Under The Mistletoe

It's Christmas Eve, and I think I'm going to die of loneliness. I don't know if it's sheer lucklessness, but I always find myself single towards the end of the year, and this year isn't any different.

I receive a call from my best friend, Tasha asking me for the umpteenth time to join her for her annual Christmas party slated for the next day. I'm not interested in going alone and I'm also not interested in dating any more of her colleagues for now.

Tasha doesn't give up on me, though. She suggests a blind date service she's familiar with from work. I visit the website, browse through the faceless profiles, then check a few boxes: tall, mid-thirties, dimples because they give a killer smile, and gap-toothed because it makes the killer smile even deadlier.

I know I'm overstretching my requirements, but three profiles pop up and I'm surprised that all my specifics combined can be found in one man, let alone three. I make a request and get confirmation almost immediately for a Christmas dinner at a nearby restaurant. For easy identification, I'm to wear a green dress and a Christmas hat, and him, a black suit and a similar hat.

I call Tasha to update her, and she's happy for me. So am I, but then Christmas day comes and I suddenly feel nervous. I want to cancel the date but worry about breaking an already lonely heart. I call Tasha and she begs me not to cancel and suggests that I stop at her office party first for a drink to relax a little.

I tuck my hat in my bag and blend in at the party, as their dress code is a touch of Christmas, though some overdid it and came as Santa. Tasha is nowhere to be found, so I find my way to the bar for a cocktail, then walk over to the fascinating Christmas tree decorated with only brown inspirational cards. One catches my attention with the word 'Wish' written in front and 'Make One' written behind. Though I know my wishes never come true, I ask the heavens to give me the man of my dreams, as ticked in the boxes. I laugh to myself after that, then drink to the wish.

Out of curiosity, I start reading the messages on other cards until someone greets me from behind. I turn to see a nice-looking man in a black suit, and with all seriousness, he asks how many cards I've met so far. I laugh in embarrassment when I get the joke. When he also laughs, I notice his dimples and my knees almost buckle. I look to the tree and wonder if the wish card was magical.

The man asks what department I work in, and his gap-toothed feature stares at me. This time, I look to the heavens to know if it's a prank. Before my silence gets weird, I tell him that I was invited by my best friend, Tasha, who's somewhere having fun. He smiles, then asks if I would like to have a chat, and I can't say no.

We get a table, sit, drink, and chat the evening away as if we've known each other for a long time. When a beautiful song starts playing, he asks for a dance, and I follow. On the dance floor, we hold each other in a tight embrace. My body stiffens, afraid to react to the sensation going through me as his breath hits my neck.

Just then, the crowd cheers loudly and chants "Kiss" repeatedly. We stop when we realise it's to us and that we're standing under the mistletoe. Without notice, he plants a kiss on my lips and lets out a moan. I return the long sweet kiss, and at this point, I'm convinced that he feels the same way I'm feeling, and I don't mind dating another one of Tasha's colleagues.

We finally pull away from each other when someone yells at us to get a room and laughter erupts. We briefly look into each other's eyes, then he leads me back to our table. I spot Tasha from a distance, and she gives me a thumbs up. I shyly roll my eyes at her.

Things get awkward when we return to the table as if we've just met. It's a familiar feeling that comes after a premature passionate kiss. After a few seconds, he glances at his wristwatch and says that he has to go. I'm devastated as he takes my hand, kisses it, then disappears like Cinderella.

I look up to the heavens, almost in tears, and shake my head at it, then go for a cocktail and down it like water. Now I feel hopeless. I look around to people having fun and dancing in twos. I spot Tasha in the arms of a man. She opens her palms to me as if asking what happened, and I simply shrug. She beckons me over. I get up but halt when I get a text message. It's from my blind date, and I flush, as I've completely forgotten about him. Instead of joining Tasha, I send him a message telling him that I'm running a bit late. I dash out after that.

I get to the restaurant in less than ten minutes, then see the back of my date wearing a Christmas hat. I retrieve mine from my bag and wear it as I walk up to him. When he turns around, I'm shocked to see Mr. kiss-and-run. He, too, is in shock, but he reacts faster than me. He stands up and introduces himself as my date. I exhale silently then introduce myself, as well. He suddenly takes my hand and asks if I want to go somewhere fun. I don't know what he has in mind, but I nod several times, trusting him completely. As we exit the restaurant, I look up to the sky and apologise to the heavens.