Celeste

Celeste twisted and turned in front of the mirror, inspecting how her new sweater dress hugged her curves. The dress was a soft, pale grey with Fair Isle detailing around the cowl neck, and she had paired it with thick black tights and black boots. The outfit was equal measures of cute and cozy—perfect for an outdoor date.

"I still can't believe Sterling agreed to come to the festival with me," Celeste said, turning to Alicia. Alicia had come home with the good news alongside the promised cinnamon buns.

"Sterling is full of surprises," Alicia said from her spot on the edge of Celeste's bed. She was helping Celeste get ready while she waited for her cab to take her to the airport. "You wouldn't know it from looking at him, but he's got a big heart under that gloom and doom exterior."

"Well, it was very nice of him," Celeste said. "Though I can't help but think he didn't come to this decision on his own." She looked at her. She had an inkling that Alicia had said something to him, but her friend was playing innocent.

"Okay, I might've helped to convince him. He did owe me a teensy little favor," Alicia said with a shrug. "But I was hoping that this would help you put Jared out of your mind."

"I see," Celeste said, pressing her lips together.

"Come on, Cee," Alicia said. "Please don't spend your holiday fretting over him. If Jared has moved on so quickly, then he's not worth it."

"I guess. Maybe."

Alicia just sighed. She didn't like that answer.

The truth was, even after last night, even after seeing him kissing that girl... She still missed him. Her mind knew it was over, but it wasn't so easy to convince her heart to let him go.

Fighting off the ache in her chest, she focussed instead on her hair. "Do I want to wear my hair up, or down?"

"Does it matter if it's going to be under a hat?" Alicia asked.

"Oh, right, a hat!" Celeste ran to her closet to find one.

Alicia leaned back and watched Celeste rifle through her closet. "What's the plan for tonight, anyway?" She seemed a little worried.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to make Sterling suffer," Celeste said, coming out of her closet with her arms full of a wide selection of winter hats. She had one of every kind—fancy felt berets, ones with furry ear flaps, beanies with big pom-poms. She carried them all over to the bed and dumped them down next to Alicia. "It's simple. I just want to make an appearance—show up, be seen, and then we can go home. And then, after, if anyone asks, it was a fling that didn't work out."

"Should be easy," Alicia agreed. For some reason, she seemed relieved.

Celeste rubbed her lips together, pressing in her peach-pink lipstick. "I hope so," she said. She picked up a black beanie with fuzzy white pom-pom right on top and slid it on.

She gave herself one last look in the mirror. The hat was a perfect touch, but her smile faltered at the sight of her complete outfit. This dress hadn't been something that was just lying around in her closet. She had bought it special for her first Christmas date... with Jared.

Her heart sank. She had planned every detail of their first Winter Break together. She had been looking forward to it, and now...

Her eyes stung and she blinked hard, fighting the urge to cry. It was depressing that all her plans for the perfect romantic Christmas had come to this: a fake date with a complete stranger.

🎄

A cold wind swept through the town square, and Celeste shivered where she stood. She was next to the entrance to Winter Grove's Christmas Tree Festival, where Alicia said that Sterling would meet her tonight at six sharp.

But it was already 6:10, and he was nowhere to be seen.

He was late.

She let out a sigh, and it came out in a big, white puff, swirling through the chilled air in front of her. A steady stream of people was already heading inside, and Celeste searched their faces, trying to spot Sterling amongst them.

As soon as Alicia had dropped her off on the way to the airport, doubt had started to creep in. When Sterling had agreed to escort her to the festival, she had been relieved. But now, she was starting to have regrets...

A drunken kiss was one thing. Actually pretending to be together, or something like that, was quite another.

That was if he ever showed up...

Maybe he isn't coming, a nervous voice inside said. Maybe he's regretting agreeing to this, too. Maybe I should go home and start researching other universities where I can transfer—

She began to scan the space for an exit strategy.

"Celeste?"

Celeste perked up and turned, hoping for Sterling.

But it was Jared.

Of course, Celeste said with an internal groan. Of course, Jared would find me before Sterling showed up. But she swallowed hard and forced a smile to her face as if seeing Jared didn't feel like an icicle had been driven between her ribs.

"Oh, hi Jared," she said, trying her best to be casual.

"You look nice," he said, eyeing her curiously. He looked a little taken aback like he hadn't been expecting her to be so... friendly.

"Thank you," she said, tucking a strand of copper hair behind her ear. His compliment warmed her from the inside, but she tried her best to act like it wasn't a big deal.

They stared at each other at a total loss, both of them scrambling for something to say. These painful, awkward pauses weren't like them at all. Before their 'break' talking had always come so easy to them..

Has so much changed already? Celeste wondered, and the thought made her throat tighten up. Panic began to set in.

"So, who'd you come with?" Celeste began without thinking, realizing her mistake with the words already halfway out her mouth.

What had she expected him to say?

She already knew, from what that girl said this morning, that he was supposed to be going with her, but if he actually came out and said it, she'd be crushed. Her eyes stung just at the thought of it.

But Jared answered quickly, "Friends. I came with friends."

Friends was a good answer. She let out a little breath of relief and looked behind him. Sure enough, she spotted Jared's regular group of friends standing only a few feet away. The girl was nowhere to be seen.

Celeste relaxed a little more. "Oh, that's nice," she said, smiling in earnest now.

Jared smiled back, and just like that, he looked like the Jared she knew. Cheerful. Happy to see her. If she didn't know any better, she would think he was inching closer to her...

"You know," he began, "I wanted to say sorry for—"

"I found you!"

At the sound of the perky voice, Jared leapt back from Celeste.

Rebecca had appeared.

"I've been looking for you, silly!" she squealed, throwing herself into Jared's arms.

He barely caught her and, in fact, looked rather stunned by her presence.

Celeste's chest tightened as the icicle drove a little deeper. She stared at Jared like he might be able to explain it away. But Jared didn't say anything. He just stared back, his mouth hanging open. The girl looked over like she hadn't even noticed Celeste until this moment.

"Oh, hello again, Cecelia!" the girl said, raising an eyebrow as she looked Celeste up and down.

"It's Celeste," she corrected, her eyes flashing. She kept her smile plastered to her face.

Jared opened his mouth to speak—

But the girl kept on going. "Oh. Right," she said, smiling as she leaned into Jared's chest. She was tiny, a full head shorter than him. "Sorry, I forgot."

"It's okay," Celeste said through her an increasingly strained smile. She was feeling that heat again, that boiling anger—the same thing she felt when she witnessed the two of them kiss. That wasn't a good sign—this anger had only preceded doing something stupid. "How do you know Jared?"

Jared opened his mouth again, but once again, Rebecca spoke for them.

"Jared was the TA for one of my classes and we became friends," she said. "So, when my flight got canceled at the last minute and the next one isn't for another few days, he was kind enough to invite me to some of the Christmas stuff in town before I headed home. And, well, then we just seemed to hit it off." She giggled and smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes.

Jared just looked a bit stunned.

Celeste didn't even know where to begin. She averted her eyes, feeling lost and alone in the middle of the crowd. Her eyes were really stinging now.

She really wished Sterling was here...

Rebecca seemed to notice the strange energy between them. She raised an eyebrow. "Soooo, Cecelia, where's your date?" She said it with a big shiny smile, but there was something nasty glinting in her eyes.

"I'm waiting for him," Celeste said, working hard to keep her own smile on her face. She was sure if she stopped smiling, the tears would come. "He's just running a bit late."

"Oh, is he?" Jared said, finally gaining control of his mouth. The question had come out a little too quickly to be natural, and his cheeks were rosier than they'd be from just the cold.

Was he... jealous?

A tiny spark of hope flared in her chest.

Rebecca gave Jared a weird look.

"Yeah," Celeste said, staring back at Jared. "He is."

"Well, if your date stands you up," Rebecca continued, still grinning away. "You are more than welcome to tag along with us." She pulled Jared close. "If you want."

"No, thanks," Celeste said, back to scanning the crowd just to avoid meeting Jared's eye. She didn't think she could handle that, not at this moment. "He should be here soon."

"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked.

"I'm sure—"

"There you are," came a deep voice.

Just as she was about to give up hope, there he was...

Sterling.

He didn't exactly look like the picture of Christmas cheer with his almost all-black outfit—aside from the shearling lined jean jacket Alicia had loaned him this morning—but he did look good. Without the haze of a hangover, Celeste could now properly appreciate how handsome he was, with his strong jaw, sharply cut cheekbones, and deep, dark eyes. Other people at the festival seemed to appreciate it, too, as many women and some men were turning to look his way.

And that was the best part—he was here for her.

Sort of.

As he got close, she saw he was carrying two cups of steaming hot chocolate.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, offering one of the cups to her. "I wanted to get you something to drink, but the line was longer than I thought."

"It's okay," Celeste said. The icicle between her ribs was beginning to melt away. "You're here. That's all that matters." She gave him her warmest smile.

Sterling gave a tight smile back.

Oh. Right, Celeste thought. She had gotten so caught up in the fact that he was finally here that she had almost forgotten. This isn't real...

And then she noticed Rebecca and Jared were watching them with raised eyebrows.

That hadn't exactly been the most romantic greeting.

She glanced back at Sterling, staring him down and widening her eyes in an attempt to communicate to him that he needed to do something more. Sterling stared back, looking more than a little confused. Celeste pursed her lips to maybe give him a hint...

That seemed to do the trick. Sterling's eyes lit up, and Celeste felt him tense up next to her, already awkward. But he gave a small nod of agreement.

He lowered his voice, but not enough that Rebecca and Jared couldn't hear. "I missed you."

Then he leaned down...

Celeste's heart quickened as his lips neared hers. Why was she so nervous? She had kissed him just last night. And yet...

She fluttered her eyes shut.

Sterling gave her a little kiss, just the smallest peck on the corner of her mouth, before quickly pulling away.

What in St. Frick was that? Celeste tried to keep her composure, but in her head, she was screaming. That kiss had hardly been a convincing display of... whatever this was supposed to look like.

"I m-missed you, too," she said, her voice shaking.

"Aw, you two are so cute," Rebecca said, sickly sweet. "What do you have planned for tonight?" She nuzzled into Jared's arm and grabbed his hand.

Celeste reached for Sterling's hand, too. It was stiff at his side, and she struggled to get a good grip on it. When she finally did, she squeezed it a bit too tight, making Sterling wince. Celeste hoped Jared and Rebecca didn't notice.

"We're just going to walk around, take in the festival," she said. "You know, just spend some time getting to know each other. Our introduction yesterday was so, uh,..."

"Unexpected," Sterling offered. He smiled back, properly this time, a hint of humour in his eyes. It looked good on him. And much more convincing.

Celeste gave her best attempt at an attractive laugh. "Exactly. So, I think we're going to take it a little slower tonight."

"We'll see about that," Sterling said, leaning close as his grin turned devilish.

For a second, the breath caught in Celeste's throat.

Jared frowned. Rebecca noticed, and her smile faded. She yanked on his arm.

"Well, sounds like you've got it all planned out," Rebecca said, dragging Jared away. "Have fun!"

Celeste's heart ached as she watched them go. Jared glanced back, and Celeste could see he looked... What was it? Jealousy? Guilt? She couldn't even tell anymore. Her heart ached all the more.

She didn't get it.

He'd clearly moved on, so why was he so interested in who she was with?

Why was she even doing this?

"So, now what?" Sterling asked, shaking off her hand.

"Huh?" Celeste muttered as she came back to reality. "Oh. Uh. I don't know."

"You don't know? You wanted me here."

"I just wanted for us to be seen by Jared and—" She stared at him in the distance. Rebecca was still hanging off his arm. They sure had cozied up fast. "But now they have, so we can probably just leave."

Sterling studied her, his brow tensed and furrowed like he was trying to figure her out. He looked away for a moment before sighing. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"What?" Celeste said. "Why not?"

"If you head home now, what are you going to do?"

Celeste thought about it. She'd probably go home, make a ton of popcorn, and then ruin it all by crying on it while she watched Love, Actually. It was a little pathetic, sure, but it was better than her second option, which was crawling into a snow drift to die.

Sterling seemed to read this off her face alone. "Exactly. You're not going home just to watch sad Christmas movies and mope."

"I wasn't—" Celeste began.

"Bridget Jones?" Sterling asked.

"Ha! No," Celeste shot back. "It was Love, Actually... actually." But then she realized that he'd gotten her to admit to her pathetic plans.

"That's even worse."

"It's not! And how do you even know these movies? You don't exactly seem like the type to watch Christmas movies."

"I'm friends with Olly," Sterling said, matter of fact. "That dork practically lives off of Christmas movies, especially the sad ones." He muttered under his breath. "All the more reason for me not to go home just yet."

"But what would we even do?"

"Well, I agreed to a date," Sterling said.

Celeste laughed until she realized he was serious. "Really?"

"What else are we going to do?" Sterling said. "Besides, it might be fun to make your little ex-boyfriend turn green."

"Green?" Celeste perked up.

"He was obviously jealous. I think his new chick noticed, too. And she didn't seem to like it."

Celeste looked over at them again and caught Rebecca looking back at them. She looked away immediately and pressed herself closer to Jared. A flare of heat shot through Celeste.

"You're right. That does sound like fun," she said, straightening up. "But if we're going to do that, we might need to be more convincing."

"More convincing?"

"Our greeting," Celeste said. "It wasn't very... real."

Sterling raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I didn't realize you were expecting an Oscar worthy performance."

"I'm sorry," Celeste said. "I just think if they're going to be watching us, then it needs to be more..."

"Let me guess... Real."

Celeste glowered at him.

"Alright, I got it. Real it is—just for tonight." He smiled again, and Celeste was once again struck by how nice his smile was. It took his usually grim face and transformed it, lighting it up from within. "Do you want 'real' kisses, too?"

"You already kissed me. How was that not a 'real' kiss?" Celeste said, laughing in spite of herself. "Our lips touched, sort of—that's a kiss."

"Not quite," Sterling said, leaning in close again. "If I give you a real kiss, you'll know." He grinned at her and then walked off, heading through the entrance.

Celeste stayed frozen where she stood. For some reason, her heart was racing... It took her a minute before she came to her senses and ran after him.

🎄