Holly and the Faux Man (A Magical Festive Novella)

Chapter Eleven

So Holly now knew Ben's villain origin story.  But, in a shocking twist, it seemed that she had actually been the devil who caused him to turn into the antagonist in her life.

"I had no idea he'd heard that," she whispered. She closed her eyes, but all she could see was the hurt in his expression as he had walked away. "I didn't even mean it. I was just saying what I thought Elsa wanted me to say."

"But what did you think would happen next? If Ben hadn't heard you and you'd hooked up with him later that night?" Noel pressed her. "Would you have had to hide your relationship from your boss? Sneak around all the time? Continue to pretend he was nothing to you? Honestly, what were you thinking, Holly?"

"It's like I go out of my way to sabotage myself sometimes," Holly said unhappily, slumping down in her chair. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"You really messed things up with Ben," Noel confirmed, as if rubbing salt in the wound. "It looked to me as if Elsa was clearly just giving you a friendly warning; if you'd told her you really liked Ben, I don't think she would have judged . . . She probably would just have reminded you to be careful.

"And the most annoying thing is you've clearly still been holding torches for one another, all this time!"

Holly shot upright at this. "We have not!" She objected indignantly.

"Oh, come on, Holly," Noel said urgently. "It's completely obvious. You both still have feelings, under all the hostility. The spark between you never went away. It just hardened with bitterness over the years. But it can melt again . . . Just like snow does!"

"I don't think we can go back," Holly insisted. Although watching the Ben-related clips had reactivated those past feelings. She'd never had chemistry like that with any other guy - even now, sparring with him somehow brought her to life, even if the chemical balance had altered significantly after that first week. Yes, it was exhausting, but it was somehow invigorating, too.

Noel fell silent for a moment. Then he reached for the Sprigg-stick once again. "Do you remember when I said a few hours ago you were too close to the project?" He asked as he seemed to search for a specific clip. "I want you to look at this . . . Very carefully." He hit play, and together, they watched Holly frantically towing Noel out of the office earlier.

"We need to get out of here!" Noel was telling her emphatically. "We've no time to lose!"

"What's going on?" Ben had joined them, eyeing Noel narrowly. "This is your brother?"

And the living room, Holly's gaze flicked between Noel and Ben on screen, her mouth falling open. "No," she breathed. How had she not spotted it sooner?

"I may not be your brother," Noel said softly. "But I could be his." He paused the screen. "Do you see now? When you created me - your apparent 'dream man' - you were thinking of Ben."

Holly was rendered temporarily speechless. The similarities between the two men were actually undeniable now. The fair hair. The midnight blue eyes. The way they were built. Briefly, she wondered if their penises would even be similar, then she firmly yanked her mind out of the metaphorical gutter. Now is not the time, Holly, she told herself firmly.

"It's always been him, really, hasn't it?" Noel prompted her. "You never really got over him."

Holly felt a tear trickle down her cheek. After Ben had backed off, she'd told herself it didn't matter: it was just a crush, and it obviously wasn't meant to be. She'd buried her budding feelings underneath a massive layer of cynicism, but they were still there, whether she wanted to admit it or not. "Yes," she confessed. "Even when I finally moved on and got together with my ex, a part of me still always wondered,'What if?'."