Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Asher
“You coming down?” Penny asks, looking at me expectantly.
“Yeah, give me a couple of minutes.” I reply.
She hovers by the door, her hand grips the handle then releases it, “Hey, so about last night.”
I shake my head, “Don’t worry about it. I’m not expecting anything.”
“Oh.” For a moment, it almost looks like her expression falls, but then she smiles. “Yeah, I wanted to make sure we’re on the same page. I mean, I would have done the same for you.” She blushes immediately and then slips out the bedroom door. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
Why is it so hard to tell her I want more?
Oh, I know. It’s because I’m not some sort of asshole who is going to make this entire holiday about himself.
I’m here to support Penny, that was part of the deal, and it’s what I promised her from the beginning.
After last night, I’m second-guessing my plan.
I open my suitcase and dig out the small light blue jewelry box from underneath my clothes, Penny’s Christmas present. It’s nothing big, only a necklace I found a couple of days ago downtown. It looks shockingly similar to Penny’s description of the Amulet of Luck from our Dungeon Raider game.
When I saw it, I remembered the look in her eyes when she had used the amulet to defeat her first enemy alone. Part of me wanted to bottle her joy and excitement, hoping the necklace can continue to bring her luck even if this ends.
Now it looks a lot like a grand gesture.
I tuck it back in the bottom of my suitcase, things will have to wait until we get through the holiday.
After I finish putting things away, I dress and go downstairs.
During the morning, they transformed the house into a Christmas wonderland.
Festive statues and knickknacks adorn every surface, felted holly garland wraps around the stair railing, and the aroma of turkey and freshly baked cookies fills the air.
I find Penny in the kitchen with her sister Violet and her two sons, Micah and Riley, standing in front of a sheet of sugar cookies on the center island, ready to be decorated.
“Hey,” Penny smiles and crosses the room to place a single kiss on my cheek, “I might have told Violet about your holiday tradition.”
“We weren’t sure if you liked gingerbread, so we went with the safe option.” Violet says.
I told her about the tradition less than 24 hours ago, and she found a way to make it happen so I wouldn’t feel left out of her family’s Christmas traditions. No one has done this for me.
“These are perfect,” I say, leaning down to Penny, “I want to warn you. I kind of suck at decorating, so don’t expect much.”
“That’s okay.” Penny wraps her arms around my middle and squeezes, “It’s not a competition.”
There’s a moment of silence, and both me and Violet reply, “Now it’s definitely a competition.”
Beside me, Penny carefully lines her snowman cookie with white icing while switching to another color for its scarf, using the less is more option for its face and the chocolate buttons.
I coat my Christmas tree cookie with a thick coating of green icing, sprinkling tiny candy-covered chocolates over top and finishing it with a blob of yellow for the star.
By the time we’re done, we call it a draw. It’s clear we used up all of our creative energy on the first few cookies while hastily decorating the rest. Some trees are lacking their stars, the snowmen without their buttons, and some have lopsided faces.
It reminds me of home, of those holidays when I was younger. For a couple of moments, I actually forgot we are playing a part and that after all of this is over, we might end up going our separate ways.
“I’m sure someone has already asked you this, but how did you two meet?” Violet asks, looking up from where she’s helping Riley, her youngest, decorate his cookie.
Penny looks up at me and opens her mouth to speak, I can almost hear the cogs spinning double time trying to remember the story we agreed upon.
“We met at Plot Twist, actually.” I give her a smile, “I came in looking for a birthday present for my mom, and Penny was busy dealing with the release of a romantasy. I forgot the title. Do you remember? It looked like a huge deal.”
“Shadowsong Court.” She adds, “One of the managers ignored the street date, so everyone within a 20-mile radius rushed to get their copy. We were swamped.”
“You were stocking a box of books, passing them out like candy. I waited until the crowd thinned and asked you about picking up a cozy mystery for my mom’s birthday.” I glance down at her, “You shot me a look that could flay a man alive, then turned on your heel and walked away.”
Penny mutters, “Asher—”
“But you came right back and handed me ‘Banana Bread and Betrayal’. My mother really loved it, by the way. She picked up the rest of the series.”
Violet laughs, “That is adorable. What happened next?”
“We met formally a few days later when I helped her move some furniture.” I run my hand down Penny’s back, “My only regret is it took me so long to gain the courage to ask her out.”
Penny stares up at me like she’s trying to decipher a puzzle, then her mother’s voice cuts through the silence.
“I was looking all over for you kids.” Heather taps her watch, “The party is going to start around two. I was thinking we could get ready and take the family photos just to get them out of the way. Meet in the living room in about twenty minutes?”
Violet dusts off her hands, “C’mon, boys, let’s go get dressed.” She gives us a smile and herds her kids out of the kitchen.
Penny waits until her mother leaves the room and touches my shoulder, “Asher, why didn’t you ever tell me about Plot Twist?”
“I thought you remembered me, but I was wearing a hat.” I shrug.
Her eyes widen, “The one with the dice. Asher, that was over a year ago.”
“I know.” I say, “We should go get ready.”
Penny blinks away her shock and nods, “You’re right. I guess it’s showtime.”
We both take turns changing into our outfits for the party and stand amidst the chaos of the living room. Heather sets up her digital camera in the center of the room, directing each of her children to stand in front of the Christmas tree one by one.
I stay off to the side, unable to keep my eyes off of Penny.
As an only child, it’s interesting to watch their sibling dynamics play out before my eyes.
Violet instructs everyone where they’re supposed to go, Mari is the first one to act and the last one to pose while Hazel and Penny fix each other’s outfits and laugh at their whispered inside jokes.
“Okay, I put the timer on. Let’s do a couple with the entire family.” Heather says, rushing back behind her children, the rest of the spouses filter in, the second generation standing in front of their parents. “That means you too, Asher, c’mon and get in the picture.”
“I’m not sure I should.” I say, waving my hand.
“Nonsense, you’re practically family. Come over here and stand next to Penny.”
Penny smiles, her cheeks flushing as our eyes meet.
She gives me a soft smile as I approach. “Here.” She directs me under her breath, taking my hand in hers and placing it around her middle and interlacing our fingers together.
The whole thing feels natural, less like we’re playing a part. It’s like this is one of our family traditions. Even more so when she begins to run her thumb over the back of my hand from side to side. I lean down closer until I can smell her wildflower perfume.
“On three everyone say ‘Merry Christmas.’” Heather counts down, “One, two, three.”
“Merry Christmas.” The camera clicks, and then everyone disperses as indistinct murmurs erupt around us.
I whisper in her ear, “You look beautiful, by the way.”
Penny releases my hand and turns to look up at me, her palms smooth over my charcoal sweater, “You don’t look half bad yourself.”
“Look at that,” Heather coos. “Can I get a photo with just the two of you?”
“Sure.” Penny replies.
I mutter under my breath, “We really don’t have to do this.”
“I want to,” Penny squeezes my hand then looks at her mom, “How do you want us?”
“How about you look into each other’s eyes like you were a few seconds ago.” Heather asks gesturing towards the tree.
Penny closes the distance between us, then splays her palm across my chest and looks up into my eyes.
I tuck her hair behind her ear and trace along her jawline with my thumb.
The constant chatter of their family members fades, all eyes are on us, but suddenly it seems like we’re the only two people in the world.
One moment we’re players performing the number we had been preparing for, and another we are Asher and Penny.
The change is clear in her features, her fake smile falters, and her eyes crinkle as she softens her features into something real.
The same smile she gets after she teases me, the moment she dealt the final blow to the big bad and the one she gets when she is talking to her twin.
There’s something more I can’t quite decipher and don’t dare to hope for. The longer we linger together, the more I feel I might be right. We are no longer role-playing.
The camera flashes, and the world seeps back in, the sound of lively conversation exploding all around us—while I was busy trying to count the tiny gold flecks in Penny’s green eyes.
She takes a step back and smooths the skirt of her dress, avoiding my gaze. I don’t blame her; it feels too raw and vulnerable now. It’s easier for us to keep the pretense of the party than to focus on my true feelings, especially since I told her the story of when we met.
“These look great!” Heather says, looking down at the camera. “I needed to commemorate this. Who knows how long it’ll be until Penny brings another man home?”
Penny freezes, her fingers digging into my forearm, then before either of us can react the doorbell rings, and the first few guests begin to arrive.