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Bella
Bella took the rest of the day off. Not because her brother insisted vehemently that she should go home. Also, not because Alicia messaged that the contractors arrived and were in the process of cleaning and replacing windows.
She took the rest of the day off because she needed to.
Lucas drove her home with the heat blasting since they were both jacket-less. Finally, after everything, Bella stood in her living room, alone, and fully appreciated how much she smelled of hot garbage. So, she luxuriated in a long, hot shower.
Patting her hair dry, Bella paced her apartment. Rarely did she stop or have a day off, even on the weekends. Now Bella had enough time to pause and think. Somehow, it was already less than two weeks before Christmas, and she only now realized that there wasn't a single Christmas decoration in her entire apartment.
With such a tiny apartment, Bella didn't have room to store all her belongings. Some of what she owned before Frontier Doctors furnished Lucas' condo. What she left behind sat in boxes in the condo next to Chris'. The one he'd bought for her. When she moved home, Bella took what she needed and left the rest in the unoccupied condo. Of course, Bella didn't need her Christmas decorations when she moved in.
Now? The small long space of her apartment felt empty and cold without lights, garland, and a tree. Bella had the sudden urge to fill every open space she could and add cheer to her gloomy few rooms.
Before she knew it, Bella was back in the subway and uptown. She resolved to call Chris' driver before he left work... both to help get her Christmas decorations back to her apartment and to piss Christian off that she'd stolen him. Just for fun.
Bella had the codes and keys to get on the Astor floor of The Century. Harold, the sweet older doorman with thick, Clooney-esque hair, pulled the door open and gave Bella a bow.
"Harold, grandkids still kicking ass in theatre?" Bella asked after hopping through the held open doorway.
“Charlie was Jo-Jo, and Kelsey was the snobby little girl. Charlie had me weeping the entire time.”
Aw. Bella's lip quivered. They'd been in the play 'A home for Jo-Jo.' Her mind played images of the kids she'd seen in pictures up on stage in cute costumes.
“Did you send the kids to...”
“... Jordan?” Harold paused, realizing he shouldn’t cut a woman like an Astor off, but Bella waved the thought away. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Don’t ‘ma’am’ me!” Bella hissed through a grin.
She'd been friends with Jordan longer than Lucas and Alicia, but not by much. In high school, Jordan has been her dance partner in ballet. They'd done countless performances together, to the point he tried to convince her that they could make a career of it. But Bella wouldn't be swayed from her dream.
Harold continued, "Charlie's taken to ballet like a duck to water." The doorman pulled out his phone and showed Bella a video of Charlie, the only other boy in class with Jordan. A small girl danced with Charlie, practicing a dance Jordan and Bella knew well. From Prokofiev's Cinderella.
Bella hated pulling herself away, but she needed to get upstairs before getting wrapped up for hours in Harold's stories. She waved at Madeline at the front desk, smashed the elevator button, and waited less than a minute for the elevator. Inside, she swiped the keycard for the Astor's secure floor and entered the current passcode.
The ride up was short and lonely, which didn't help how this building always felt like their building alone. Rarely did she see others since their floor was private.
Bella's sneakers squeaked on the marble tile floor between the runner and the door to what should be her condo. On sparse occasions, Bella watched movies at Lucas' place, reveling in her old couch. Lucas tried to make her take it back when she came home.
Unlocking the door, Bella crept inside a condo that was practically identical to Chris', except that all the new furniture was covered in dust cloths. New York's lit skyline shone through the windows on the far wall. Twinkling and pretty as she stood above all those other buildings. She sighed and headed for the bedroom.
Hidden in the back closet of the bedroom, Bella found her boxes of Christmas decorations. They were hidden behind Chris' random clothes, old decor, and more he didn't want taking up space in his closets. She sat on the floor, legs crossed, checking which box contained what. In the third box, Bella came across her Christmas ornaments. Unlike her mother's hundreds of plain glittery baubles that decorated the Astor Christmas trees every year, Bella's ornaments were a hodgepodge she'd collected over the years. Handmade ornaments from vacation spots around the world, packed in their own smaller padded boxes. Also, ornaments Bella made with Lucas and his little sister Lexi every year in Michigan.
It was like looking back in a time capsule. Obviously, the last five years were missing. But aside from the last several years, there were yearly pictures of Lucas and the twins, Alicia and Bella, just the twins and Lucas and Bella. They'd framed all the images in popsicle sticks and painted them the entire spectrum of the rainbow.
Bella held a few ornaments, remembering the first time Lucas invited the twins back home with him. He’d put his foot down that it was dumb for the twins to go back to New York and spend the holidays alone in their mansion when their parents were headed to Europe.
Lucas used pictures of him and the twins with their fishing score of the year in a few picture ornaments. Chris' scowl elicited a giggle. He only went fishing because Bella wanted to go. Yet, every year, without fail, he was up before dawn, helping load the Holt's SUV, without complaint, and went fishing with them, grimacing in every picture Bella took.
***
Lucas
“Did you convince Daniel to have my car cleaned?” The question finally popped out while Lucas rode the elevator with Chris to their floor.
"She was covered in crap. Actual crap. Of course, I did."
Lucas noticed his car smelled fresh, as close to the 'new car' interior smell as a decade-old car could get, as soon as he opened the door.
"You didn't have to come back to work," Chris said. "You could have taken the rest of the day." Chris ruffled his floppy curls around.
Sure, deprive Chris of the right to annoy the hell out of him the entire drive back from the office. It was Chris' favorite pastime when he didn't have a date. Somehow, the guy constantly stooped to riding home with Chris. A freaking CEO, and he was carpooling in Lucas' crappy Corolla half the week.
"Why?" Lucas countered instead with, "Trauma from hugging your crap-covered sister or the trauma from seeing Preston Warren... yet again?"
“I was thinking the first one.”
“I changed my shirt. Unlike you, I am not traumatized by the ordeal.”
If anything, he had renewed hope. Lucas couldn't remember the last time Bella looked honestly... happy.
The elevator opened to their private floor, and both boys abruptly stopped. Light spilled out from the open condo door next to Chris' condo. And then a crash reverberated up the hallway.
No one had access to their floor. Security was airtight in this building. Chris' head of security changed the passcode weekly.
Another crash!
Lucas quietly padded to his door and checked the handle. It was locked. Chris did the same. The door for the fourth condo, the one next to Lucas', was closed. Only the one next to Chris' condo was open.
Silent protests from Chris didn’t stop Lucas’ advances. Chris pressed his phone to his ear and slapped Lucas’ shoulder.
Fists raised to protect his face — from what, Lucas had no idea — Lucas hopped into the doorway.
Bella, in a clean sweater and jeans, her winter jacket on but unzipped, yelped and dropped a box of ornaments right near the threshold.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Chris squealed. Quickly, he turned around and told, presumably, the security office that there was no emergency.
“Picking up stuff that is mine. I still have a key, you know.”
Lucas kneeled, flipped open the top of the box, and saw himself staring back. Pictures of Bella and Chris and him from over the last dozen years.
"Shit." Chris pocketed his phone, took his keys out, and started flipping them around his finger. "You could have called ahead."
“Once again, I have a key. I own this floor with you. Name is literally on the title.”
Bella kneeled with Lucas. Fresh curls and the light scent of her perfume wafted to him. She looked more like Bella from before she’d gone into Frontier Doctors.
Her eyes met his, expectant and hopeful, and she asked, “Want to go get a Christmas tree tonight?”
"Huh?" Lucas was taken entirely off guard.
A glance at Chris didn’t help. Damn it! That stupid Cheshire grin crept across Chris’ face as he disappeared down the hall to his condo without another word.
Lucas turned back. Bella held the ornament that had been staring back at him a moment before. Their third Christmas together. A wistful smile crossed Bella’s face.
“Christmas tree?” Lucas asked. “I’m sure we can find one somewhere.”
Bella refused to leave the floor until she ensured any ornaments along the bottom of the box were safe after their fall. They both dove into the box, Lucas brushing Bella's hand with his. After all this time, how did those little touches still make his heart skip a beat or three?
Lucas’ brain slugged along, reconciling the Bella before him with the girl she’d been for the last 6 months.
"Do you know any places we can go pick out a tree, or should I call Chris' assistant?" She asked practically from inside the box. Bella pulled herself out, holding a broken ornament and pouting.
Without warning, his heart raced. Bella put the ornament back in the box and pulled another from the top. Another picture and another radiant smile broke free on her face.
“Ah, I can look some up.” Lucas grinned and pulled out his phone, willing his heart to slow down.
Bella slid the box into the hallway, where the light was brighter as the door to Chris’ condo swung open.
“Ok, there’s a place in...”
Chris stepped out in the hallway in a dashing black suit, sans tie.
Bella stood, pulling at glitter stuck to her sweater. The strange contrast between the two twins was quite pronounced. “Where are you going?”
"Meeting Kyle Devereaux at Fleur's Room. Do you want to come? Kyle..."
“You’re not coming with us?” Bella shot back. “Christmas tree!”
Fresh sweat beaded along Lucas’ hair and the back of his neck. No. NO, NO, NO!
"You two have that covered." Chris winked, sauntering to the elevator, whistling the most ANNOYING tune Lucas had ever heard. "Have fun!"
I’m going to murder him.
Lucas had no time to process Chris’ utter betrayal. Phone in her hand with an outgoing call ringing, Bella used her foot and flipped the box closed.
“What are you doing?”
“Your car is too small for a tree. Calling Phil.”
“Who is Phil?”
“Chris’ driver.”
“He’s leaving.”
"Yeah. He is." Her sudden laugh was so forceful that Bella snorted. "I'm going to make Phil an offer he can't refuse."
Oh...lord. THE Bella was back.
***
Lucas never asked how much Bella offered Phil to abandon his regular Astor passenger. But the man was waiting for them fifteen minutes later on the street in the Astor’s cheapest SUV. Which was still a Mercedes SUV, but who was counting?
Chris sent many texts to both Bella and Lucas. Bella’s were laced with veiled threats. Lucas’ messages were filled with prodding.
Phil drove them through Manhattan, eyes flicking up to meet Lucas' eyes often and lots of messages coming through on his cell phone too. Lucas could figure out who was texting their driver so much.
With all the pressure, Lucas felt the walls closing in on him. Everyone was expecting something. Eyes watching him.
“You’re unusually quiet.” Bella hummed, the mischievous grin she got when tormenting her brother visible in the light of a passing car.
His phone buzzed again and there was not enough energy in the world for him to read yet another text prompting him to make his move. And now the car was stiflingly hot.
“Today was... I...”
She fiddled with the zipper on her jacket. "I hope Chris didn't pawn off work to you or Daniel for the clinic. I should have made more of the calls. Or his assistant. Or I don't know... But then mother was there and.... Ugh!"
Lucas felt like he might choke on the lump in his throat. “I offered.”
“Ahem.” Phil cleared his throat. They'd come to a stop at the entrance of a lot lit with strings of lights over small rows of fir trees. Bella was out the door as Phil grabbed the handle. A small cart outside the fenced-in lot, manned by a lovely woman dressed in a red and white Mrs. Clause costume, a wig of short curls and all. Lucas ordered three hot cocoas. He handed one off to Phil and held the other as he stood next to the booth at the front. They sipped and watched, both smart enough not to get in Bella's way.
Enthralled with the trees, Bella was already hopping down the aisle, pulling out trees several feet taller than herself. The attendant on duty, a guy probably barely out of high school, tried insisting that he help Bella. Lucas tried to warn the guy, but Bella persisted. The threat of a looming slap hung in the air when the attendant attempted to help Bella hold a tree. Finally, after measuring nearly every tree in the lot, Bella chose one only slightly taller than herself. Lucas could easily touch the top without a step stool to add the star.
“You’re sure you want that one?” Lucas asked after realizing he was taller than the tree.
Her smile glowed in the moonlight. “It’s me sized!”
“Then it’s perfect.”
Bella wouldn’t let anyone else pay for her tree, including Phil, who would have just been using Astor money anyway. The attendant was nearly thrown into oncoming traffic when Bella insisted on tying the tree down with Lucas. It wasn't their first tree wrangling. Michigan Christmases with Bella and Chris had included everything from ice fishing to obtaining an emergency Christmas Tree the day before Christmas Eve for the Holt's elderly neighbor, Mrs. Griffin. One year her grandchildren couldn't make it to Kalamazoo, so Mrs. Griffin had no reason to buy a tree until Bella found out. They spent an entire afternoon with Mrs. Griffin baking cookies, trimming the tree, etc. Lucas found Bella over at Mrs. Griffin's house, late on Christmas Eve, drunk off Mrs. Griffin's family eggnog recipe and singing Christmas carols off-pitch.
Bella stood in the back passenger doorway, tossing Lucas the other end of the rope to loop around the bottom of the tree before they tied it off. When Lucas' knot was done, he tried to see if Bella was finished, but the tree blocked his view.
He circled the SUV. Bella still stood in the doorway, yanking the knot tight. She shivered in the frigid night. With no gloves, her hands were raw and chapped. Lucas came up behind her, holding his gloves up for her to take, and placed his other hand on her back so she wouldn’t fall if he startled her.
“Hey! Uh...” Bella started. Words died on her tongue.
Lucas almost let her go. They were so close, and Bella wobbled, losing her balance. She draped her arm around his neck to steady herself, but otherwise, she was speechless, eyes locked on Lucas’. His chest squeezed tight.
Quietly, Phil cleared his throat. The cars behind them were waiting for the Astor car to move so they could park close to the tree lot. Even though he thought his heart might burst, Lucas placed a hand on Bella's waist and helped her down from the doorway. Drawing her into him when he almost lost his grip. His hands held her waist, and Bella's arms lingered at his neck. Their eyes never left the others. Both were breathing hard, in sync. The world around them dimmed.
“Mr. Holt, sir?”
Phil’s voice broke the spell.
“Yeah. We should...”
“... we should go.” Bella straightened up, tucking Lucas’ gloves in her pocket. She flashed a sheepish smile and pitched her head at the SUV.
Lucas climbed into the SUV first, flushed.