16 Hours Ago

A sharp, searing pain in my neck forces me to open my eyes. I blink away the sleep while I try to orient myself to my surroundings. My upper body is sprawled over my desk in my work office and my cheek is pressed against sheets of paper. What time is it? It's light outside, so I must've fallen asleep here last night. I start rubbing at the sore spot this unnatural angle of my head is causing and then a throat clears before me.

My body jerks up and I see my boss, Chief Operating Officer, Brendon, standing in front of my desk.

"Morning, Tristan," he says.

"Brendon. I-uh." I'm still trying to get a hold of my senses, quickly running a hand through my hair and wiping at my eyes. "How's it going?"

"Listen, I'm not here to chit chat. I'm here to talk about next steps." He shoves his hands in the pockets of the gray suit jacket he also wore yesterday and memories of my worst day in history come flooding back to me.

Yesterday was the day we found out our company founder has been bleeding us dry and we're nearing bankruptcy. I fielded calls, attended emergency meetings, and answered questions from rightfully disgruntled employees that I didn't even know the real answers to myself. At one point I think I was rubbing the back of an engineer who started hurling.

"Spoke with the board and we think it's best if we hit the brakes for a little bit."

"Hit the brakes? What do you mean?" I wipe my mouth in case any dried up drool is there.

"We've hired a company to help sort out this mess over the next couple of weeks. So, go enjoy the holidays and be ready to work when you get back after New Years. All projects are on hold until this gets cleaned up."

Icy hot sensations prickle over my skin. "What about the contingency plans I put together yesterday? Did you see it? Taking a break might delay us even more than necessary."

"You're a good worker, Tristan. This decision was already made by the board and we're moving forward with it." He sighs and I notice the deep lines underneath his eyes. "Look, I know you were hoping for that promotion, but as you can clearly see, we're in no position to be granting any promotion or merit requests right now. Don't tell anyone I'm saying this, but we're even nearing some potential layoffs that could impact all of us. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of this time. Go visit family, or travel abroad, and start looking for new work just in case."

My stomach sinks to my ankles and nausea fills me. That promotion. The one I've been working day and night for...It's gone? Just like that?

And not only is it gone, but I could be out of a job in a couple of weeks if this outside vendor doesn't help us turn things around?

Wow, this fucking sucks.

Brendon leaves and I rest my head back on my desk. I feel like an overcooked egg that has no runny yolk left in it. My emotions are all over the place and I can't think straight anymore.

I'm completely, utterly exhausted.

After packing up some of my things, I leave the nearly empty office floor, which looks like an apocalyptic wasteland. I've been running at five hundred miles per hour for the past twenty four hours and a forced slow down to zero is giving me whiplash. I take a deep breath trying to steady the firing neurons in my body. I'm still in shock. What could I have done to save the company from this? That thought is going to haunt me for a very long time.

Maybe Brendon is right. Maybe I should take a break. It's been so long since I've been with my family for Christmas. A glimmer of something light breaks through the mass of exhaustion when I think about how Mom, Dad, and Fiona would react if I surprised them at the cabin.

The more I think about it, the more the idea settles into my bones. I have to go. If I stay and work anyway, I'll burn myself into a coma, and if I stay and don't work, misery will somehow throw me into a coma. With steady, determined steps, I start processing a plan and head back to my apartment. I'll need to pack and try to get on the next possible flight out.

***

After two flight bumps and endless delays, I've finally touched down in Vermont. Even though it's past midnight and likely no one will be awake when I get home, just the fact that I'm here now is like a soothing aloe balm to a painful wound.

I didn't realize how much I needed to be here. As I watch the familiar airport through the oval window, nostalgia comes through with full force, threatening to close my throat up. I miss this place. I miss my family.

I pull up my phone and scroll through the mass of notifications. I haven't had the space or the mental capacity to read or reply to anyone's texts in the past two days. My heart skips a beat when I spot three notifications from Granny Panties.

GP: Do you think we'll ever meet in person someday?

GP: BB?? Are you still there?

GP: Okay clearly you can't be trusted to not have a heart attack for my mere ponderings. Hope your recovery is going well, BB!

A smile tugs at my lips. She's so adorable, I can't stand it. As the plane reaches the gate, I shoot off a reply.

Me: I think it'd be really cool if we met in person someday. Maybe sometime in the new year we can plan something?

I've definitely thought about asking her to meet up before, though with the little extra time I've had it hasn't been a possibility. But now, who knows? I may be out of work in about a month, and could see myself taking a trip to California. My muscles twitch at the thought. What would she think of me if she saw me? Would meeting ruin things between us? I can't imagine that it would.

Besides, it's not like anything beyond friendship could ever happen between us. GP has made it very clear she's sworn off romantic relationships no matter how much I try and flirt with her. And I'm not exactly in a good spot right now. I shoot out another text before filing out of the plane.

Me: Also, sorry for the delayed response. The past couple of days have been a shit show, and long story short I decided to take a break from work and go spend the holidays with my family. So, no heart attack here. Just managing an itchy scalp from the stress of it all is the extent of my physical ailments.

As soon as I make it outside of the airport, I inhale the cold air deeply. It feels damn good to be here.

I grab a taxi and get to my parents' house in less than thirty minutes. As to be expected, the lights are out and everyone seems to be asleep. My insides vibrate as I use my spare key and step into the warm space. Everything is decorated exactly how I remember it. The smell of fresh pine and citrus coming from the large tree in the living room reaches my nostrils and it's like aromatherapy for the soul.

I tip toe upstairs to my room with my carry-on luggage in tow. I can't wait to sleep in my bed and see everyone's reactions tomorrow morning when they find out I'm here.

Opening the door, I'm greeted with complete darkness. Only faint outlines of the shelves and my bed can be seen as I step into the carpeted room. I throw my things on the ground and walk to my bedside lamp.

I turn the light on and my heart nearly jumps out of my chest when I take in a figure sleeping under my navy blue comforter. "Holy shit!" I exclaim and step back.

The woman's eyes blink open, revealing dark brown irises mixed with some specks of gold. When she registers my presence, she gasps and clutches the blanket. "Oh my God! Please don't kill me!"

"What?" I glance around, making sure I'm at the right house and this is indeed my room. Yep, all my stuff from my childhood is still here.

This woman is shaking like a leaf with the comforter held up to her chin. I draw my brows together, muscles tightening. "Miss, wh-who are you? What are you doing in my room?"

She stops shaking. "Wh-what?" She jolts up and the blanket falls down, revealing a thin white tank top and erect nipples pressing against the fabric. I shift on my feet and look up at her face. Her dark brown hair cascades over her shoulders framing a lightly freckled face with high cheekbones. My breath is suddenly caught in my throat.

Am I dreaming right now? I just came home to find a very attractive woman, who is practically naked with that top barely covering her slender frame, in my bed. Is this some sort of prank? Did my buddies know I was coming here and do this to mess with me?

She pulls out a night guard from her mouth and wipes her full lips with the back of her hand. Okay, why did her removing a dental appliance look sexy though?

"A-are you the Londer son? What's his name? Titan or something?" she asks and her sleep-filled, hoarse-tinged voice rings at something I've heard before. But I can't place it.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Tristan. This is my room." I scratch at the back of my neck and absentmindedly flex my bicep a little. I can't stop looking down at this woman's nipples. They're like two high beams in a dark stormy night. I know if I stare too long I'll go blind.

"I thought you weren't coming home this year. I was told this room was up for grabs." Her gaze briefly travels down my body in assessment, and I'm suddenly itching to know what this stranger thinks of me. When she looks back up and our gazes lock again, something moves in her irises, causing my stomach to shift.

"I wasn't but then I changed my mind at the last minute. I wanted to surprise everyone."

"Oh" is all she responds with.

"So, um, who are you? It's not everyday I find a beautiful woman in my childhood bedroom."

Lifting a hand, she says, "Save it. I'm not the right sister." She sighs and shifts in the bed. My bed.

"Uh-what?"

"I'm Zoey. My sister Erika is in the room with the big ass mirror."

Zoey? Erika? Neither name rings a bell. I grimace. "What? There are more people I don't know here?"

Her thick brows squish together for a moment before her face softens. "Ohh, you don't know?"

"Know what?"

Zoey smiles and the room brightens a couple of notches. "Nothing. Sorry. Your parents invited my family over for Christmas."

"My parents never invite people over for Christmas."

"Well, they did this year. It's a special year apparently and you're just in time for the fireworks." She grabs her phone from the bedside table as if she's bored with this conversation. Her smile comes back in full force whenever she sees whatever is on her phone. With a smile like that it's probably a boyfriend. Lucky guy.

"So are we sharing the bed tonight, or what? I usually sleep on that side so you'll have to scooch over. If you're not a scoocher, I'd be more than happy to spoon or take part in some other adult activities." I can't help myself. This woman is too pretty.

She drops her phone and crosses her arms, pushing her boobs up. God almighty, does she know what she's doing?

"No. I'm already here, you perv. You can go somewhere else. Also, would you stop staring at my tits?"

I let out a huff of a laugh through my nostrils. Who is this person? "Well, it's kind of difficult when you're wearing one ply tissue paper. Also, you're literally pushing them up right now. So would you stop shoving them in my face?" Forget playing Mr. Nice Guy. I've had the worst two days ever and I'm not about to let some stranger who's in my bed whine at me. "And this is my room. I'm sleeping in my bed."

She scowls and uncrosses her arms, giving me a full view, as if daring me to look down. I force my gaze to stay on her face even though every instinct in me is telling me otherwise.

"Listen, Tyler."

"Tristan."

"Whatever. It's late and I need to go to bed. I don't have time to argue with you about the sleeping arrangements that have already been decided upon. Go take it up with someone else."

"I think that's something you should do seeing as this is my family's house. You can ask me," I press a finger to my chest, "a member of the Londer family, if you want, but I don't think you'll like the answer."

"Didn't you ever learn to not be rude to guests? I'm already settled here and still half asleep so I'm staying. You can leave and think about how you can be better at planning for travel trips. Goodnight." She switches the light off and settles aggressively back into bed.

Like hell I am. This brat isn't going to kick me out of my own room. Taking my sweet ass time, I get ready for sleep. Zoey lets out little huffs of annoyance but maintains her position. After brushing my teeth, washing my face, and gargling Listerine for a very acceptable amount of time in the adjoining bathroom with the door open, I change into sweatpants and make my way over to the other side of the bed.

"If you lie down there I promise you I will strangle you in your sleep," she says through the darkness.

"Kinky. I could be into it."

"I'll scream and wake this whole house up."

"Great, go ahead, sweetheart." I bounce onto the other side of the bed and Zoey switches the light on.

Her eyes snag over my bare chest and the fury she's about to unleash momentarily stifles. She's either checking me out or looking for an area to stab. I bite back a smirk as she quickly recovers. "Y-you've got to be kidding me," she says with nostrils flared.

"I never joke. Goodnight," I say and lean over her to turn the lamp off. Even though I don't touch her, the heat of her body seeps into my skin and I swear I hear her breath hitch. A cinnamon and vanilla type of scent tingles in my nose as I pull on the switch.

A second later, my pillow is snatched out from under my head. What the-? Soon after, the blanket is pulled out from under me. I turn on the lamp on my side of the bed and see her gathering any possible thing around us into her arms.

"I'm going downstairs. Enjoy your bed," she says with her arms full of pillows and blankets, leaving the bed completely bare.

"Oh my God! Would you calm down?" I sigh, pressing my fingers to the bridge of my nose. My mom actually might kill me if she saw this girl sleeping on the couch after being promised this bed. Zoey is about to get up but I stop her. "Alright, alright! You win. Just for tonight only. Tomorrow, I get my room back."

"Thank you for your gracious hospitality, Terry. Goodnight. Close the door on your way out."

Rolling my eyes, I grab my sweatshirt. With the door left purposely open, I leave my room and make my way downstairs to the living room. Why the hell did Mom and Dad invite people over this Christmas? Christmas is supposed to be family-only, not spending time with entitled strangers.

As I settle into the couch, my phone alerts me to a new message. When I look at it, I smile, tension instantly releasing from my shoulders. If there's anyone that can turn my day around it's this girl.

GP: Yaay! I'm so so proud of you for taking time off! This will be the best Christmas for you yet! I just feel it. ♥️