MY CHRISTMAS ROMANCE

CHAPTER 9: SORE LOSERS AND MISTLETOE KISS

Time for another dedication 😁, so this chapter is dedicated to my little Taurus sister @1_cara_5 I hope you like the story so far 😉 Thank you for your support and friendship, you're awesome ❤😘

"You're under the mistletoe!"

Theone and I both jump away from the sprig of mistletoe as if it was a bomb ready to explode.

Emily's timing would have been perfect if it had been someone else standing next to me, but as she points at the both of us, I'm just cursing her and her attentive gaze in my head.

"No, no, we aren't." I force a tensed smile and another lie.

"Oh yes, you were." My mom appears behind me, making me jump back to my spot under the mistletoe that I'm now also cursing. "So you gotta kiss."

Oh, no! I've promised to be civil with him, but this, I can't. No, never.

I really should have killed him when I've got the chance.

"Um, no... I'm not gonna kiss her in front of her boyfriend." For once, there is no hint of mockery in Theone's voice as he pronounces these words, and he seems as horrified as me, glancing nervously at all the eyes staring at us.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one disgusted by this idea, but at the same time, do I look that repulsive? Who does he think he is to think he's too good to kiss me? No, that's not the point. I don't want to kiss him, and I need to avoid it at all costs.

"I'm sure it doesn't bother him. It's just a kiss, right?" Emily turns to Aden, not leaving any of us a choice.

"And it's the tradition," my mom adds with a smile a little too wide to my taste.

This tradition is stupid, and it seems like everyone is against us. The holidays are supposed to be warm and cozy, yet right now, I'm breaking out into a cold sweat like a prisoner ready to be executed as my gaze slides on all those expectant eyes, searching for some pity or help until they stop on Aden, who offers me a sorry smile. I'm praying for him to say something and save me like a knight in shining armor, but he just gives me an embarrassed look that says 'it's the tradition', exactly the one I've planned to offer him in my little plan.

I gulp the bitterness in my throat, as the sweetness of chocolate has totally vanished like my hope, and I turn to the green eyes that are still staring at me the same way.

I guess I have no choice... So I quickly lift on my tiptoes and put my lips on Theone's cheek. The light stubble tickles my lips in the exact opposite way Aden's cheek has felt so smooth this morning, yet I still notice Theone's jaw softening under my touch, probably as relieved as I am by my bright workaround.

Like my mom has said: I'm really creative, and I always find a solution. Yet my proud smile doesn't have the time to form.

"This is not a kiss!" My mom lifts one of her eyebrows, her arms crossed in front of her chest letting me know that she won't concede.

"I think it is," my dad protests, and for once, I agree with his overprotective view.

"See?" I nod and wave my hand to my dad in a desperate attempt, but I already know it's useless as my mom doesn't flinch, and Emily even adds,

"Come on! It's just a little kiss!"

Why are they so eager for it then? It seems that everyone is taking a great delight in watching the twists and disasters of my life like a tv show.

"Yeah, and I did the little kiss. Now can we start the games?" I throw another glance around for help, particularly searching for a special gaze.

But I don't even get to glimpse the cinnamon shades because a hand grabs my cheek, and warm lips catch my breath, figuratively and literally, as my gasp is sucked in by Theone's mouth on mine.