Chapter 5
candy
“Why are we here?”
“It’s the soft opening of Santa’s workshop at the brewery. I thought you would wanna be here,” Lola said, pulling into the lot.
“Soft opening,” I muttered, staring at my best friend.
It was Sunday and my only day off for a while with the holidays quickly approaching. I glanced down at my phone, still mulling over the fact that Onyx had called and then texted for the first time in two days.
Two days after kissing me and making me think, believe, he was interested in more. If he’d been into me, he would have called or texted me that very night. Men and their weird games were why I didn’t date.
“You going to text him back?” Lola asked. I glanced away from the screen and looked at my best friend.
“I don’t think I should.”
“Really?” She put her small little hatchback in Park and rested her head on her headrest. “Because I saw you at the end of the night after you two went to breakfast,” she said, as if this was news to me.
“I know you did and—“
“And?” Her eyes were wide before she started to laugh. “And you looked like you were about to float on air.”
“And then he never called, Lola,” I pointed out seriously.
I hated how waiting around to hear from him had felt.
Then this afternoon, boom, there it was, a call.
Then a text. One I’d left on read. “Not once for two days. He went radio silent. Now he calls? And I’m supposed to what?
Jump and be happy because he’s giving me attention? Bend and give in?”
“Maybe he’s been busy?”
“You don’t think I get being busy, Lola? But too busy to text?”
“Maybe he’s not a big texter?” I opened and shut my mouth. “He is older. Maybe he doesn’t know how.” she added. I shook my head.
“My eighty-year-old grandma knows how to text,” I countered, and Lola’s smile faded away.
“I know,” she whispered. “But I just… I saw you. Not just the day you two…”
“Made out? It was just a kiss,” I blatantly lied.
It wasn’t just a kiss. It’d been everything I had ever been too afraid to dream about. The things he’d made me feel with only his mouth and hands had been out of this world.
“Just a kiss, my butt,” she called me out like a best friend would. “I saw you two together, talking and stuff, at the bar—“
“Where he said I wasn’t his type to some other guy?”
“So he would go away and not hit on you,” she said. “You told me he explained that and you got it.”
“He lied and then let me keep believing it for months.”
“I know. And that wasn’t right. He shouldn’t have done that,” she said, this time softer. “Look, you know I love you, right?”
“Right…”
“And I’m you’re my best friend, and I’m yours.”
“You know you are.” I braced because there was something about the way she was looking at me and sounded that had my guards moving up, and fast.
“So…” She paused, and I stared at her for a moment. “As your best friend who has seen all this unfold, including your little crush on him when we were kids…”
“Oh god!” I rolled my eyes. “I was a kid—"
“One more chance,” she cut me off. Her hazel eyes pleaded with mine. “Give him one more chance.”
“Give him…” I blinked and looked out at the brewery, paying closer attention than I had before.
The brewery was usually open seven days a week, and even if they were a little less busy on Sundays, there were normally more than two cars in the lot. Well, one being Lola’s and the other a very familiar white truck that belonged to one of the owners.
“What did you do?”
“You want the truth or a surprise?” She looked slightly guilty.
“Truth,” I answered, and she nodded.
“Onyx called me and asked me to help him help him.”
“With what?”
“To get you to talk to him,” she shared straight up, and I blinked. He called one of my best friends for help?
“Oh. That was kinda… sweet.” Crazy but sweet.
“And I told him to go to hell and hung up on him.” My head jumped to look at her.
“What?” I laughed. Lola was the sweetest person in the world. She cried when she had to kill a spider last week.
“I told him to go to hell. I’ve seen you and how sad you were after... I’m not stupid.”
“But we’re here.”
“Yeah… we’re here. He called again, and again, and again.” she shared with an eye roll I wasn’t used to seeing her do before finally cracking a smile. “Look, babe, the guy I talked to? He’s not going to need more than one chance.”
“You conspired to get me here?”
“I love when you use big words.” She winked. “I did, but I didn’t want you to go in completely blindsided. There’s no one here.”
“I can see that, Lola.” Her eyes shined brightly.
“He shut the whole place down for you. For this.”
“Shut the whole… what? Why?”
“You just have to get out of my car and go in there to see.” I guess she was done sharing now.
“And if I don’t want to?” I asked. My best friend simply shrugged her tiny delicate shoulders.
“Then we drive over to the wine bar and wake up hungover tomorrow and never mention Onyx Trejo or the fact you’ve been in love with him for ages ever again.”
“That easy, huh?”
“That easy,” she promised. I believed her. Lola always kept her word.
“This is crazy…” I mumbled but still reached over to unhook my seatbelt. “I can’t believe you helped set me up.”
“It’s super cute and romantic!” she squealed. “Trust me. Oh, and wait—“ She reached for her purse and handed me lip gloss. “Our favorite,” she pointed out, and I put some on before accepting the mint she offered. “Gorgeous like always.” She winked. “Go.”
“Go? Wait, you’re not coming with me?”
“Nope.” The ‘p’ popped, and then her face changed. “Well… unless you don’t feel safe being alone with him.” Genuine concern flashed in her eyes. I shook my head.
“No, nothing like that.” It was the opposite, really. It was crazy just how safe I felt. It was my heart I was worried about. “Fine.” I got out, fixing my white cardigan and pulling the baby blue square necked tank I’d put on when I thought we were going to do something holiday-ish.
“Don’t forget your hat!” She leaned over and handed me the soft pink elf hat we’d bought to match this year.
“Fine,” I mumbled, putting it on and fixing my hair. Hair, by the way, I’d worn down the last couple of days, all because he’d mentioned he missed seeing it down. “How do I look?”
“Stunning like always. Go! If you change your mind, I can be here in less than five, ‘kay?” she offered, and I knew Lola would be there if I needed her.
I walked to the front of the brewery and stopped.
Staring at the dark wood of the door, I breathed in deep.
My heartrate picked up a little with nerves.
I had no idea what the hell Onyx had planned, but something about this setup felt like a big deal.
Monumental, really. He’d shut the whole place down for me.
I glanced over my shoulder only to see Lola still in her little Subaru hatchback, her car running as she waved at me to go in. I knew she wouldn’t leave until I was safely inside. I blew a kiss at my best friend and then, without thinking about it again, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Nothing, and I mean nothing could have prepared me for the beautiful way the empty brewery was decorated. Soft warm twinkle lights were wrapped around every post and rafter. In the corner was the workshop Onyx and I had built and I had carefully painted.
“Hello?” I called out but didn’t hear anything or anyone.
I moved closer to the workshop area, smiling at the impressive Santa’s chair someone from city hall had let us borrow. The thing was beautiful. Big and ornate with gold-painted ornate wood arm rests and legs. The back and seat were made of a plush deep red velvet.
“What do you think?” Onyx’ deep voice sounded behind me, but I didn’t turn to face him.
“It looks good here,” I whispered. “You should do this yearly,” I added. He hummed with approval. His heavy footsteps sounded behind me until I felt his heat hit my back, and then one long arm wrapped around my waist and lips touched my temple.
“I’d do it for you.”
“Hmm…” I rolled my eyes.
“I’m sorry for not calling,” he apologized, and I turned to look at him.
My eyes widened at the getup he had on, and my lips twitched, but I didn’t full-on smile.
Fuck, Onyx Trejo looked good in everything I had ever seen him in, but a Santa suit?
Jesus. He could easily create a Santa through the year calendar for whatever cause the city needed next, and it would fly off the shelves. Internationally.
I didn’t even know I had a Santa kink, but right there, in his arms, looking up at him, I knew I’d do just about anything to be his good bad girl.
Or his bad good girl. It didn’t really matter if it meant I’d finally end up on his lap.
Stop thinking with your hoo-ha! a voice in my head shouted at me.
And as tempted as I was to ignore it, I couldn’t.
When people show you who they are, believe them, my grandma liked to say. Onyx had shown me a lot of who he was. Regardless of why he’d said what he’d said, he’d let me believe things that weren’t true for months.
And why? Because according to him, he didn’t have time for more and I was too young for him? There hadn’t been an extra twelve hours added to the day in the last three days, and our age difference hadn’t changed.
“Why didn’t you?”
“Life got a little crazy,” he said, and it stung a little.
“Okay, a lot,” he added. I worked two jobs and would have found the time.
If he wanted to, he would. I stepped out of his hold, and surprisingly enough, he let me.
But I didn’t get far. Not when his fingers took mine in a strong yet tender hold. “I have a surprise for you.”
“Look, Onyx, I get that you did something sweet but—“ The words died on my tongue when I saw the setup he’d created for us. “What is this?” I asked, blinking slowly as I took in the sight.
Right on the stage, where karaoke or bands played, were a bunch of pillows. Fuzzy- and soft-looking, surrounded by thick throw blankets.
“It’s an indoor picnic.” I looked at him.