Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

by Carla Burgess

  ‘Oh, fine.’ Bobbi looked away and brushed her hand through her hair. ‘I feel too manky to be going out. I haven’t got any make-up on and my hair feels like straw.’

  ‘You look fine,’ I told her. ‘But I’ve got some make-up in my bag if you want some?’

  She smiled gratefully. ‘Thanks.’

  We went into the brightly lit interior of the pub and sat down at a large table, hidden away in an alcove. Anthony sat on the bench seat and Mum sat next to him. There was room on the other side of him, but I sat on a chair opposite instead. Bobbi sidled in next to my mum and Anthony moved up to the end of the bench.

  ‘Are Elena and Daniel coming?’ Mum asked as she untied her scarf from around her neck.

  ‘I think so. Elena said she’d try, anyway.’

  ‘Who’s this?’ Anthony asked, tapping the menu on the table.

  ‘My best friend, Elena, and her boyfriend, Daniel,’ I told him. ‘They’re like your worst nightmare because they’re all over each other.’ As I spoke, I had a flashback to us kissing – his tongue in my mouth, his hand on my thigh, my hands in his hair – and felt a blush rise in my cheeks as I stumbled over my words. ‘They got engaged really quickly. Even quicker than me and Patrick, in fact.’

  His face dropped. ‘Oh blimey, really?’

  I laughed. ‘Don’t worry, they’re quite normal.’

  ‘Of course they are!’ Mum said. ‘They make a lovely couple. They had a thing for each other at college, but they didn’t get together properly until earlier this year when they got stuck in a lift together. Isn’t that romantic?’

  I laughed. It always amused me how my mum had completely bought into Elena and Daniel’s super-fast engagement when she thought mine and Patrick’s was so stupid. She was absolutely right, of course, and it wasn’t like I didn’t believe Elena and Daniel should be together. They were perfect for each other and I was happy Elena was happy. But I still felt slightly resentful that my mum had made me feel so stupid for getting engaged so quickly.

  ‘Oh, you’re here already! Hello, hello!’ Elena appeared over my shoulder and kissed my cheek. ‘Hi, Birdie. Hi, Bobbi.’ She raised her eyebrows at Anthony, waiting to be introduced.

  ‘This is Anthony, our new friend and tenant,’ Mum said proudly. ‘Anthony, this is Elena, Rachel’s best friend, and hovering behind her is her fiancé, Daniel.’

  ‘Hi, Anthony.’ Elena gave him a friendly wave and stood back to let me kiss Daniel hello. He enveloped me in a big bearhug before leaning down to kiss my mum and Bobbi and shake Anthony’s hand. ‘Budge up, Rach,’ Elena said, shunting me round the table towards Anthony so that our knees were almost touching. Drawing out a chair, she sat next to me and Daniel sat beside her. ‘How are you settling into the apartment, Anthony?’ she asked, flipping her long, dark hair over her shoulder.

  ‘Good thanks.’

  ‘It’s a lovely flat. Rachel showed me around after it had all been done up.’

  ‘Yes, it’s really nice.’

  ‘Daniel and I are renovating a house at the moment, aren’t we, Daniel?’ She leaned her shoulder towards him to draw him into the conversation. He looked tired tonight. Dark rings under his eyes and cheeks shadowed by stubble. Donkey-blond hair slightly stuck up. He was cute in a sleepy, scruffy kind of way. ‘This is a rare night out for us. Daniel’s obsessed by working in the house.’

  ‘Well, it won’t do itself.’ He leaned over and kissed her neck.

  ‘No, I know. But we always come and see the lights being switched on, and this year I wanted to share it with you.’ She took his hand and squeezed it. ‘It’s not going to be a late night. We’ll go to the house after.’

  ‘You’re not going to drag me around the Christmas market, are you?’

  ‘No, we’ll just watch the parade and go. I promise.’

  ‘Are you going to the Christmas market, Anthony?’ Daniel asked.

  ‘Definitely not. I’m just out for tea.’ He grinned across at Daniel. ‘Tell us about your house then. Where is it? What kind of state is it in?’

  Daniel started telling Anthony about the place he and Elena had bought. It was a three-bedroom house in a village on the outskirts of Chester. I’d been there a couple of times but it was an empty shell, really, at the moment. It had huge potential, though, and beautiful views over the fields at the back. Elena was really excited about it and spent most nights watching Daniel work. I teased her about it, but even I could see how romantic it was; him building their future home while she kept him company. It was lovely. And though I still had the occasional jealous niggle that I’d lost my sidekick to the popular kid in college, I knew life moved on and was excited by the prospect of Elena getting married and having babies. Even if I never found anyone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, at least I’d get to be Auntie Rachel to Elena’s children.

  I scanned the menu while the conversation buzzed around me. Elena leaned against me. ‘Come to the loo,’ she said.

  ‘What?’ I turned to look at her.

  ‘Come on, I need the loo,’ she tugged at my sleeve and I rose up from my stool and followed her into the toilet.

  ‘You didn’t tell me he looked like that!’ she squealed. ‘Oh my God, Rachel. I order you to marry him and have his babies immediately!’

  ‘Well, that’s very shallow! What happened to getting to know him first and seeing if we’re compatible? He could be horrible.’

  ‘Is he?’

  ‘No, he’s lovely. But he’s not interested in a relationship.’

  ‘Are you sure? He keeps looking at you.’

  ‘Oh what? Elena! You’re crazy. You’ve only been here five seconds.’

  ‘Well, that’s five seconds where he’s glanced at you constantly.’

  ‘Pah! Get out of here. Listen to me, he might fancy me, and I might fancy him, but he’s already made it clear that he never wants to do any of that relationship stuff.’

  ‘What relationship stuff?’

  ‘You know, falling in love and getting married. That sort of stuff.’

  ‘He has no control over falling in love.’ Elena laughed in disbelief.

  ‘Ah, but he can walk away if he feels it happening. That’s what he told me today. He’s never going to let anyone in for fear of being hurt or what have you. And he likes to move around. A lot.’

  ‘Oh.’ Elena frowned. ‘I’m suddenly liking him a whole lot less. Still, you could just sleep with him. You might not even want to have a serious relationship with him when you get to know him. You might lose interest within a few weeks. Sooner even.’

  I frowned. ‘True. But when he tells you outright that a relationship isn’t even a remote possibility, it does tend to set alarm bells ringing.’

  ‘Well, if that’s out of the equation, maybe you should just sleep with him and prepare yourself to let him go when he moves on.’

  I thought about it a moment and then shook my head. ‘Elena, you are such a bad friend! You shouldn’t be pushing me towards having sex with a man like that. You should be saying keep well away from using bastards like him! And besides, we can’t have sex anyway, because he’s still looking for Patrick, and for some stupid, unknown reason, I’m a part of that investigation. It’s all a bit confusing and I really don’t know how I feel about any of it.’

  ‘Oh.’ Elena frowned. ‘What’s he doing out with us then?’

  ‘Because we invited him. He helped us deliver some wedding flowers today when the delivery man let us down, so we’re very grateful to him.’

  ‘So, we do like him then?’

  ‘Yes, we like him, but that’s it. No sex.’

  ‘No sex?’

  ‘No. None. Ever.’

  Elena curled her lip and sagged a little in disappointment. ‘That’s a shame.’

  ‘For me or for you?’

  ‘For you, obviously. I saw him and thought, wow, he’s perfect for Rachel and now I’m all bummed because he’s not.’
/>   ‘Yeah, well, that’s why we don’t judge people by appearances. Talking of which, Daniel looks knackered.’

  ‘I know. That’s why I forced him to come tonight. I wanted him to have a break even if it’s just a couple of hours.’ She checked her appearance in the mirror. ‘Come on then, let’s order some food.’

  We went back to the table to find that Daniel had moved into my seat to talk to Anthony. Elena sat down next to him, her hand on his back, so I sat on the end seat opposite Bobbi. Despite what I’d said to Elena, I couldn’t help feeling a little bit sad that I was now sitting at the furthest point away from Anthony. I’d entertained a little fantasy about touching his leg, and maybe holding hands in secret beneath the table. Of course I knew it wouldn’t have happened really, and at least everyone seemed to be getting on well. Mum started telling Elena and Bobbi about her holiday. I listened, my eyes drawn to Anthony every few minutes. He looked relaxed, chatting to Daniel. He glanced up and caught me watching and winked. Smiling, I looked quickly away, heat rising.

  The food came quickly, served by waiters in Santa hats. Bobbi told Elena how ill she’d been this morning, and Elena launched into an account of some of the horrendous hangovers we’d suffered over the years. Bobbi had ordered a pizza, but only ate one half before declaring she was full. ‘Do you think I’ll be able to get it boxed up to take home?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m sure you could. We’ll ask when the waiter comes back.’

  The waiters boxed up Bobbi’s pizza and Mum paid for everyone’s food, despite lots of protests from Elena, Daniel and Anthony. ‘Oh, nonsense!’ she said. ‘This is like our Christmas party. We do it every year, and I’m only too happy to have Anthony and Daniel along, too.’

  Crowds were gathering on the street outside in preparation for the parade. Anthony started to say his goodbyes as we got near to his flat, but Mum hooked her arm through his. ‘Anthony! You can’t move to Chester and not experience one of our wonderful Christmas parades. Come and stand on the Rows with us and watch. I won’t make you go to the market afterwards, I promise.’

  ‘Ahh, Birdie, I really don’t do Christmas.’ Anthony rocked back on his heels, a cornered look in his eye.

  ‘I know, but it’s just a parade and I’d hate you to miss out. Come on, now. You can’t go back to your flat and sit inside all lonely and sad.’

  I shot him a look of sympathy over my shoulder. I fully understood why he wouldn’t want to stand on a packed city street, watching a parade about the Twelve Days of Christmas. He met my eye and then laughed, reluctantly. ‘Okay, just this once. Just to see what all the fuss is about.’

  ‘Wonderful!’ Mum looped her arm through his and he smiled down at her. ‘Thank you,’ she said, giving his arm a squeeze.

  Elena and Daniel were kissing beneath a lamppost. ‘Eh, you pair!’ I said. ‘We’ll have none of that!’

  Ignoring me, Elena gazed up into his eyes and gave him a squeeze.

  ‘Leave them alone, you,’ Mum said. ‘That’s what being young and in love is all about.’

  ‘Bleurgh!’ I said.

  ‘Rachel! Don’t be such a spoilsport!’

  ‘I’m joking, Mother.’ I hooked my arm through Bobbi’s.

  ‘I wish I had a boyfriend,’ she said, wistfully.

  I looked across at her. Her little upturned nose had turned pink with cold. ‘Someone took your number last night, didn’t they? And don’t you fancy a lad at college? Do you still see him?’

  She shook her head sadly. ‘No.’

  I frowned slightly, about to ask her why not, but Elena and Daniel bounded over to walk with us and the moment was lost.

  We found a spot on Eastgate Row with a good view of the street below. The Christmas lights had already been switched on and they bobbed and swayed in the wind as they stretched between the buildings. The streets were packed with people and the air of excitement mounted as drumbeats filled the air and Santa’s sleigh came around the corner. The child next to me burst into tears and buried his face in his father’s neck.

  Mum chuckled. ‘You used to be afraid of Father Christmas, too, Rachel.’

  ‘Is that so?’ Anthony nudged me from behind. He was standing very close, but then he didn’t have much choice because of the amount of people surrounding us, watching the parade. We were all squashed together, invading each other’s personal space. But there was something quite distracting about the warm pressure of Anthony’s body pressed against my back. All I could think about was him behind me and the moist heat of his breath in my hair.

  The sleigh was followed by a giant white angel on wheels and children carrying large cardboard birds. As people clapped and cheered, someone squeezed past Anthony and he pressed even closer, placing his hand on my waist to steady himself. I caught my breath, my heart thrashing wildly against my ribs as his hand lingered for a little longer than necessary. It wasn’t exactly an erotic encounter – I was fully dressed and had a winter coat on for a start – but my knees had gone rubbery and weak.

  As the five gold rings and six-geese-a-laying marched past, I tried to remember what I’d told Elena about not getting involved with him. I needed to keep my head. But even as I was trying to gather myself and focus on the big white swans that were being wheeled past while the crowd clapped and cheered, Anthony seemed to nestle closer against my back so that I could barely tell where I ended and he began. Heat coursed through me and I loosened the scarf around my neck for fear I might spontaneously self-combust. All I could think about was how good it had felt kissing him the other night.

  ‘Oh look!’ Mum said, as the eight-maids-a-milking danced past with their yoke over their shoulders and their buckets swinging. ‘I love these ones. And these!’ she added as the nine-ladies-dancing twirled their big, colourful skirts as they cavorted joyfully up the street.

  ‘You love them all!’ I told her, trying to edge forward and reclaim some personal space from Anthony. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to go and Anthony seemed to press even closer and harder than before. I undid the buttons on my coat to let in some welcome cold air. My body was like a furnace. Mum didn’t seem to notice how close Anthony was standing. She was just laughing at the eleven-lords-a-leaping in their tight white breeches. The twelve-drummers-drumming completed the parade, the drumbeats booming through the night as they marched down the street below. Suddenly realising I hadn’t seen Bobbi for a while, I looked around, frantically searching the crowd for her purple hair and green parker jacket. I spotted Elena and Daniel snogging in a shop doorway before finding Bobbi standing a little way off, a downcast expression on her pretty face. I felt a wave of sympathy for her.

  The crowd began to disperse and Anthony melted away from me as more space became available. I missed his warmth immediately, shivering as a cold blast of air found its way inside my open coat. I did it up quickly and retied my scarf.

  ‘Wasn’t that fun!’ Mum was saying. ‘Did you like it, Anthony?’

  ‘It was very well done,’ Anthony said, diplomatically.

  ‘The parade always marks the start of Christmas for me. We love Christmas, don’t we, Rachel?’

  ‘We do love Christmas,’ I said, firmly, reminding myself that this was another reason not to get involved with Anthony. How depressing would it be to be in a relationship with someone who hated Christmas when I loved it? No, I couldn’t be with anyone who hated Christmas, no matter how sympathetic I was to his reasons. Breaking away, I went over to Bobbi, who was leaning over the railings and staring wistfully up the street. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘I’m just tired,’ she said. The wind ruffled her hair and she pushed it back behind her ear.

  ‘Are you sure? You look sad.’

  ‘Hmm, I was just thinking that Christmas isn’t going to be much fun this year.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter.’ She glanced at her phone and straightened up. ‘I’d better go and get my bus. There’s one due in five minutes.’
/>
  ‘Aren’t you coming to the Christmas market?’

  She shook her head. ‘I’d better go. See you on Monday.’

  I gave her a hug. ‘You feel cold,’ I said, feeling her shivering in her thin canvas coat. ‘Here, take this.’ I unravelled the scarf from around my neck and wrapped it around hers instead. ‘Maybe Elena can give you a lift home. I don’t think Daniel wants to go to the market either.’

  ‘Oh no, I can get the bus.’

  ‘No, we can give you a lift,’ Elena said, overhearing our conversation. ‘It’s too cold to be waiting for buses. Especially when you’ve been poorly. We’re only parked down here. Come on, we’ll take you.’

  We said our goodbyes and Elena, Daniel and Bobbi disappeared off up the street. Mum was already descending the steps to the street below and heading towards the Christmas market. ‘I guess we’ll see you Monday then,’ I said to Anthony, who was hovering nearby. He looked over and smiled.

  ‘Elena and Daniel were nice,’ he said, following me down the steps to catch up with Mum. ‘Not as crazy as I expected.’

  I laughed. ‘I know. They’re lovely.’

  ‘How long have you and Elena been friends?’

  ‘Since we were eleven or something. A long time, anyway.’

  ‘They seem very happy.’ He grinned and wrinkled his nose. ‘The fools.’

  ‘What were you talking to Daniel about before?’

  ‘His house renovations. It sounds like a lot of work.’

  ‘You were talking for ages.’

  ‘I liked him. He seems like a good man.’

  ‘Yeah. Elena’s really happy with him.’

  ‘They’re very full-on, aren’t they?’ Mum said, coming to stand next to me. ‘They can’t stop kissing each other. I didn’t know where to look.’

  I laughed. ‘They’re always like that.’

  ‘Right, well, I’m going to go,’ Anthony said, pushing his hands into his coat pockets. ‘Thank you for showing me the delights of the Christmas parade.’

  ‘Are you sure we can’t tempt you into the Christmas market?’ Mum said, a twinkle in her eye.