Sterling

Olly was holding up the purple silk tie like he was threatening to strangle Sterling with it. If Sterling put much more of a fight about what to wear to the Christmas Tree Ball, he just might.

"No ties," Sterling said as he sat, arms folded, on the couch. He hated ties.

"Look, I know you have very particular tastes," Olly warned. "But you can't just wear your own clothes. They won't let you in with your usual hoodie and jeans."

"No ties," Sterling said again.

"If you want any hope of getting in there," Olly growled through gritted teeth. "You're going to have to dress up a little."

Sterling held fast. "I'll wear whatever else, but no ties."

Olly threw the tie to the ground. "Oh my god! You are still as stubborn as you were when you were a kid!" He huffed and crossed his arms. He looked outside through the big windows that ran the one side of this loft apartment. It was snowing outside, the flakes soft and thick, setting the perfect scene for Christmas Eve and Winter Grove's Christmas Tree Ball.

Olly sighed. He truly was a lover of all things Christmas. His apartment was just as decorated as the bar downstairs, though Olly had kept things a little more classic. Red, green, white, and gold were scattered throughout, lit up like hundreds of yards of string lights. Sterling was just thankful he kept most of the decorations out of the guest room, though he had snuck a small tree in there earlier today.

Olly's attention settled back on Sterling, and a smile spread across his face, slow and unsettling. "If you don't dress up, you don't go," he said, his gray eyes glinting in the light of his massive Christmas tree. "And if you don't go, you'll end up disappointing Alicia... and Celeste."

"What do they have to do with it?" Sterling grumbled, leaning back. "I never said I wasn't going to go. I just don't want to wear a tie."

"I think that has everything to do with it," Olly said, going back to the large rack made of black iron pipe that he used to hang his clothes. "And if you're not going to wear a tie, then we're going to have to go a bit more daring, to make it seem like a choice."

"What do you mean by everything?" Sterling asked.

Olly just kept sorting through his clothes, draping a few items over his arm like he hadn't heard Sterling's question.

"What do you mean by everything?" Sterling repeated himself.

"It was very kind of you to help Celeste out like that," Olly said, holding out a velvet blazer for a moment before slotting back onto the rack.

Sterling narrowed his eyes at Olly. "I told you, Alicia wanted to use her favor for me to look out for her while she was gone and—"

"But Alicia's back," Olly said. "So you don't need to do that anymore."

"I'm not," Sterling said, defensive now. "We're going to this as friends, right?"

"Right, right," Sterling said, now holding up a cream silk shirt. Sterling hoped that wasn't for him. "And you've agreed to dress up... Or so you say." He shot him a withering look.

"Nothing wrong with dressing up," Sterling said. "As long as there are no ties, or anything ridiculous." He nodded to the cream shirt.

"You are impossible!" Olly snapped. He went back to the rack. "But even so, you wouldn't do this for just anyone...."

"Well, Celeste clearly means a lot to Alicia—"

"Yeah, to Alicia," Olly said with a scoff. He had stopped sorting now. He was staring Sterling down, his gray eyes like steel, holding him in place. "You said you weren't staying for Christmas," he continued. "But now you are. For Celeste."

Sterling averted his eyes. His neck felt hot. "She needed somewhere to go. I couldn't let her spend Christmas alone—"

"Dammit, Sterling!" Olly said, tossing his armful of clothing on the back of his couch. "You like her, don't you?"

"Her?"

Olly's fair face went red, and he tensed his hands in the air, holding them up like he was strangling Sterling from a distance. He growled under his breath before bursting out, "Celeste, you dimwit! Don't play coy! You like Celeste."

"I like Celeste just fine," Sterling said, shrugging it off. "But not like that. She was in a rough spot and she needed someone and I... I was there. I was just happy to help."

Olly snorted. "Oh, I bet."

"Drop it, will you?" Sterling said.

"Fine, I'll drop it," Olly said with a sniff. Then he grinned, and the grin quickly turned wicked. "If I get to dress you in whatever I want." He held up another silk shirt.

Sterling suppressed a groan.

At least it was black.

🎄

The Mayor's House was one of the oldest buildings in Winter Grove. It was a sweeping Victorian-age mansion and came as part of the elected title of Mayor. Since it belonged to the town, it was also used for all sorts of local events, including and especially the Christmas Tree Ball on Christmas Eve.

As Olly and Sterling walked through the front doors, alongside all the other townspeople dressed in their very best, even Sterling had to take a moment to admire the place with awe. The town had done their very best to outfit it for the season. Real evergreen garland, fresh and fragrant, clung to every post and corner and bannister and door. Each bough had been tied together by lush red velvet ribbon and woven through with twinkling lights numbering in the thousands. And in every corner was a fresh-cut tree adorned with shimmering ornaments and more sparkling lights.

"Wow," Sterling said, almost hushed. "Winter Grove sure takes this season seriously, huh?"

Olly nodded, his smile serene as he took in the scene himself. "Why do you think I settled here?"

The Mayor was standing just beyond the foyer, welcoming each guest. His round form looked even more jolly in his tailored burgundy suit.

"Welcome, welcome!" he cheered to everyone who passed through the door. As his eye settled on Olly and Sterling, he beckoned them closer.

"Nice to see you here, Oliver!" the Mayor said, grabbing Olly's hand and giving it a firm shake and patting the back of his hand. "And who is your friend? I think I've seen him around, but I don't believe we've been introduced."

He recognizes me? Sterling thought, incredulous. The Mayor must really pay attention to his town if he could pick a stranger like him out of the crowd.

"Mr. Oaken, this is my friend Sterling," Olly explained. "We grew up together and he's in town visiting me."

"Oh, how nice," The Mayor said, reaching for Sterling's hand. "Christmas is the season for reconnecting with loved ones, don't you agree?" He took hold and gave his hand a firm, solid shake.

"Y-Yes," Sterling said, shaking it back.

"Are you staying long?" The Mayor asked, releasing him. "I hope so!"

"We'll see," Olly said, giving Sterling a look as he ushered him out of the way so The Mayor could greet his other constituents.

Olly led them over to the bar that was tucked into the curve of the stairs. As they waited in line, Sterling adjusted his blazer.

To give credit, Olly had managed to put together an outfit Sterling didn't totally hate. There were no wild patterns, no garish colours, and, thankfully, no ties. He was wearing a black silk shirt, but it was under a dark oxblood blazer with a black lapel alongside plain black pants.

Olly had saved his more outrageous pieces for himself. He wore an icy white blazer that matched his bleached hair. Underneath, he had a gauzy white shirt that was unbuttoned more than it should be. He had paired it with what he called his 'good' leather pants—why he had more than one pair of leather pants, Sterling could only guess—and two-toned Oxford shoes.

"Do you think they're here yet?" Sterling wondered aloud. He searched the crowd for them.

"Who knows," Olly said. "If it's up to Celeste, yes. If it was Alicia leading the way, we might be waiting a while."

Something told Sterling that Celeste wouldn't let them be late, not tonight. Tonight was special. He kept looking. His gaze fixed on another familiar face in the crowd, but not one he was happy to see...

Jared.

He was dressed in plain gray with a black tie, and, as he expected, the perky Rebecca was by his side in a pale pink dress that resembled a cupcake. And, like the last time he saw them, they both looked somewhat unhappy as they nursed their flutes of champagne.

As if he could feel his gaze, Jared looked over. As he met Sterling's stare, his eyes sharpened into a glare, his brow folded and furious.

Sterling kept his expression placid, his gaze light. He had nothing to prove to someone like him.

"There they are!" Olly said, elbowing him.

Sterling tore his attention away from Jared and turned towards the door where Alicia and Celeste had just walked in.

For a moment, Sterling feared he had forgotten how to breathe.

Celeste looked incredible...

Her copper hair was pinned up with a single sprig of holly, so her curls framed her glowing face. She wore a velvet gown in emerald green that draped off her shoulders and hugged the curves of her figure all the way to the floor, with a long slit that trailed up her leg.

It felt like the world slowed as Celeste and Alicia made their way through the crowd, greeting the mayor and saying their hellos to other familiar faces. When Celeste's eyes finally found him, her eyes sparkled. She smiled wide and warmly like she was so very happy to see him—him. Not Olly, not Jared... Him. Something warm spread through his chest as he smiled back at her.

Just as quick as the warmth spread, realization struck.

Oh.

Olly was right. He did like Celeste.

More than just like, maybe...

As they neared, Alicia, dressed in a smoky-silver gown, smirked. He knew whatever he was feeling had to be written all over his face. Or, at least, Alicia was very good at reading him. He hoped it was the latter and did his best to rearrange his features into something else.

"Hello, you two!" Celeste said as she reached his side.

"I wasn't expecting to beat you two here," Olly said.

"Alicia kept wanting to make tweaks," Celeste said with a playful smile, looking at her friend.

"Had to make sure my masterpiece was perfect," Alicia said, picking a stray thread off the green gown before looking right at Sterling. "She looks good, doesn't she?"

"She does," Sterling agreed, rubbing at his neck. It suddenly felt very warm. "I mean, you do."

Celeste's cheeks blossomed pink, and her lashes fluttered as she looked down. "Thank you."

"And Sterling cleans up well, too, don't you think?" Alicia said, nudging her friend.

Celeste looked up again, meeting his eye. They lingered for a moment before the pink in her cheeks deepened. "You look—"

"That was my doing," Olly interjected, beaming like a proud parent. "You wouldn't believe what he put me through to get to this point, though."

Alicia huffed at the interruption. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"Bad enough," Olly said. "I am in desperate need of a drink."

"Let's drink later," Alicia said. "I want to have a dance first!"

"Dance?" Sterling asked. "Where?"

"It's a ball," Alicia said like it was obvious. "Of course there's going to be dancing." She darted behind him and Olly and gave them a little push, out of the line for the bar. The others behind them happily filled their spot.

Alicia led them through the crowd. People knew her enough to get out of the way, and she easily found the way to a very large room off the main hall. Here, there was a massive fireplace and mantle against the far wall and a live band in the corner playing charming waltzes. The people in the room swayed together, spinning across the room and around the thick Christmas tree in the center, while others clung to the outer walls to observe.

"I'll dance with Olly," Alicia announced as the current song came to an end. "Sterling, why don't you take Celeste out for a turn?" She grabbed Olly's wrist and dragged him out to the floor, not giving him a chance to object.

Sterling stood there, watching as Alicia forced Olly into position. Some things never changed. It was just like when they were growing up.

But it seemed both Alicia and Olly had picked up on his feelings for Celeste.

Was it really so obvious?

He wondered if Celeste had noticed, too...

Or if, maybe, she felt the same...?

He looked over at her. She was watching Alicia argue with Olly over who would lead and giggling. When she looked up at him, her eyes were still bright with laughter. But her expression fell as she took him in.

"If you don't want to, we—"

He shook his head. "There's nothing I'd rather do," he said, offering his open hand to her. "Would you like to dance?"

She smiled and took his hand.

🎄