Page 39 of A Man for the Holidays

“Who?”

“John. You know, the one that brought him to life, he’ll know what to do.”

I place one hand around his neck and the other just below his ass when I hear Paige say, “Spencer, it’s too late, there isn’t anything we can do.”

“No. It’s not. Come on, help me, please.”

“Spencer, you have to let this go. It’s over.”

“No. Don’t you dare fucking say that. It isn’t over. I can’t lose him Paige. I just can’t.”

I focus my eyes on Quinn as he stares motionlessly out the window and I remember the ending in that movie with Olivia Newton-John playing the mannequin and I realize what I must do. I look up at the digital clock display on the wall, and with less than one minute to midnight, I press my body against his and wrap my arms around him tightly then call out to Paige.

“Please, Paige. Help me save him,” I beg.

“Spencer––”

“Please, Paige we don’t have a lot of time. Please,” I plea, through tears.

“Spencer, it’s just a statue.”

“Please don’t say that Paige, he’s real in every way, shape and form, just please help me save him.”

I look at her face with pleading eyes and she looks back at me, her own eyes welling with tears as she finally moves forward. She reaches out and takes Quinn’s hand, then wraps her other arm around his waist until her fingers meet mine and we intertwine them. I close my eyes tight and think of nothing else, but the magic Quinn and I shared. Remembering how good he felt in my arms and in my bed and the passion the two of us shared. All of that was very much real, and I want nothing more than to have it all again with him… forever. Keeping my eyes closed, I continue to hold onto him tight just as I hear the clock strike midnight. I focus long and hard on nothing else except Quinn, and I feel Paige’s grip on my fingers tighten as I hold onto the man with every ounce of love and strength I have in my body as the clock continues to chime as the clock strikes midnight, but I feel nothing. Slowly, I open my eyes and angle my head up at Quinn who still stares out of the window completely motionless. I look down at Paige, she still has her eyes closed and a tight grip on Quinn’s hand, but he still remains lifeless. I stare deep into his eyes, remembering the lust I once saw in them, praying that he’s still in there somewhere.

When he still doesn’t move, I look down at Paige who slowly opens her eyes. She then looks at me and says, “I’m sorry, Spencer.”

A tear slides down my cheek as she releases her grip from my fingers, and around Quinn’s waist. Paige then gets to her feet and presses her body to mine as another tear streams down my cheek, and when she wraps her arms around me, I remove my hold from Quinn and cry into her shoulder, as she embraces me in a tight, warm hug.

“Come on, let’s go home,” she says.

She makes her way toward the door, opens it and stands in the doorjamb, then turns around to face me. I step down off the display box, then start making my way toward her and stop suddenly. I then turn around to look at Quinn one last time, and hear Paige call out my name.

“We need to get out of here before the cops catch us, after all, we are breaking and entering,” she says.

I nod, then look up at Quinn and say, “Merry Christmas, Quinny.”

As Paige steps out of the room, I inch toward the door but then stop and turn back around to Quinn and without another thought, I step back up onto the display box, wrap my arms around his neck, then lean forward and press a kiss to his lips.

“Spencer, what are you doing?” Paige whispers loudly.

I ignore her and keep my lips on Quinn, not exactly sure why or what I’m expecting to happen, but from the very beginning, this was a wacky and crazy obsession. After all, I fell in love with a mannequin, so what’s one last kiss, right?

I pull my lips away, then untangle myself from around him, “I’ll always love you, Quinn,” I say as I step off the display box and head out the door. We slowly and cautiously make our way through the aisles, being extra careful not to damage any of the displays as we head toward the back entrance of the store. I wipe the tears from my eyes with my sleeve and as Paige and I push through the door, I hear a familiar voice call my name. I stop walking and immediately spin around to see Quinn standing completely naked by one of the discounted clothing racks.

“Do you really love me?” he asks.

A wide smile spreads across my face and I leap forward, running toward the man and crash into him, wrapping my arms around his waist while I press my mouth to his. His lips are warm and soft, just as I remember them from our first kiss, I feel him wrap his arms around my waist and he pulls me in closer, deepening the kiss. I can’t believe it, he’s actually here, alive, a real-life person, and I love him, really, I do. I hear Paige clear her throat rather loudly beside me, and I quickly pull away from Quinn then turn and look at her.

“As romantic as all this is, I don’t think anyone wants to see a naked man walking around the mall in the middle of the night.”

Quinn and I smile, then pull Paige in for a group hug, squeezing each other tight. And when she pulls away, she reaches for one of the coats on the display rack and helps Quinn into it. She then reaches into her pocket, pulls out some cash and wanders over to the counter. I notice her scribble something on a piece of paper. She places the note and money on the counter and makes her way back over toward us.

“Can we get out of here now?” she asks.

We nod our heads in agreeance, and I slide my arm around Quinn’s waist, and he does the same around mine. Then I take Paige’s hand, and the three of us walk out of the store and head home.

One Year Later…

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