remains of something Aiden desperately wanted but ultimately couldn’t save.

  He took the plate from Justin and tossed it into the trash can. “Thank you,” he said politely. “I only stepped away for a minute. I don’t know how that even happened.”

  Justin smiled. “No problem. Everything is fine now.” He looked intently at Aiden. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for a while, but you’re a hard man to track down. If I had known it would get us in the same room, I’d have started a fire weeks ago.”

  Aiden forced a laugh and tried to figure out the best way to escape.

  Justin‘s phone rang, and he glanced at the screen before giving Aiden an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. I’ll just be a second, okay? Don’t go anywhere. I want us to talk.”

  Aiden nodded meekly, and Justin held his phone to his ear.

  “Hey, baby,” he said softly. “Everything okay?”

  Aden didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at how much it hurt to hear Justin call someone else baby.

  Justin turned slightly, and Aiden used the small gesture as a means to slip away, practically running back to his office. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, trying to calm his nerves. If he couldn’t handle hearing Justin talk to his new boyfriend on the phone, how was he going to handle seeing them together, being all adorable and in love, for an entire evening?

  He sighed. “Fine.” He gave Chelsea a defeated and grumpy look. “You win. Go ahead and schedule a date or two.”

  Chelsea grinned at him. “Already done. Tonight you’re going to be going out with” — she squinted at her phone — “Wyatt, a baker who enjoys photography, hiking, and sunsets.”

  Aiden wondered how he felt about lemon poppyseed bagels.

  Chapter 4

  Aiden slid into a seat at the bar, wondering for the millionth time why he’d really agreed to this.

  He glanced down at his phone to check the time when a familiar voice brought his attention to the space across the bar.

  “Hey, stranger.”

  There stood Liam, giving Aiden one of his bright smiles.

  Aiden didn’t know if he should be mortified at seeing Liam again or consider him to be an advocate in this whole situation. “Hey,” he said, smiling back.

  “Are you here for another business meeting?” Liam asked with a wink.

  Aiden laughed. “I wish.”

  “What can I get for you, Aiden?”

  Aiden was a bit surprised Liam remembered his name. But Aiden supposed if he’d run into a situation like that, it would probably stand out in his memory too.

  “IPA?” Liam guessed.

  “No, Long Island, please.”

  Liam’s eyes widened slightly. “So definitely not a business meeting then.”

  “No.” Aiden sighed. “This time it actually is a date.”

  “And you’re sure both of you are aware of it this time?”

  “Pretty sure.”

  Liam grinned and stepped away to mix Aiden’s drink. He was back in a matter of moments, placing the glass on a coaster in front of Aiden on the bar.

  Aiden murmured his thanks and took a long sip.

  Liam glanced down the bar, then gave Aiden a long look. He leaned backward, looking comfortable and studying Aiden. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “As long as it’s not about what happened last night.”

  Liam stared but said nothing.

  “It’s about what happened last night, isn’t it?”

  Liam gave the smallest of shrugs.

  Aiden sighed. “Fine, go ahead.”

  “What happened last night?”

  Aiden groaned.

  Liam continued. “I mean, it was pretty clear you two had completely different ideas on what was happening.”

  “Was is it that obvious?”

  Liam shrugged again. “To me, it was.”

  Aiden took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “My best friend — who is fairly certain she knows what is best for everyone, but especially me — decided she was going to find me a date to my company’s holiday party.”

  Liam looked confused.

  Aiden had hoped that would be enough, but clearly he was going to have to go into more detail. “She set up a date for me and convinced me to attend by telling me it was a business meeting.”

  Liam nodded knowingly. “Well, that explains that.” He pulled a white bar rag from his pocket and leaned in, cleaning the area around where Aiden was sitting.

  Aiden thought about offering more of an explanation but was stopped by a voice saying, "Dude! Hey, are you Aiden?"

&n
bsp; Aiden turned in his stool to find an attractive man standing by the bar. He took in the guy's designer ripped jeans and artfully styled blond hair and estimated he was about ten years younger than Aiden. "I am. I'm guessing you're Wyatt?"

  "Yep!" Wyatt glanced around. "Did you want to move to a table? I think there's an open booth toward the back." He leaned closer, which allowed Aiden to catch a hint of expensive cologne. At least Wyatt hadn't overdone it since the scent was subtle. Wyatt lowered his voice. "Looks more cozy than these stools."

  Aiden cleared his throat. Cozy wasn't something that sounded appealing. Then again, neither did dating, yet there he was. "I don't think we need to take up seating for four. I'm fine sitting at the bar, if that's okay with you." He gestured to his right. "There's an empty stool over here."

  "Oh." Wyatt looked around Aiden. "Yeah, man, I guess that'll work."

  Aiden's gaze met Liam's as Wyatt maneuvered himself onto his seat. Liam winked and mouthed good luck, then stepped in front of Wyatt. "Can I get you something to drink?"

  "Yeah.” Wyatt peered at the wall of liquor bottles behind Liam. "Elderflower and lime martini."

  Liam tilted his head. "Sorry, we don't stock elderflower cordial."

  "Oh, bummer. Hmm. How about a cardamom Moscow Mule?"

  Liam's brows scrunched together. He looked over his shoulder, and if Aiden had to guess, Liam was probably wondering what Wyatt was seeing back there that had him asking for such drinks.

  Liam faced Wyatt. "I can make you a regular Moscow Mule?"

  "Yuck. No thanks. Got any good hazy beers on tap?"

  Aiden stifled a laugh as Liam took a deep breath. "Not on tap, but I do have cans of a double IPA from Blackest Black Brewery."

  Wyatt sat up straighter. "Dude, why didn't you say so? I love Triple B's stuff."

  Liam shot Aiden a look that shouted is he serious? Aiden shrugged.

  "You two want menus?"

  For a second, Aiden wanted to say no. He could only begin to imagine what Wyatt ordering food might look like. But he was hungry, and he had agreed to a date. He was pretty sure telling Chelsea he'd had one drink with Wyatt and then left wouldn't go over well. "Yes, thank you."

  Liam handed them clipboards that had menus attached. "Be right back with your beer," he said to Wyatt.

  Aiden skimmed the menu, already knowing what he wanted.

  "Have you been here before?" Wyatt asked as he looked over the selections. "Any recommendations?"

  "I have, but I haven't eaten here. Only had drinks."

  "Ah." Wyatt scrunched up his nose at something on the menu, then his eyes lit up. "Oh, cool. They do have something I can eat. It sometimes gets tricky at restaurants."

  Aiden sipped his drink and turned toward Wyatt. "Why is that, if you don't mind my asking? Allergies?"

  Wyatt laughed. "No, worse. Keto." He patted his stomach. "Gotta stay in shape, ya know? Though I do make exceptions for alcohol."

  Aiden's gaze roamed Wyatt's trim figure. "Seems to be working. Still, isn't that hard, with your job?"

  Wyatt rubbed his neck. "What do you mean?"

  Liam returned before Aiden could answer. He set Wyatt's beer in front of him. "Did you want to order food now? Or I can give you a few more minutes."

  "I think we're ready," Wyatt said. He glanced at Aiden. "Right?"

  Aiden nodded.

  "I'll have the grilled chicken sandwich, minus the bun, and instead of fries, can I get the balsamic Brussel sprouts?"

  "Sure thing."

  "Oh, and can you add like, half an avocado to the plate?"

  Liam took Wyatt's menu. "Yeah, we can do that."

  Wyatt smiled wide. "Awesome. Thanks, man."

  "And for you?" Liam's eyes sparkled as he looked at Aiden.

  "I'll have the garlic cheese fries."

  Liam burst out laughing and tried to cover it with a fake cough. "Anything else?"

  "Another of these." Aiden held up his almost empty glass.

  "You got it. I'll put those orders in now."

  "Whoa. Someone isn't afraid of carbs. What is that, like an hour extra in the gym tomorrow?"

  Aiden decided not to mention he hadn't been to the gym since his breakup. He needed to find a new one so he could go and not run into Justin there. "Something like that. But speaking of carbs, didn't your profile say you're a baker? How do you do that and maintain keto? Don't you need to sample whatever it is you make?"

  "Oh, right! I forgot it said I was a baker." Wyatt grinned, showing off teeth that could be in a toothpaste commercial. "That's like, my goal job, not my job job. I hope to be a pastry chef one day. I'm planning to take some classes next year if I can fit them in my schedule."

  Aiden assumed Wyatt meant around his work schedule. "What is it you do now?"

  Wyatt waved his hand through the air. "I'm sort of in between jobs, but I do help my buddy out at his axe throwing place. He just opened it earlier this year. It's enough to keep my parents off my back and their money flowing into my account."

  Wyatt perked up. "I'm really into photography right now, so I've been focusing on that."

  Aiden one hundred percent ignored the idea of Wyatt's parents supporting him, though he guessed that accounted for Wyatt's pricey jeans and haircut. He did remember Chelsea mentioning something about photography though. "That’s cool. What kind of photos do you take?"

  "Here, let me show you." Wyatt pulled out his phone and started scrolling, then handed it to Aiden. "I made it a goal this year to really up my selfie game, and I gotta say, I think I've been nailing it recently."

  Liam slid Aiden's new drink in front of him then. Aiden glanced up to see Liam's shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

  "Like here, look at these." Wyatt drew Aiden's attention away from Liam and to a series of photos taken in front of some artful graffiti. "I think they're some of my best."

  "Uh huh." Aiden brought one up so it was full screen and started swiping through them. He had no idea how to compliment someone's selfies that looked like anything he'd see on Instagram. He handed Wyatt's phone back. "You seem to have, um, really captured yourself in those."

  Wyatt beamed. "Thanks, dude! That's what I was going for!"

  Aiden tried to keep his expression neutral. "When you said photography, I thought you meant maybe nature scenes or portraits of other people. Stuff like that."

  Wyatt's eyes got big. "God no. How boring would that be?"

  Aiden almost choked on his drink. He decided to change the subject. "Did your profile say something about hiking? And sunsets?"

  "Yeah, man! Hiking is a big part of my fitness routine. I parked five blocks away so I could hike here."

  Wyatt looked so proud of himself that Aiden had to turn away so he didn't laugh in his face. Once he got himself mostly back under control, he faced Wyatt again. "Good for you." He was almost afraid to ask, but he had to. "And the sunsets?"

  "My favorite time of day." Wyatt gave a solemn nod. "Because everything fun happens at night, and sunset is the start of nighttime."

  "Mmhmm." Aiden bit his lip and took a deep breath through his nose. "Makes complete sense. Very logical."

  Wyatt patted Aiden's thigh. "So, tell me about yourself. I'll be completely honest. I didn't pay close attention to your profile. Just saw your photo, thought you were hot, and decided to send you a message. Fill in the blanks for me."

  Aiden's mouth reacted before his brain could stop it. "That's okay."

  "Huh?" Wyatt's perfectly shaped brows drew together.

  Aiden tried to cover for himself. "I said 'oh, okay.'"

  Liam interrupted then, a cheeky grin on his face. He placed their plates on the bar and said, "Here you go. Enjoy."

  Aiden's stomach growled as he inhaled the scent of the garlicky, cheesy mess of fries in front of him. He wished he could savor what he was sure would be the best part of his night without having to maintain a conversation he had no interest in. Instead, he shoved a fry in his mouth and wondered how quickly he could down t
hem so he could make his escape.

  Chapter 5

  Aiden sighed and checked the time on his phone again, only to find one minute had passed since he'd last looked. He was supposed to meet some guy named Rain for another date Chelsea had set up, and Rain was ten minutes late. Aiden had to remind himself he actually hadn't been waiting all that long — it wasn't Rain's fault Aiden had shown up fifteen minutes early. Plus, finding parking could be difficult at that time of day, so Rain probably wasn't really late… assuming he showed up soon.

  Aiden shifted on his barstool. Apparently, Chelsea intended to arrange for all future dates to meet Aiden at Sidewalk’s End. That would be fine since it was convenient for Aiden… except he was pretty sure he'd sat on the same stool each time he'd been there, and Aiden suspected it was already starting to conform to his ass.

  Tardiness aside, maybe Rain would turn out to be a decent guy. Or at least decent enough to take to Aiden's firm's holiday party. Aiden hoped so, because then he could be done with all the blind date nonsense.

  Waiting for Rain did give Aiden the chance to do some people watching though. His gaze kept returning to a couple sitting at the end of the bar. They were entirely wrapped up in each other, and it put a wistful smile on Aiden's face. Not like the couple was making out or anything, but it was obvious from how they kept subtly touching each other and feeding each other bits from their shared charcuterie board that aliens could walk into the bar and they wouldn't notice.

  Aiden remembered what it felt like to have that kind of connection with someone, and he could admit he missed it. He just didn't think he was going to find it again by meeting a bunch of guys Chelsea set him up with from an app.

  Aiden picked up his phone again. Four minutes had passed that time. He tossed back the last of his seltzer water with lime and set the glass on the bar, pushing it away from him in hopes of a refill.

  It seemed to do the trick, as Liam appeared in front of Aiden soon after.

  "Another?"

  Aiden nodded, his gaze caught on the tattoos that disappeared under Liam's rolled up shirtsleeves. Was that Princess Peach?