Elisa Muse
My family is unbelievable. I can see what my mom is trying to do, and it is not going to f*****g work. Why would she not allow my Dad to come with me? It was like our Christmas thing. I stumped around and made my way out of the kitchen and back to the pool house.
I had already told the rock star we would leave in two hours, so I must be ready by then. I was afraid of going out and about our town. People were meddlesome and gossipy. My family has the number one spot and trophy in both sports, but the others are close seconds.
I was sure that my wedding cancellation would be the talk of the town. Fortunately, I left this place and settled in Paris. Thus, I was utterly oblivious to all the rumors and gossip mill surrounding that little fiasco. No one in my family ever mentioned what was being said, but now that I am back, I think I am about to find out.
A shiver ran down my spine. Going out in the town to do Christmas shopping was close to setting me out to walk about naked in front of a horde of horny pirates... I have no idea what Mom was thinking, but I am sure she is seeing something. But if I go down, I am going down in style, that is for damn sure.
I went to my closet and pulled out a pair of high-waisted navy jeans. To add a pop of color, I paired them with a beige cropped sweater, a colorful scarf, and my bright magenta wool coat. Cute black ankle boots and hoops on my ears were the perfect accessories. I let my hair down in soft waves and wore no-makeup makeup. It took me about an hour and forty minutes to get ready.
I exited my room, sat in the living room, and waited for Leon to show up so we could go to the main house and take one of the family cars to purchase the tree. Twenty-five minutes later, Leon's footsteps were heard coming down the steps.
I knew he would be in the living room soon enough. When he entered, I faced the main door. "You are five minutes late... Let's go," I said, walking out the door, not bothering to look at the guy.
My Grams, mother, and aunt should understand that whatever they are doing won't work—at least not with me. Eddie is an entirely different story. He seems to be into Colette, and I can tell Colette is all in for some holiday fun.
I rushed into the house and grabbed a set of keys... "We are out of here..." I yelled,
"Honey! Wait!" Mom yelled.
"Stop by the tree lot and have them send the tree over; you pick the right one. OK?" she said, and I nodded. She instructed me as if I hadn't been shopping for a Christmas tree at that lot for my entire life except for the last five years.
"Sure, Mom... anything else?" I sighed,
"Yes, I want to switch the decorations a little, so go and buy new ones..." she said, and I squinted my eyebrows.
"All the tree decorations?" I asked. It was a lot, maybe a job to be done for several days. Scouting and mixing the perfect ornaments for the tree is no easy task.
"Yeah, all of them..." Mom said, determined, and I sighed.
"Well, if we do that, we won't return for lunch..." I said, and Mom beamed. f**k! I just walked into her f*****g trap; she wanted me to have time alone with a f*****g playboy. What is she thinking? The f*****g guy has more scandals and mugshots than one can count. If Noah hurt me, and he was a good guy, I don't want to even venture into the possibility of thinking about what could happen to my heart if I got close to a guy like Leon. Never, and I mean it, I will never go there.
"Alright, we are out," I told my mother, knowing Leon was silently behind me.
"Leon, honey... will you make sure she is alright?" Mom asked him, and I scoffed. I grew up in this f*****g town; of course, I don't need Leon to take care of me.
"Sure, Eleanore..." He sighed, knowing that today would be a long f*****g day.
I walked towards the door that led to the garage when my mother yelled, "Honey! Don't forget about the rules of Mistletoe!" she said, and a shiver ran down my spine. This f*****g town had the particular tradition that they placed mistletoe on every threshold, corner, or whatever unusual place they could think of, just to have people kissing around on Christmas...
It is a stupid tradition that has nothing to do with the origins of mistletoe or its real mythological meaning. Still, here we are... entertaining the idea that if we don't kiss someone while standing under the little parasite plant, we will remain single or lonely for the rest of our days.
I climbed into the SUV and heard the door beside me; until then, I hadn't bothered Leon. I took a deep breath, and this fantastic, fresh scent filled my nostrils. I heard him buckle his seat belt. "So, we are going to the tree lot... right?" he asked, and I nodded.
"Are you going to ignore me the entire time?" He asked, and I took another deep breath, hoping to calm my anxiety, but his smell made me weak on my knees, and that was not a good sign. For f***s sake, I was already dealing with enough inside my head to deal with the fact that I loved his cologne.
I sighed, "Look, Leon... I don't know you, so I don't know what to say..." I said in a plain voice, and he nodded.
"I am cool with it, but you don't have to be a b***h about it..." he said, and my eyes snapped his way. For the first time seeing him, and Holy f**k! He was handsome.
Shabby dark brown hair, manly features, strong eyebrows, a pair of brown eyes, the color of my favorite dessert: chocolate. Long dark lashes and a five-day-old beard added to his rock-star image. He was wearing jeans, sneakers, and a dark sweatshirt. Basic but f*****g hot. Damn it, he looked better now than while at breakfast.
He was a fine specimen, he was popular and successful in his profession, and the only f*****g problem that I saw in this entire situation was that he was not Noah Price. Noah was engraved on my soul, and it would take an absolute miracle for me to move on. I didn't have closure or an explanation; I thought I didn't want or need one, but the wound was still raw with all the things that were left unsaid.
"Aren't we leaving?" Leon's voice broke my stupid moment. He was smirking, and I shook my head. This was going to be a long f*****g day. I immediately turned on the engine and drove away.
"So, what are the rules of Mistletoe?" he asked, and I sighed. I took a deep breath,
"If a person is standing under the mistletoe, he or she must receive a kiss, or bad luck will befall them. If they are single, they won't marry the following year. If a couple is struggling, and they kiss under the mistletoe, it is a sign that they will make up." I took a deep breath.
"Do they have to be a couple?" he asked,
"No, it could be a stranger... " I sighed, and he nodded. "But if they are a couple and kiss under the mistletoe, it means they are serious about each other..." I said, and he nodded.
"I have seen that people remove the little berries. What's with that?' Luone asked,
"Some people will stop kissing until the mistletoe is bare of its berries, which means the plant has lost its effect," I said, and he nodded.
"So if I see a girl standing under mistletoe, I can walk to her and kiss her?" he asked, and I nodded,
"Nice! I like this town already!" He said, and I rolled my eyes. Of course, this f*****g tradition would suit someone like him, a f*****g playboy who would not hesitate to kiss whoever stands under the mistletoe.