Holly Garland on Santa's Lap [COMPLETE]

CHAPTER 20 ~Heart-to-heart~

In our room, lying in bed, I wait anxiously for Nick to come back from the bathroom and join me.

I showered first, not sure if I could be as bold as I was last night and strip down in front of him again. I slipped on a pair of black lace boy shorts under my favorite t-shirt and grabbed the first book I found on Nick's nightstand to look busy when he walks in.

Honestly, I thought I'd be bored out here, but the day flew by. It was actually a good day. We decorated the apartment and the Christmas tree together. Nick even insisted on adding candy canes and making popcorn garlands—"just in case we run out of breakfast options," he said.

Now, I feel weird. Like, what's new, right? But still...

I'm honestly a little lost. We're in danger, but we're just casually getting ready for the holidays... Nick's my fake boyfriend, but we're actually having sex... He's also my boss, but I'm not really his assistant... Yeah, I'm confused and don't even know how I'm supposed to act right now.

Finally, Nick walks into the room, and thank God, he's in a t-shirt and boxers.

I pretend to be totally absorbed in his book.

The bed dips as he slides under the covers, facing me, then he reaches out and touches one of my curls, still freshly washed and dried like last night.

I stop breathing, but I don't budge an inch.

"Tell me Ginger... do you really hate your hair color?"

Oh, he's just in a chatty mood?

"Yeah. I mean... no. Well, not really anymore..." I stammer, putting the book aside to face him. "It's just... when I was a teenager, I would've given anything to have my mom's hair color and be blonde, like 80% of the girls at my school—half of whom were bleach blonde anyway. And when I was a kid, I would've settled for brown hair like my dad's, just to blend in and avoid getting picked on."

"And why didn't you just dye it?"

"My mom was totally against it. And by the time I was old enough to make my own decisions, I was in college, and I'd sort of come to terms with it."

"Was it really that bad?"

"Well, I'm not trying to make it sound like some Greek tragedy, but yeah, I went through a rough time."

"And you didn't have anyone to lean on, like friends or boyfriends?"

"Nope. With a name like mine, Christmas bad luck to match, and a whole lot of self-esteem issues, I wasn't exactly a catch..."

"So, what, you mean you were covered in acne, had a horrible set of braces, or maybe... overweight?"

"No, I looked pretty much the same as I do now. Same red hair, same freckles..." I laugh a little. "Basically, I was the kind of girl that would scare any guy within a mile."

"Ginger, you're far from scary. I can't believe a single guy missed out on seeing how sexy you are..."

"Aw, Nick! You're only saying that because I know how to dress myself better now. But I swear, back in middle school and high school, nobody dared ask me out. All I got were awkward stares and people whispering behind my back. I was a total outcast..."

"Mmm... Got it. Did you and your brothers go to the same schools?"

"Yeah. From preschool all the way to college, I followed in their footsteps. And like I told you, they were super popular. Captains of the football, baseball, basketball and hockey teams... They were school legends, each in their own way."

"Yeah... that's what I thought..."

"What? What are you thinking?"

"Well... didn't your brothers tell you about 'the code'? Did they explain it in detail?"