My December Darling

6. Luke

6

LUKE

A iden and I have kept a healthy competition going ever since we were first-years in medical school. Without him and his annoying habit of betting on everything, I’m not sure I would’ve made it past the massive purge that takes place halfway through the fall semester when people realize their dream of becoming a doctor was better left unexplored.

Since then, Aiden and I have found different ways to keep our rivalry going: sledding, snowball fights, pond hockey, ice skating. The list is endless, including us agreeing to participate in today’s gingerbread house competition. When he mentioned the idea weeks ago, I told him I would be there, prepped and ready to kick his ass.

I never thought to check with him if Catalina would be joining us, mostly because I wouldn’t mind if she does. Maybe that in itself would signal to my best friend that something is different between us because I’ve made a habit of doing otherwise. But if he’s noticed, he hasn’t asked why.

When I arrive at the tent that smells of gingerbread cookies and freshly made icing, Aiden, Gabriela, and Catalina all look at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“Did you seriously bring a level?” Aiden gapes at the tool in my left hand.

“You have no right to judge me here.” Aiden has gone above and beyond in the past to win our bets, including taking private vocal lessons to beat me in a fundraiser karaoke competition, so he shouldn’t talk.

Catalina, who is dressed in a jade green sweater that complements her golden skin and brown eyes, peeks over at the Ziploc full of supplies in my right hand. “Are those tongue depressors?”

“Yes, and if you report me to HR for copping supplies, I’ll deny it until my dying breath.”

Her tightly pressed lips are slowly curling at the corners. I swear I’m becoming obsessed with the idea of getting this girl to smile, even if it never lasts longer than a few seconds.

Her brow arches. “And the cotton balls?”

“Strictly for decor purposes.”

“Of course.” She glances away as if it could hide that amused sparkle in her eyes. I’m tempted to tug on the red velvet bow clipped to the back of her head to gain her attention again, but I refrain from the childish idea.

Gabriela looks over at Aiden and announces, “You’re so going to lose.”

He pulls her into his side. “Have a little faith in your fiancé.”

“You need a miracle is more like it,” Catalina grumbles under her breath, stroking my ego without even knowing it.

“Should we even bother trying?” Gabriela asks her sister.

She shrugs. “Probably not.”

“What if we let the boys have their silly competition while we go check out?—”

“Don’t go,” Aiden cuts her off. “We can make things interesting and split up into teams.”

Wait. What? Never in all the years we have been friends has Aiden pulled a stunt like this, and I’m not sure how to process it. Teams? This man once gave me shit for using an ankle brace during a one-on-one basketball match, and now he wants to bring in reinforcements?

He looks over at me. “What do you say?”

“Couldn’t think of a better idea.” To get myself in trouble. Because I know exactly who my teammate is going to be.

With all the shifts Aiden and I have been pulling at the hospital lately, I haven’t had an opportunity to talk to him about my growing interest in his ex-girlfriend. While I doubt he would give me much grief about it, I still feel some residual guilt from flirting with Catalina. Since my new espresso machine hasn’t arrived yet, I’ve suffered through drinking from the worst coffee machine on the haunted third floor instead of taking a chance on us having another run-in near the NICU ward.

“You want to work in teams?” Catalina’s lips purse, and for a moment, I wonder if she will be the one to save us all.

Feel free to say no. You won’t hear me complaining.

Aiden smiles. “Me and your sister versus you and Luke the Leveler over here.”

Catalina might swallow her laugh, but Gabriela doesn’t stop from unleashing a cackle.

“What do you say?” He wraps his arms around Gabriela’s waist and kisses her cheek. “Wanna help me wipe the floor with them?”

“I’d love nothing more.” She grins.

I expect Catalina to protest the idea, but she surprises me by saying, “The only thing you’ll be wiping is that smile off your face when we win.”

Well, shit. I shouldn’t be turned on by the scary look on her face, but the devious smirk does something for me.

It’s called a dopamine rush, and you of all people know those can become addictive.

She tilts her head back to look up at me. “We better not lose to them.”

“Please. I did not watch three hours of gingerbread house tutorials for nothing.”

“Seriously?” The awe in her voice makes my chest puff out.

“Are you impressed?”

“Horrified is more like it. Do you have nothing better to do with your free time?”

“Not particularly, no. It was either that or start a new LEGO set, and Aiden told me we didn’t have the space for another one until he moves out.”

“LEGOs?”

“Yes?” I ask with a hint of apprehension.

“Hm.”

“Do you have something against them?” I pretend not to notice the way Aiden and Gabriela whisper to each other while I am talking.

“Nope,” she says with flushed cheeks.

Gabriela grins. “My sister loves building those.”

Catalina’s eyes widen.

“Is that right?” I smile.

She tenses beside me. “ Loved . As in past tense.”

“What changed?”

“I grew up.”

Burn , Aiden mouths before covering his smile with the back of his fist.

Asshole . “That’s a shame that adulthood killed your ability to have fun.”

Her cheeks flush. “I know how to have fun.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Her eyes narrow, and her lips part, only for her to be cut off by an announcement.

“Last call for gingerbread pieces before we run out.”

And like that, my opportunity to learn more about Catalina and her love for LEGOs is stolen away all too soon.

“I refuse to be made fun of for using this.” Catalina pushes the mini level in my direction.

I grab it from her and assess the angle of the slowly drooping roof. “There’s no place for pride here.”

“Trust me. I learned that lesson once I saw you refer to your phone for notes.”

“I spent time compiling tips and tricks for a reason.” And that reason is slipping through my fingers as a supporting wall begins to sag.

She hits me with an exasperated look. I sneak a quick glance in Aiden and Gabriela’s direction, where their gingerbread house is not only standing upright, but looking a lot more put together than ours.

Great. If Aiden wins this, I won’t let hear the end of it.

“Fuck.” I curse when both pieces of our roof slide further apart.

“This is supposed to be fun, they said. Just a friendly competition, they said,” she mutters quietly to herself beside me.

On cue, Aiden and Gabriela laugh when the walls of their house cave in.

“Whoops,” he says before kissing the tips of Gabriela’s icing-covered fingers.

It didn’t hit me until now that Aiden never gave a damn about a stupid competition. All he wanted was to have fun with his future wife, while I’ve been drilling Catalina with directions for the last twenty minutes.

Because this really had nothing to do with a bet at all, did it?

I screw my eyes shut.

My parents were the type to turn everything into a competition between myself and the always-rising bar they wanted me to hit. Their expectations only got worse over the years because they needed me to be the very best at everything.

I had to be the top student and make the most friends. Had to find the perfect balance between a full social calendar, extracurricular activities, and an overwhelming academic load because the only thing that mattered was having a competitive college application. Then, once I got a full ride to the undergrad school of their choice like they had hoped, it was all about medical school and how to build myself up to be one of the most sought-after candidates.

I’ve spent my whole life competing against others, and while it helped me get to where I am now, it’s time to let it go.

Clearly Aiden doesn’t care anyway, so why should I?

One of the gingerbread walls falls when Catalina tries to glue a gumdrop to the window, and she winces.

“Sorry.” She scrambles to grab the bag of icing. “I’ll fix it.”

“It’s okay.” I clasp her wrist to stop her. Small goose bumps spread across her skin, and I find myself brushing my thumb over the curve of her wrist before reluctantly letting go.

She stares at me with wide eyes. “You just spent the last ten minutes creating interior support beams with tongue depressors and you think this is fine?” She motions toward the rubble pile of gingerbread pieces.

My guardian angel must be a comedian, because the last two walls standing fall in quick succession.

I shrug. “It’s just a gingerbread house.”

“What happened to pride?”

“Turns out I was mistaking it for male fragility.”

She clamps a hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh, and I wish she hadn’t gone out of her way to stop us all from hearing the sound.

“Does that mean you forfeit?” Aiden asks with a cocked brow.

I grab a piece of gingerbread that was meant to be the door and take a bite. “Hell yes.”

Catalina slumps against the table. “Thank God. That was more stressful than building a five-thousand-piece LEGO set.”

“I take it you haven’t tried to build the Galactic Command Base yet?” I ask with a smile.

“By myself? Hell no. It would take me years to finish without any help.”

That’s the exact reason why I haven’t bothered buying it either. But maybe…

You need to talk to Aiden first.

First thing tomorrow, I plan on having a conversation with him about Catalina because there’s no way I can continue pretending I don’t like her company. It might not lead to anything more than friendship, but I’m okay with that.

Then why does your chest feel tight all of a sudden?

Because I can be friends with Catalina, but that won’t stop me from being attracted to her.

Maybe if you befriend her, all this will fade over time.

Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. But I know one thing for certain. Come January first, she is leaving, so I only have three weeks to figure it all out.

I think I know the perfect way to start, so I only hope she agrees.