Page 25 of Touchdown Under the Mistletoe
“Grandma, that’s not what this is,” I protest, but everyone’s already laughing and moving on to the next gift.
The present exchange continues for another half hour. All the while, Riley keeps glancing at the stationery box I got her, running her fingers over the paper like it’s made of the most precious material in the world.
After the living room is covered in wrapping paper and Rosie has thoroughly exhausted herself destroying ribbons, people start to disperse. Some head to the kitchen to help with Christmas dinner prep, while others settle in to watch whatever Christmas movie marathon is on TV.
“I need to make a phone call for work. I’ll be upstairs,” I announce to no one in particular.
Once I’m in my room, I close the door and pull out my phone. My hands are steadier than I expected as I pull up Sienna’s number. It’s early afternoon here, which means it’s late morning in L.A. She should be awake.
Sienna answers on the third ring. “Travis, my fake boyfriend. Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas, Sienna. Do you have a minute to talk?”
“Of course. What’s up? Oh, God, is this about those photos from the ice rink? Because Maxwell already handled that. The statement went out; it’s all smoothed over.”
“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about.” I run a hand through my hair. “The statement. The photos. All of it.”
“Okay. Spill.”
“I can’t do this anymore, Sienna. The fake relationship. The PR campaign. I’m done.”
“I know the photo thing was stressful, but it’s handled. We just need to lie low for a few weeks, maybe do one more public appearance together after New Year’s, and in a few months, we can leave this whole fake thing behind us.”
“No. I mean, I’m done.Now. I want to end the contract.”
“But what about your endorsement deals? The penalties for breaking the contract early could cost you millions.”
“I know. I’ve thought about it. All of it. And I’m still done. This whole thing was a mistake from the beginning. I should never have agreed to it. And this has nothing to do with you, by the way. I respect you and value you as a friend.”
Sienna is quiet for a long moment. “Oh, thank God,” she finally says.
“What?”
“Travis, I’ve been wanting to end this for weeks. I just didn’t know how to bring it up without seeming unprofessional or hurting your career. This whole thing has been exhausting. Do you know how hard it is to pretend to be in love with someone you don’t have feelings for? No offense.”
“None taken. I’ve been thinking the same thing.”
“Look, you’re a decent guy. You’re hot. But we’re not meant to be, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And honestly? There’s this guy—my co-star from the movie. I’ve been wanting to ask him out for weeks, but I couldn’t doanything about it because of our contract. So if you’re ending this, you’re actually doing me a favor.”
I can’t help but smile. “So you’re not going to fight me on this?”
“Are you kidding? I’m going to help you. We’ll coordinate with our teams and make it look mutual. That way, the sponsors can’t claim either of us violated the contract because it’s a joint decision. We might still take a small financial hit, but nothing like what would happen if one of us broke it unilaterally.”
“Sienna, thank you. Really.”
“Thank me by going after that girl from the photos. Riley, right? The way you looked at her in those pictures.” She sighs. “That’s how someone should look at the person they’re with. I hope my co-star looks at me like that someday.”
“I think you should tell him how you feel.”
“I think you should take your own advice first,” she says with a laugh. “Merry Christmas, Travis. I mean it. Go get your girl.”
After we hang up, I sit there for a moment, letting it sink in. It’s done. The fake relationship is over. I’m finally free. And more importantly, I’m free to tell Riley how I feel.
I get up and rummage through the back of my closet, where I left a box of things I didn’t take with me when I moved out. I grab the stacks of letters I exchanged with Riley, decades ago, and read one of them. Then two. I can’t stop grinning. Can’t stop thinking about how cute she was with her stickers and gel pens in all colors of the rainbow.
