Chapter 1 #2
I return to our office space with two steaming mugs, and Jenna practically leaps out of her chair to grab hers.
“Thank goodness for the vending machine,” she sighs. “If that thing ever goes out of service, I’ll quit!”
“I’m just glad the others are already on vacation,” I reply with a breath.
It’s down to the two of us in the secretaries’ office, but aside from the arctic cold today, we’ve had a merry week!
Jenna put on a Michael Bublé playlist, we have a fireplace video on loop on Alice’s screen, and we’re not too busy, so we spend our day chatting about our holiday plans, the latest Christmas movies and our old favorites, and whose family makes the best food…
all while answering phones, clearing emails, picking up task tickets and knocking out our last duties, of course.
“I still can’t believe you’re spending Christmas Eve in a restaurant,” Jenna teases, reaching for another slice of my b?che, which, I notice, only has a quarter left.
“I know!” I laugh. “But Nicolas’s family tradition is a fancy dinner out at a beautiful restaurant, and this year they picked an actual chateau! And the desserts are by that famous chef I like, I’m so excited to try them!”
“Yeah, yeah, I saw the photos of your hotel,” she rolls her eyes with a grin. “It is gorgeous and you’d better take a million pictures to show us, but still! No homemade dinner? No gift exchange? It’s a little weird…”
“Nicolas and I spoil each other all year,” I shrug, smiling, “and we’ll definitely do the whole gifts and homemade food thing at my parents’ house. Christmas Eve will just be… a little different this year.”
Alright, I admit it did take me a little while to get used to the idea, but that’s because it is so different from my family’s Christmas! But hey, not everyone celebrates the same way, right? And once Nicolas explained how his family does Christmas and why… well, it actually made a lot of sense.
First of all, his mom doesn’t put up decorations in her house.
Solange Hansel lives alone now, and she never spends Christmas there, so she just doesn’t see the point.
Secondly, many years ago, back when she still lived with her sons and husband, she decided that Christmas should be the one day of the year when she didn’t have to do any chores, which honestly?
Fair enough! Since their dad was very busy working as usual, the whole family agreed to go out to a fancy restaurant that year, and it has become their tradition every year since!
Finally, because they’re all quite wealthy and super busy, they stopped exchanging gifts a while back.
Nicolas said they even tried doing gift lists one year, but nobody knew what to ask for!
So instead, they donate to charity, which I think is genuinely lovely, thoughtful, generous, and way less stressful for all of them.
Sure, it’s not the kind of Christmas I grew up with… but that’s okay. It’s his Christmas, and I’m really curious (and kind of excited?) to see what it’s like. After all, it’s an adventure! And we will be in Quebec City, one of the most Christmas-y cities ever!
“Well, you’ll have to tell me how that goes,” Jenna shrugs. “As for me, I can’t wait to hit the slopes. It’s going to be nothing but snow, sisters, skiing, wine, and fondue for days!”
We keep chatting about our Christmas plans and favorite memories, and the rest of the (still freezing) afternoon flies by.
It’s the last day of work, so the office is nice and quiet, and we get a steady stream of colleagues stopping by to say hi and snag a slice of my b?che.
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of being praised for my baking skills!
As usual, Nicolas texts me updates—first from the airport and then again after he stops by his place to pack. I can’t wait to see him! Things are so quiet at the office that Jenna and I even have time to wash the mugs, tidy up, and wrap up the last few tasks while we keep chatting away.
A couple of hours later, Jenna lets out a groan.
“Alright, it’s been dead. Do you mind if I head out a bit early?”
“I think most of the office has already left,” I say, glancing at the request log. “You should go! I’ll stay until 5:00.”
“Thank you, Ophie, you’re the best! Have a merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas!” I sing as she bundles up and heads out.
Jenna was right, it really is dead quiet now!
I only get a couple of emails in the next hour, which gives me plenty of time to do our online check-ins for tomorrow, double-check my packing list, and even scribble some notes for a new cake idea I had earlier: spiced orange and cranberry, maybe with a cinnamon glaze?
Linda pops by to get the last slice of my b?che and wishes me a merry Christmas before she leaves, making me wonder if my boyfriend is done packing and on his way to my flat yet.
I am both nervous and excited to spend Christmas with Nicolas!
It’s not like we haven’t met each other’s families before, but there’s just something so special about spending Christmas together!
I cannot wait for him to see the gorgeous dress I got for the restaurant.
Oh, we’re going to look amazing in our matching green velvet outfits.
This holiday is going to be marvelous. I daydream about us waking up in a fancy bedroom, in our matching Christmas pajamas, wishing each other a merry Christmas, opening our gifts for each other, eating cookies…
“Ophelia.”
I glance up from my screen. Nicolas! As if my daydreaming just manifested him, my boyfriend is standing right there in the doorway, smiling at me.
I immediately spring up and run straight into his open arms, and he hugs me tight, just the way I like it.
“What are you doing here?” I squeal, squeezing him like I haven’t seen him in a month.
“I wanted to drive you home,” he says, hugging me back. “I missed you.”
Aw, my heart feels like the fluffiest whipped cream!
“I missed you too,” I beam, already feeling ten degrees warmer. “Thank you for coming to get me! You must be so tired from your day!”
“I am,” he admits, as blunt as ever, “but I wanted to see you more. Did you have a nice day? It smells good in here… but why is it so cold?”
“Heater broke overnight,” I grimace. “We’ve been running on hot cocoa and Christmas spirit… but building management is on it, they promised it’ll be fixed before everyone comes back!”
“That’s good,” he nods, “but we should get you home and warm. We can’t have you getting sick.”
“Give me one second!”
I quickly save my work, shut everything down, gather my things, and double-check my desk to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.
It always feels a bit surreal on the last day before the holidays.
It’s so quiet and sleepy, like even the office is ready to curl up with a blanket and nap until January!
When I’m done, Nicolas is already waiting by the door with my tote bag of clean dishes slung over his shoulder, because, of course, my boyfriend is a perfect gentleman. And, as always, he laces our fingers together as we head down the corridor.
“How did they like your b?che?” he asks.
“They loved it! People kept coming nonstop after lunch. I’m glad I doubled the quantity! I even had to save a slice for Linda, or she would have missed it!”
“It was delicious indeed,” he nodded.
Of course, Nicolas was the first one to try it. We tested the recipe together last weekend, during one of our lazy afternoons baking side by side. Honestly, it feels like I haven’t seen my boyfriend in so long, I’m so ready to spend the holidays together!
We leave the office, greeting the few colleagues we see, but there’s hardly anyone left around. Thankfully, it allows us to shamelessly hold hands in the office; we’re usually careful not to show off our relationship too much, but I guess today’s a bit special!
“How was your flight?” I ask Nicolas.
“It was alright,” he nods. “No delays. The boarding process was efficient too; we left and landed right on time.”
Even if Nicolas has to fly all the time for work, he really doesn’t love being crammed into a noisy plane with a bunch of strangers, so I’m quietly relieved for him that this one went smoothly.
We reach his car, and as usual, he opens the passenger door for me.
I thought he would have gotten tired of this after a few weeks of dating, but nope!
It’s been months, and Nicolas always makes a point to open doors for me.
It’s so much warmer in here! I settle in and connect my phone to play a cheerful Christmas playlist. My favorite song fills the air as we pull out of the parking lot, and for the first time all day, I feel fully relaxed.
“How was your day?” he asks, turning up the heater.
“Coconut was naughty again this morning,” I pout. “I spent so long looking for him I almost missed my bus, and that silly kitty was napping in my drawer all along! Can you believe that?”
“I can. It sounds like the second son is a handful, as expected,” he chuckles faintly. “It’s okay, I’m sure Muffin will teach him to behave.”
“I hope so! I’m relieved he stopped hissing at him. I think he just doesn’t want us to think he actually likes Coconut! Did you see the picture from last night? I couldn’t believe I caught them napping together!”
“It was a good picture. They were very adorable.”
I blush a bit. Every time Nicolas uses a “cute” word, I can’t help but think of all the times he’s called me that. And he does it a lot!
“…I still feel a bit sad we can’t bring them with us for Christmas,” I admit. “I feel like they’re going to be upset and think we’re abandoning them.”
“I’m sorry,” Nicolas says. “I know we’re going to miss them very much. I checked the cat hotel’s social media page again last night, and they got another very positive review. I believe we made a good choice for the boys.”
“I know. I think so too, but I’m still going to miss them…”