Page 62 of Only Ever You

They watched Imara sit with Santa, followed more patiently by Maya, butpatientwas still a stretch. A woman in uniform helped pass along suspiciously colouring book shaped presents from a giant sack via Santa to the girls and every other child who hopped up there after.

“We have some big children here too, I see.” Santa scanned the gathering. “You, Miss?—”

Of course it would beFayewho he picked out. The look on her face said she hadn’t signed up for any audience participation.

This is too good.Bash nudged the low of her back until she shuffled forwards and glared at him over her shoulder. He choked on a chuckle at that scathing look.

Hands clasped, Faye went up to the bench.

“And what would you like for Christmas, young lady?” Santa looked all too pleased with himself as Faye lowered next to him. Bash took out his phone and snapped a quick picture to torment her with for years to come.

She whispered something to Santa, though Bash wasn’t adept enough to read her lips. He should be by now after staring at them for ten years. But he wasn’t.

“Ho! Ho!” Santa patted her knee and Bash zeroed in on those white gloved fingers touching her. “I will see what I can do about that,” he said merrily, winking.

Winking.Really?

Cherry faced, Faye wandered back to their group.

Bash waggled his brow. “I think Santa was flirting with you.” The jealous streak that shot through him wasn’t by choice.

“Shut up,” she muttered.

His eyes closed when he silently laughed at the kitten-like fury on her face, his stomach bouncing.

“And what about you, young man?” The obviously fake bellowing voice of Santa cut off Bash’s little world of fun, only to find a pair of eyes locked on him when his own flew open.

Shit.

He looked side to side and pointed to himself. “Me?”

“Yes. Come on up here.”

Bash’s pulse picked up a nervous pace. Faye snickered and nudged him forwards much more determinedly than he’d nudged her.

Clearing his throat, he sat up on the bench. Sitting rigidly, he shifted and fidgeted and pulled at the front of his coat, and with a hundred people watching him, he wished that karma didn’t exist.

When Faye sat up here, it was cute, but he definitely looked stupid. Dideveryoneneed to stare at him right then? Couldn’t these people amuse themselves for a minute? There was a reason why he hated doing stuff like this.

“And what’s your name?” Santa asked him.

Bash flicked his eyes towards his mother, Faye and Matt all pointing the cameras of their phones in his direction. “Sébastien.”

He had to be formal with Santa, of course.

“Ho! Ho! Sebastian.” Firstly,wrong.Nobody ever said his name right and he’d never get over it. Second, this volunteer really laid it on thick with theho ho ho’s. “What would you like for Christmas? Think hard, now.”

There was only one thing that came to mind.

Was he really going to take this seriously?

Apparently so.

Bash hid his mouth behind his hand, blaming how it trembled upon the cold. “For my best friend to maybe be in love with me too.”

“Ho! Ho! Ho!” The conspiratorial gleam in Santa’s eyes was outright concerning. “I think your wish, young man, will likely come true.”

What didthatmean? It sounded more ominous than the usual bit Santa served up to the children.

---