Christmas in London

Chapter 1

Goosebumps scatter across my skin when the frigid air slips beneath my collar and touches the back of my neck. As I walk out of my work building, I search the swarms of people that pass by, searching for him because I know he’ll be here. The cold barely has time to seep into my boned before I spot him. Harry. He hurries through the crowd, his hands tucked into his pockets, cheeks flushed red from the cold. He smiles brightly when his eyes meet mine. Warmth spreads from my chest, slowly filling the cavern each day.

“You don’t have to meet me after work, you know.” I slide my arms around him as he reaches me.

“Good afternoon to you too, miss Evelyn.” He pulls me into his arms and holds me tight, together. I need to stop letting him hold me together and just do it myself. “How was work today?” He wraps his arm around my shoulders and leads the way down the street. Harry moved with an ease I hadn’t noticed in the beginning. Large crowds don’t make him shy away. When he brushes against someone by accident, he smiles and waves to them, dropping apologies and pardon me’s as we go.

“It was productive.” I bury myself into his side.

“And?” he presses.

“And nothing.”

He rolls his eyes. “You say productive every day. What else happened?”

“Nothing.” I shrug. “Nothing ever really happens.”

“Well then, tell me what you had for lunch, other than a coke.”

“Leftover pasta from the night before last.” 

“The night Benny invited us over?” he asks. 

I nod. 

His smile softens as he watches me. “Damond is an amazing cook. Think he’ll prepare a dish for mum’s next gala?”

“I’m sure he’d love to—"

“Speaking of which,” he says, cutting me off. My mouth hangs open at the interruption. I clamp it shut before he notices and pres my lips together. “Mum’s next one is her Christmas gala. It’s going to be absolutely huge. Several charities are there to help raise their awareness, and clubs in the community pitch in and help pay, and it’s a pretty grand thing.”

My chest squeezes. “I—”

“I know you said you’re not big on holidays, but I was thinking… maybe you could do it for me.” He dips his chin, chancing a look at me from the corner of his eye. 

I want to say yes. Of course, I’ll do it for you. It’s the least I could do after everything you’ve done for me, but the words won’t form on my lips. I stick my hands in my pocket and touch something cold and metalic, the I-Heart-London keychain Harry gave me on our month-a-versary. 

“I’ll think about it.” I look away from him so that I can’t see his disappointment.

“Thank you, Evie.” He pecks a kiss to my cheek, and I question his judgment for the millionth time. 

Biting the inside of my cheek, I suck in a breath because I can breathe. “Yes.”

“What?” He stops in his tracks.

“I said yes.” I can’t help but mirror his smile as it inches across his face.

“Really?” He takes both my hands in his.

“Yeah.” I squeeze his hands and push the anxiety churning in my stomach back down. “Why not? Holidays were just never really fun back home” He knows some of it but not everything. Not the holiday fights that escalated faster and hit harder than any other time of year. “But I can’t imagine that it’ll be the same with you.” Things are different here.