Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22557 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
“Daisy, I–”
“Shut up, Craig,” she says. It’s then I notice her eyes are beginning to fill with tears.
“Daisy, please. I’m sorry, okay? I–”
“You’re sorry?” She scoffs, nearly laughing as the tears spill down her cheeks. “It’s been five years, Craig! We were supposed to go to prom together, and you ghosted me completely out of nowhere!”
“I know,” I reply, regret and terrible feelings filling me up inside. “And I feel awful about it. But if I could just explain–”
“Oh, you want to explain?” She’s almost smiling at me now, but the way that you smile at someone or something you just can’t believe or understand. She crosses her arms and looks away, and for a second, I’m sure she’s just going to turn around and start walking. But she actually turns back and glares at me. “Fine, Craig. Start talking.”
This actually shocks me. But then again, Daisy was always fiery. That’s one of the things I liked about her back in the day.
I smile. “Okay, but not right here. We’ll freeze to death.” I look over to our right and spot a coffee shop, twinkling with Christmas lights, still open at this time of night. It couldn’t look cozier. I nod to it. “How about there? I get you one of those Christmas coffees everyone loves?”
I’m expecting her to say no, but two seconds ago, I was expecting more of a protest out of her as well. To my surprise, she actually glances over at the shop, then back at me, and bites her lower lip.
She’s thinking about it, and boy does she look cute when she’s thinking about something.
“Fine,” she finally says. “But you are definitely paying, and I can leave whenever I feel like it.”
“Absolutely,” I reply as harmlessly and cooperatively as I can. I can’t help but smile as I take her arm and lead the way to the shop, but Daisy steps aside and puts some distance between us.
Still not ready yet, I guess.
It’s almost surreal walking beside her through the gently falling snow, across the courtyard as the Christmas lights twinkle all around us. Once we reach the coffee shop, I reach out for the door to open it for her, but she’s too quick for me; she darts ahead and takes the door and opens it herself, then looks back at me as if to say, I got this myself, thank you.
I can’t help but smile as I walk in behind her. She’s already made her way to the counter, so I join her as she’s ordering a peppermint-mocha-latte. I order myself a green tea and hand the girl behind the counter, who’s wearing a big pair of antlers, my card before Daisy can try to pay for her own drink.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” she whispers as we find a table and sit.
“Well, I’m making up for other things I shouldn’t have done,” I reply with a smile.
“Craig, I really don’t know if we should get into this–”
“Listen, Daisy, I owe you an explanation.”
“Well, that won’t be happening tonight.” I look up and see the girl with the elf ears from back at Daisy’s office standing beside our table looking down at us, a very unhappy look on her face. She glares at me, then looks over at Daisy. “Come on, Daisy, we’re leaving.”
“Whoa, wait a second, who do you think you are?” I ask.
“Don’t even start with me,” the girl snaps, flashing angry eyes at me. “Daisy? I’ve got a water leak back at my apartment. I need your help with it now.”
“Oh my God, a water leak?” Daisy gasps, instantly rising from her chair. I realize she hasn’t even taken her coat off yet, so within three seconds, she’s nearly out the door with this girl in the elf outfit.
A kid from behind the counter calls out my name. “Craig!?” I look over and see him hold up our drinks and catch my eye, just as Daisy follows her friend out into the night.
“Daisy?” I call out, but her friend points back at me and shakes her head.
“We’ve got to go, Santa. She’ll call you.”
“But she doesn’t even have,” I watch as both girls step out of the shop and the door closes behind them. “My number…”
3
DAISY
“A water leak at your apartment?” I ask as I walk quickly through the brisk night beside Marissa. “So that didn’t really happen, right?”
“Are you kidding?” She laughs. “I came to get you out of there and away from that guy. Who was he, by the way?”
“Ugh,” I sigh. “My ex from high school.”
“You’re kidding,” she gasps. “Come on, I’m parked over here.”
“Nope, not kidding. And somehow he ended up playing sexy-Santa at our office Christmas party tonight.”
“Wow. And you guys must have had a bad breakup or something, right? I saw the way you made a mad dash for the stairwell, practically tearing up on the way out.”