by Amanda Rose
"Blah," Mary spluttered, pulling away from him as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
Gutted, Louis darted back, immediately hitting himself for taking a chance. Why did he think this was a good idea again?
"Beard," she coughed, pointing at the itchy, white drape of polyester covering the bottom side of his face.
"Oh fuck," he exclaimed, not believing he actually forgot he was wearing a Santa Costume with a fake beard. "Did I actually try and kiss you with this beard?" he asked, his ears turning red in embarrassment again. She seemed to be able to bring that out of him.
Mary snickered. "I was wondering if you forgot."
He narrowed his eyes. "So you were just waiting to see if I'd kiss you with my Santa beard?"
"Maybe?" she shrugged, but the lights of joy twinkling in her eyes said "definitely".
"I can't believe I just did that," he muttered to himself, the urge to slam his head into a wall bubbling up in his stomach. Just his luck. Here he was, standing next to a beautiful girl in a beautiful night. And he cocked it up by forgetting about his stupid beard. What an idiot. There went all his chances of impressing the dark-haired beauty.
"Here, let me," Mary suddenly whispered, gently pulling the beard down. The cold winter air was in stark contrast of the isolated warmth underneath his beard. But not for long.
Pressing herself up on her tippy toes, Mary snaked one arm around Louis' neck, tangling her hand in the little hairs on the back. As quickly as the cold came, it disappeared as she pressed her lips against his, sealing the gap between their bodies. The winter breeze no longer able to pass through them.
Louis burlap sack slipping out of his hands as he curled them around Mary's waist, pulling her harder into him. With the beard out of the way, he finally found out how soft and warm Mary's lips were against his. Both tender and passionate, surprisingly, they both found the kiss to be the perfect match between hot and cold, hard and soft, desperate and gentle.
Almost reluctantly, Mary pulled back for some fresh air. With glazed over eyes, she stared at the handsome guy in front of her. Even the ugly red costume, the ridiculous beard dangling underneath his chin, and the tacky pointy hat couldn't hide how beautiful he was. How his sharp and chiseled features stood out. How mysterious and deep the midnight blue in his eyes was.
Louis tangled one hand in her dark locks, guiding her face back to his. Playfully, he nibbled on her bottom lip, groaning as she granted him access.
Mary grinned against his lips, pressing herself harder into him. She pushed his Christmas hat out of the way and tangled her hands in his chocolate brown hair. Annoyed by his prickly beard, she yanked it down, the knot untangling behind his head. Without tree branches or silly Christmas garnish hiding his face, Mary was able to admire Louis' face. She briefly noted that he was honestly, really beautiful and backed up that statement by passionately answering his kiss.
"So... Your place or mine?" Louis proposed, raising his eyebrow cockily. Mary snorted, pushing him away.
"Both. I'm going to mine and you back to yours," she retorted. Even though the date had gone well and she certainly had warmed up to him, she wasn't ready to just jump into bed with him. Even though she was sure that underneath his Santa suit, he was sculpted like a Greek God.
"You're going to make me walk home all by myself? What if someone tries to take advantage of me?" he pouted, making Mary chuckle.
"You can hit them with your sack," she proposed, a giggle escaping from her lips. Horrified, she clamped her hands over her mouth. Oh no, she was actually giggling? That was never a good sign.
"Fine, fine," Louis sighed, not in the least dejected. To his surprise, he liked Mary. He wasn't too sure why, but there was something about her that he enjoyed. Maybe it was her no-nonsense kind of way. Or how she had a quick retort for everything. Or maybe how she drew a part of him to the surface that he usually didn't have the courage to show. A cockier and wilder part of him.
"So am I seeing you again?" he asked, his voice softer than before. He genuinely wanted to see her again and part of him hoped she did too.
Mary hesitated briefly. Fresh flakes of snow rained from the night sky as they added an extra glint of winter to the scenery. Apart from Louis being dressed as Santa, it has been a near perfect date. Of course, she would never admit that to him. Or to herself. But still...
"Maybe," she omitted, stretching out her hands to catch one of the stray snowflakes.
Louis turned, a strange glint in his eyes. Surprisingly gentle, he cupped her hands with his. Soft like a stray snowflake, he pressed his lips on hers again.
And for a moment, she forgot to breathe. Forgot to move. Forgot to think. All there was, was Louis.
With a sigh, they broke apart.
"I should wear my Santa costume more often when I go on dates," Louis joked, staring deep in Mary's eyes. He was surprised by how well they fit, even if they seemed to bring out each other's competitive side.
Mary groaned. "Don't go ruining a perfect moment. Again."
He chuckled. "Sorry. I can't seem to help myself."
"So... Am I seeing you again?"
Mary patted his satin costume. "I'll get back to you on that."
The lock clicked hard as Mary pushed the door open to her flat. She threw her keys on the dresser and stomped the last of the snow from her shoes.
What a strange turn of events. What she expected to turn into a disaster, had turned out to be an actual date. And not just a mediocre one. A pretty decent one.
"Huh," she muttered, flicking on the light in her bedroom. Did she actually wind up liking Louis? "Stranger things have happened."
She kicked off her boots as she let herself fall down on her bed. The sheets were cold and crisp and somehow, Mary couldn't shake the thought of Louis warming her and the bed up.
Maybe she shouldn't have said no, after all.
"No, that's crazy," she reprimanded herself. She just got out of a long and complicated relationship, she didn't need to jump in a new one. Not even if it was just about sex. Sex always, always complicated things. But then again, a nice bout of stress relief would be most welcome. Maybe she should find herself another guy, just for the physical side of things. Because as much as she wanted to deny it, she liked Louis too much to just turn it into a physical thing.
Damn.
She threw her sweater onto a pile of laundry and glanced at the frame on her dresser.
The picture of a handsome man was smiling at her, one corner of his mouth curled up in his signature smirk. Kurt.
It'd been almost a month since they broke up. Well, since he dumped her, more like it. And up till now, she had been convinced he'd come back. That he'd realise what a huge mistake he made by picking that blonde bimbo over her.
"Tssk," she huffed, still not sure how the bitch managed to convince Kurt to go monogamous for her. Any other guy, maybe. But Kurt... The king of polygamy. He couldn't possibly be happy right now, could he?
But then why hadn't he called?
Mary snarled. He wasn't missing her at all, so why should she miss him? There were enough men around that would jump on the opportunity to be with her. Men like Louis.
With a loud smack, the frame hit the opposing wall. Stupid Kurt. He didn't know what he was missing.
Angry, she yanked her phone from her pocket. With fast thumbs and hard keystrokes, she sent a quick message to Louis.
— Yes, I'd love to see you again. Xxx Mary —
Her phone beeped immediately with a reply from Louis. A self-satisfied grin curled up Mary's lips. He definitely was interested. And there was no way she wouldn't take advantage of that.
CHAPTER FIVE
Admire my elf.
"You look... Something," Louis muttered, his eyes trailing up and down Mary's figure. That was not how he expected her to look.
Mary grinned, twirling around in her elf costume. "What, you don't like it?" she innocently asked, batting her eyelashes at him. Internally, she grinned. Dev
ilishly. Yes, this was the baffled look on his face she was going for. That would serve him for showing up dressed as Santa.
"You're... All green," he mumbled in disbelief, part of him cringing at all the people staring lewdly at her, another part of him admiring her bold move. That took guts to show up in a flimsy elf costume in the middle of winter. And the fact she did it just to spite him, that made it even more perfect. That was something he'd do. Hell, it was exactly what he had done to her on their first date.
Mary pulled up an eyebrow, twirling around her axis so Louis could admire the funny bells on the back of her belt.
"Isn't it beautiful? I figured you'd show up in your Santa costume again, so I thought I'd dress to match," she innocently grinned, but Louis could swear he saw horns and a tail protruding from her. She really was a devil. And he liked it.
"It's... something," he replied, annoyed he couldn't shake off his surprise. She’d really got him there. Damn. What a woman.
The green fabric was clinging tightly to her every curve, enhancing the dip of her cleavage and the sway of her hips. Now this was the kind of elf that made you want to get on Santa's naughty list.
"Are... Aren't you cold?" he managed to ask, concerned about the icy wind blowing through the streets.
"Just a little. But I figured you could just warm me up," she flirted, brushing against him.
A lump appeared in his throat. Damn.
"Maybe?"
Mary chuckled, pulling a massive coat out of the bag she was holding.
"I brought a coat. I'm not that crazy. It's freezing! But I took it off for... Effect."
Louis was both relieved and saddened to see her petite body disappear into the duffle coat. At least he'd actually be able to focus on what she was saying and not get distracted every five seconds his other head thought about Mary.
"So what did you have planned for today?" she inquired, hiding a smug grin behind the lapel of her coat. Yes, she definitely got the response she was hoping for.
"Ummm... I was planning on a museum, but I don't think they'll let you enter like that," he mumbled, suddenly relieved she was wearing an elf costume. A museum sounded boring as hell. Why did he think that was a good spot for a date?
"I like museums," Mary quipped in, surprised he'd pick something like a museum.
"You do?"
"Yes. Although it depends on what kind of museum. If you're taking me to the sex toy musuem, I might have to raincheck you," she chuckled.
Louis tilted his head. "No, I was thinking something like the National Museum. They have a new exhibition and I thought it was worth checking it out."
"Why not?" Mary smiled, careful not to show how much she was looking forward to the exhibition. She'd wanted to go, but hadn't been able to convince any of her friends. And now here she was, on an actual date with a guy who wanted to take her to the museum. And she was dressed as an elf.
She lightly shook her head, wondering how she had her priorities so skewed. Instead of taking it seriously, she’d actually rented an elf costume and showed up in it. Just to spite him. And then here he was, taking her on proper dates.
"You're an ass," she muttered to herself.
"What?"
"Nothing!" she quickly waved away, her cheeks burning. She really needed to sort out the talking-to-herself spiel. She didn't want him to figure out what a loner she was.
"Okay?" Unsure what was racing through her head, Louis decided to drop it.
Beep beep.
Louis pulled his smartphone out of his pocket. "Ah shit."
"Everything alright?" Mary asked, nervousness swirling in her stomach. That was never a good sign. He was going to cancel on her. Damn. She’d really pushed it with her elf costume.
"I forgot, I promised I'd meet the boys," Louis groaned, glaring hatefully at his screen. How did he get the dates mixed up?
"Oh," Mary muttered, awkwardly shuffling her feet over the gritty pavement.
"I'm so sorry," Louis apologised, wishing he could just crush the phone in his hand into a fistful of useless plastic.
"No, it's okay. I guess it happens," Mary bitterly spat out, not entirely sure why she cared so much.
"It's just... It's this convention we've all been wanting to go to. We've had tickets for months now."
Mary shrugged, hoping Louis couldn't tell how bummed out she was. "It's fine."
Beep beep.
"Actually..."
"Yes?" Mary quipped up, the change in his voice promising.
"One of us cancelled so we've got an extra ticket. If you want to come?"
Mary's eyes widened. "Oh... Ummm... Is that okay for your friends?"
Louis nodded, showing the text he just got. "Yes, Nico cancelled and they're okay with me bringing a date along."
"O-Okay?" Mary agreed, hugging herself. Not exactly the date she'd been looking forward to, but at least she'd get to spend time with Louis.
"You'll fit right in, actually. It's a cosplay convention."
"Cosplay?"
Louis nodded, already thinking about how he'd be able to shield Mary from all the teenage boys' eyes. They'd all be checking her out. Hell, he'd be checking her out. She looked extremely hot in her lewd elf outfit.
"It's a convention where people go to dressed up as a character from a fictional universe."
"Oooh, those kinds of things." It finally clicked. A cosplay convention. Something she'd never imagine setting a foot in. But if that was what Louis liked to do, then she'd give it a go. But only because she was sure he was chiselled underneath his winter coat. Not because she actually was starting to like the annoying blonde. Of course, not that.
"Yo, Louis! Over here, man!" A tall guy waved at them.
Mary felt her cheeks heat up when she recognised the guy from the other night. That was the Santa she had mistaken for Louis. How embarrassing.
"Sam, Noel! Good to see you, guys!" Louis enthusiastically waved back, hugging two guys standing next to a ticket booth.
"Mary, you remember Sam, right?" Louis introduced Mary to his mate, who happily took the opportunity to kiss her hand.
"We meet again," he grinned, winking cockily at her.
Mary bit her lip as she glanced uncomfortably at Sam and Louis, wondering why he was shamelessly flirting with her again. Did Louis not tell the guys she was his date? Was Sam just a shitty friend? Or did they make it a habit out of sharing?
"And this is Noel."
Gladly, Mary diverted her attention from Sam's intense gaze to Noel's chocolate brown eyes.
"Hi, Mary. Nice to meet you," he smiled, shaking her hand lightly. Mary let out a sigh of relief. At least they weren't both hitting on her. That would be most awkward. Not just for her, but for Louis as well.
But her date didn't really seem to care. Instead, he was doing some weird handshake thing with Sam.
"Nico couldn't make it?" Louis asked, running his hand through his hairs.
"Nah, family business to sort out."
"Shame. But hey, now you get to meet Mary."
"She's hot."
"Dude."
"What? She is."
Louis awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he turned to me.
"I'm sorry, Sam is a little... Blunt."
Mary narrowed her eyes, studying both men. Louis was apologising, but not for the reason she thought. He didn't seem to care that one of his best friends was flirting with her. She made a mental note to ask him about that later and decided to shrug it off for now.
"Let's go inside," Noel suggested as he zipped his parka up higher.
“Yeah, let's go. Oh and Sam, you won't believe how Mary is dressed up," Louis teased, winking at Mary.
"She's dressed up?" Sam asked surprised, letting his eyes travel up and down over Mary's figure. From what he could tell, she was just wearing a big, poofy jacket. Nothing special.
"Yes. Wait till you see it."
Noel tilted his head. "How come you're dressed up, Mary? Were you two planning on coming he
re anyway?"
Louis snorted loudly. "As if!"
With her big coat hiding her costume, Mary blushed red. "I dressed up to tease Louis. I didn't realise I'd be meeting his friends, though," she tried to defend herself.
"Dressed up how?" Sam grinned, staring so intensely at Mary, his eyes could've burned holes in her jacket.
"You'll see," Louis grinned, almost proudly.
"Holy shit!" Sam loudly exclaimed, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets as Mary unzipped her jacket.
"Wow..." Noel whispered, a lot more discreet. But even he couldn't keep his eyes off of the dark-haired beauty.
"Told you," Louis grinned, his own eyes travelling up and down Mary's body.
"Damn, that's hot," Sam, the tallest of the guys, whistled.
Mary felt her cheeks burn up again, but this time, for a whole set of different reasons. She had put on the elven costume to mess with Louis, hoping he'd be attracted to her. What she hadn't planned for, was to have three guys hungrily staring at her. Like she was a piece of meat they wanted to devour.
She shivered. To be fair, this wasn't the worst place to be in. Three guys, all handsome in their own way, admiring her. She could get used to that.
"You like it, boys?" she flirted, twirling around as she completely shed her coat.
"What a catch," Sam coughed behind his fist. Mary was sure she wasn't meant to hear that, but she was glad she did. It'd been awhile since anyone thought she was a catch. In fact, it'd been awhile since she was looked at like this. Even when she was with Kurt. At the end, he only had eyes for the blonde bimbo that was young enough to be his daughter.
"So... Ummm... If you weren't coming to the convention, why are you dressed like an elf?" Noel carefully asked, glaring jealously at Louis. If only he was brave or smooth enough to dare ask girls like this out for a date. But next to Sam and Louis, he paled in comparison. Admiring the girls they were dating was as far as he got.
"Louis showed up dressed as Santa on our first date. I figured it was payback time?" Mary explained, rethinking her thought pattern. What had she been thinking, putting on this elf costume? In a way, she was happy they were at a convention where multiple people were dressed up. At least, she didn't stand out as much here as she would've in the national museum.
