Celeste

A new lively song began, and Celeste began to sway to the music in Sterling's capable hands. To her surprise, he was an excellent dancer, confidently leading her around the room and even spinning her out into a twirl.

"You're good at this," Celeste said breathlessly after he returned her from the spin.

"You can thank Alicia," he explained with a low chuckle. He was so close Celeste could feel his laughter rumble through his chest. "She made us—me, Olly and Will—learn. If you think she's bad now, you should've seen her when we were younger. She was a tiny tyrant."

"I can see it," Celeste said and snickered at the image of it in her mind. She could absolutely see Alicia roping the boys into that. "Well, it's a skill that can come in handy."

"Sometimes," he said and spun Celeste out in another twirl.

She giggled as she swung her back into his arms. It had all—the lights, the music, and Sterling's warmth so close—made her a bit dizzy.

Just then, Olly and Alicia whirled by. Olly dipped Alicia back with a great flourish before pulling her back to her feet. Alicia took the lead, then, and spun Olly out in a twirl of his own. The people nearby oohed and aahed, clapping politely as they pivoted off again.

Celeste and Sterling just looked at each other. "Showoffs," they said in unison and then laughed.

The song changed to something slower. Celeste began to pull away, sure that Sterling would want to stop. But to her surprise, he pulled her close and began to sway, nice and slow, with her.

Celeste smiled and let herself feel the music moving perfectly in time with Sterling. It was nice to have someone to dance with. She loved dancing, but Jared had always hated it.

Whatever girl Sterling ends up with, Celeste thought, she's going to be very lucky.

"I wanted to say, I really appreciate all you did for my silly little plan," she said.

"It was my pleasure," Sterling said. "Though I'm sorry it didn't end up working out." He looked out into the crowd, beyond the dancers, like he was looking for someone, but then quickly gave up.

"That's alright," Celeste said with a wistful sigh.

"It's his loss," Sterling said, suddenly serious.

"Maybe it is," Celeste said. "But I haven't given up hope just yet."

She laughed. Sterling didn't. No, instead, he frowned...

Did I say something wrong? Celeste wondered. She cleared her throat and tried to recover. "E-Either way, thank you for helping."

"I was happy to," he said, though his gaze back at her was distant now.

"You didn't have to, though," she said, looking down at their feet as they moved. "For a while there, I was sure that this was going to be my worst Christmas ever. And then you came along...." She looked at him.

His eyes reflected the Christmas decor around them, a thousand points of light in the velvet dark—like a perfectly clear night sky.

Her breath hitched. Her face was starting to feel all warm again. "You saved my Christmas."

Sterling stared back at her, his dark eyes fluctuating, making the dots of light dance along with them. He leaned in just a little. He was close now, so close. She could feel his breath against her cheek and warmth against her body. Her pulse raced, her heart beating so hard that she could hear it in her ears, drowning out the soft music.

It felt so nice being here, with him...

She let her eyes close and leaned closer, too...

Someone appeared just beside them.

"Mind if I cut in?"

They snapped back from each other and whipped their heads around. Of course, there was Jared. For once, he was without Rebecca, though Celeste was sure she had to be here somewhere. He had dressed up nicely too, and while he looked pretty good in his plain gray suit, if she was honest, he didn't hold a candle to Sterling's dashing outfit.

Sterling held tight to her like he was reluctant to let her go. But he still looked down at her and raised his eyebrows at her in a silent question.

Do you want to go with him?

Celeste stared back. Do I?

"I just want to talk to her," Jared insisted.

Sterling ignored him. He just kept staring at Celeste and waiting for her guidance—it was her decision, after all.

She looked between the two of them. She had been chasing Jared for the past several weeks, hadn't she? She wanted Jared. That's what she had told Alicia barely an hour ago...

But Sterling...

Hadn't they been just about to...

But Jared was her boyfriend—ex-boyfriend?

It had just been a break...

Or had...?

Her head swam, and her chest felt tight. She wished Alicia hadn't put her in something so constrictive.

"Please, Cee," Jared pleaded. "Just for a minute."

Celeste pressed her lips together as a thousand thoughts fought in her head. She didn't know what to think, but she could at least spare a minute...

Right?

"Alright," she said. "We can talk. Just for a minute."

The lights in Sterling's eyes dimmed, and he nodded before releasing her. He offered his spot to Jared and stepped off the floor, disappearing into the crowd.

Celeste wanted to chase after him, but there would be time to find him later after Jared had said his piece.

She looked at Jared as he swayed awkwardly with her.

"Cee," he began...

Another song began to play, this one more upbeat. Around them, the crowd cheered and began to move faster with the song. Jared attempted to keep up with the dance, but it was clumsy, and he soon gave up.

He took her hand and pulled Celeste away from the rest of the dancers. He led her through the crowd to the back of the grand hall. In the corner was a small doorway that led to a dark, narrow hall. Jared stopped just in the opening and turned her around, so she was against the doorframe. He put his arms on either side to keep her in. He didn't want her to escape.

"Jared, what..." Celeste began.

"I'm sorry," Jared spat out. "I'm so sorry. I know you're angry, but I'm begging you, before you write me off, please let me explain."

Celeste twisted her lips together as she considered him. Despite the nice suit, he looked awful up close, and she could see the cracks in his facade. There were dark circles under his red-rimmed eyes—he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Celeste just stared at him. She couldn't imagine what was going through his mind. She let her shoulders slump. "Alright," she said at last. "I'll listen."

Jared sighed with relief.

"Thank you," he said, letting himself relax just a little. He cleared his throat. "First, I want to say I'm sorry about asking for a break right before Christmas... It... It was a mistake."

A mistake? Celeste's pulse quickened.

"I never should have done it," he continued, the words coming faster and faster, and he gripped at his hair like he was on the verge of losing his mind, "I never meant to hurt you, but I... I freaked out. Finals had been rough, and you had all these dates planned, and I was supposed to bring you home to meet my parents, and there were all these expectations, all this pressure, because you wanted this perfect Christmas, and... And I just panicked."

Celeste felt a sharp jab in her heart all over again. "So you dumped me?"

"It was just supposed to be a break! I just needed some time, some space! But it was stupid, I was stupid," he continued his babbling. "I regretted it immediately, but my friends convinced me to just sleep on it, let the dust settle for a night and go back to you with fresh eyes. They invited me out for a drink to calm my nerves and...."

He finally met her eye. "Well, you know what happened next."

Celeste rolled her eyes. "Rebecca."

"It's not what you think," he picked up again, talking just as fast. "We ran into her on the way. She was upset because her flights had been delayed, and so I invited her to join us. But she seemed to have gotten the wrong idea...."

"Oh, really?" Celeste said, folding her arms across her chest.

"It's true, I promise," he said. "That night, when you saw us in the hallway—she kissed me."

Celeste froze.

She traced back her memories, thinking over that night again. It was still blurred through the haze of alcohol, but everything was cast in a new light.

Jared looked uncomfortable as Rebecca crawled onto his lap. The shock on his face after she had kissed him. How he had chased after Celeste before she had found Sterling...

Sterling. For some reason, the thought of him made her feel so very cold here with Jared. Sterling had been so warm... She hadn't realized how nice it had been to have him by her side, supporting her. She wished he was here now, giving her strength.

But it only reminded her of the other issue.

"But you were always with her," Celeste countered. "You brought her to all the places I had planned for our dates. That was no accident..."

Jared turned bright red. "It wasn't an accident," he admitted, dropping his gaze, looking downright ashamed. "But that doesn't mean it was real."

"What?" Celeste said.

"When I saw you with Sterling," Jared said. "I thought I could use Rebecca to maybe... make you jealous, make you want me back."

Celeste went still.

All along, Jared had been using Rebecca to make her jealous, like she had been using Sterling to make him jealous?

Again, all the memories of the past few weeks passed through her mind, now coloured with this new information. How strangely uncomfortable Jared had been with Rebecca's clingy affection. How bothered he looked when he saw her with Sterling. How he kept trying to talk to her...

"I know it was stupid," Jared said, looking absolutely crushed now. "And I know it didn't work. I know you're with Sterling now. But I couldn't give up with a fight—without trying one last time."

"One last time?" Celeste echoed, her voice small and quiet from the shock of it all.

Jared stood up straighter and steeled himself. He took her hand and pulled her close to him.

"I want you back, Celeste."

🎄