How My Brother's Best Friend Stole Christmas - Molly O'Keefe Page 0,26
that hanging there.
“Would you like to stay?”
Our eyes met and he was just my friend standing there. And I loved him. I did. But that was all built on the fact that I loved him as a friend. And playing video games and drinking some gin with my friend did sound great.
“You got one of my shirts here?” he asked, shucking out of the coveralls.
“And some of your sweats, too.”
“Let’s do this. You go get my stuff and I’ll make us drinks.”
That’s how I ended up spending Christmas Day with my brother’s best friend.
And the love of my life.
Just waiting for my heart to get broken again.
Never say I’m not a sucker for punishment.
Sam
She got out the other beanbag and I found the controller I always called mine in the drawer of her entertainment center. We had icy cold G and Ts, my mom’s potpie, and a couple of hours of finding magic scrolls ahead of us.
Any other time this would be one of the greatest days ever.
But what we’d done earlier made it…stiff. Awkward.
And I didn’t know how to change that. So I sat there and ate the potpie and hoped, prayed, that Sophie had the grace to get us out this uncomfortable spot. Because I’d never had any grace.
“I don’t know why I let you talk me into this game,” she said as our characters walked through the woods toward the next challenge. “I swear, all we do is walk.”
“And drink ale.”
“It’s like a video game of life.”
“That’s why I like it.”
“I should have stuck with War Zone.” She glanced my way, a small smile on her lips, and I felt the discomfort shift. Like a rock between us being rolled away. “Look what happens when I listen to you. I end up being an elf walking around a fake forest with a…whatever the hell you are.”
“Mage.”
“Wizard wannabe.”
“Have I ever said thank you?”
“No. Never. Robbing me of hours of good times shooting bad guys.”
“I couldn’t shoot any more guys. Good, bad, or otherwise.” I was surprised when the words came out of me. She looked at me, then looked back at the game as our mage and elf characters stepped into a pub to find the thief who had the directions to the castle. “So I was grateful when you agreed to play this. With me.”
“Yeah,” she said with a nod. Like it was no big deal, which was exactly what I needed from her. “No problem.”
She stretched her legs out, the red socks and her freckled thighs distracting me for a second, and she got to the elf before me. “Are you home for a while?” she asked. “I mean, are you going back or…what?”
“Wes didn’t tell you?”
“You told Wes before you told me?”
“It just…we were having beers a few weeks ago.”
She stuck her tongue out at me.
“I’m out,” I said. “I’m out of the Marines.”
I was supposed to be saying that more. Out loud. I’d told Wes and I’d told my mom, but I hadn’t told Sophie yet.
“For good?” she asked, staring at me, her mouth an O of surprise. The controller was forgotten in her hands.
“Come on, we’re playing.”
“Sam?”
“Yes. For good.”
“You don’t want to talk about it?” she asked.
“Do I ever?” I joked, but it wasn’t really a joke. She was still looking at me and I knew I owed her more. More of an explanation. More conversation. But…things were so good right now and it was Christmas Day.
“Okay,” she said quietly. “You’re off the hook for the moment. Only because I’m dying to get to this castle.”
I led us out of the pub and back onto the path. Walking some more. “I’ll buy those directions off you.” I was referring to what the thief had given her.
“You don’t have any money.”
“I have the sleep tonic.”
“No way. You’re not off-loading that bullshit sleep tonic—”
On the screen I threw the sleep tonic at her elf character, who immediately collapsed onto the dirt. I stole the directions and took off running.
“You are such a dick,” she said and tossed down her controller. “You want another drink?”
I hesitated, thinking about Mom and the drive back.
“You can spend the night,” she said. “No, you know, expectations.”
Before the party I would have spent the night without thinking about it. I’d bunked down on her couch a million times. But now it seemed…weighted. Now the couch wasn’t enough. I wanted into her room with all the pillows and the fancy sheets she treated herself too.
And I was weak. But I also