This Christmas. Katlyn Duncan

hair slides over her shoulder, revealing her profile. Any other person could assume she must be here for Nathaniel, but his predilection for men suggests otherwise.

      My mouth drops open as the seconds drag on. I have no words, but millions of thoughts swirl through my mind. Horrible thoughts. Will and this chick naked thoughts. I came here to surprise Will. Maybe he thought I was still in my finals and didn’t bother hiding his side-piece? I envision our entire relationship flushing down the proverbial toilet as this girl takes my place. The place of a girlfriend who hasn’t had time for her boyfriend for much of the past four months.

      She closes the door and turns around. We’re shrouded in darkness again and I blink a few times to readjust my eyes. She flies back against the refrigerator, knocking a few magnets to the ground.

      “Holy shit!” Her hand covers her mouth and she reaches for the light switch under the cabinets. If at all possible, seeing her in full light flares the jealousy that burns inside my chest. How can she be even more attractive in the horrible green-tinged light above the sink? My cheeks burn.

      “You scared the shit out of me, Hadley.”

      My name on her lips strikes me and I come out with the lamest response. “How do you know my name?”

      A slow smile spreads across her face. “Will’s told me all about you.”

      His name sends waves of adrenaline through me. I can’t look at this girl. Without another word I spin on my heel and march towards his room. I’ve had enough of her face, I need to hear it from the horse’s mouth. The cheating horse’s mouth. Heat pricks at the back of my eyes but I turn the handle of his door and push it open. It slams off the wall, but all I can focus on is his wide-eyed stare. His chest is bare but I ignore the adorable tousled bedhead I hoped to see a minute ago as he finishes pulling up his boxers.

      “Hadley?”

      My voice has returned. “Who is she?”

      Will’s gaze flicks over my shoulder. I can feel the girl there but I don’t turn around. My breathing is ragged with each passing silent second. But he does something I don’t expect.

      He laughs.

      Laughs!

      “What’s so funny?” I ask, my voice finally betraying the jumble of emotions flooding me.

      “Hadley,” he says shaking his head. “Becky is my sister. Stepsister.”

      I balk. “You’re sleeping with your step sister?”

      Becky snorts from the other room.

      This time I turn around. I only see her legs resting over the side of the couch.

      I turn back around and Will is in front of me, grinning. “I am not sleeping with my stepsister. She’s been staying over. On the couch,” he adds the last part quickly.

      This is the first time I’ve heard of her existence. My leftover rage has my hands shaking. I clasp them together. “Since when do you have a stepsister?”

      “That’s my fault,” Becky offers.

      I turn around to face her.

      She flicks on the lamp on the side table. “I had a different idea of meeting the infamous Hadley Beauman that Will hardly stops talking about.” She winks at him then continues. “But my idiot boyfriend broke up with me last week and locked me out of the apartment. I needed a place to crash.”

      I narrow my eyes at Will. He leans against the door frame, massaging the back of his neck. He’s uncomfortable.

      At least it’s not just me.

      I glance at Becky. “Excuse us for a minute.”

      I brush past Will, entering his room. He closes the door.

      I turn the light on, not wanting any more surprises. “She’s been here for a week and you didn’t tell me?” I try to steady my voice, but it cracks. Ever since Will came back to our hometown after his two year disappearance from my life, he held secrets from me. But I thought that was over when we made it official and moved to a new city together.

      Will leans his back against the dresser, meeting my eyes. “We haven’t seen each other in two weeks. You were distracted with finals. She’s been here for me…”

      She’s been here for him since I wasn’t. “Will, I can’t just give up on school to hang out with you. That might have worked a few months ago, but I really want to do well.”

      He crosses the room and fixes his gorgeous hazel eyes on me. I fight to keep my stern expression even though I want to melt into his arms. His warm hands wrap around my wrists and he pulls me closer to him, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “I understand that. But Becky wanted to meet you properly. She wanted to wine and dine you.” He smirks. “Well, she wanted me to wine and dine the both of you.”

      He cracks my facade and I drop my head, resting my cheek against his bare chest. His arms wrap around me and I inhale. He smells like soap. One thing he never forgets is to shower after a shift at the restaurant.

      “I’m so stupid,” I say against his chest. I don’t really know how to tell him about my insecurities over our relationship for the past month. I have my own life and he never complained, so I have no right to go off on him like I did. Especially over his family.

      “You’re not stupid,” he says, his chest vibrating against my cheek. “A little crazy, maybe. But not stupid.”

      I chuck him lightly on the arm and lean my head back. I stand on my tip toes and press my lips against his grin.

      “School’s over,” I say, a little breathless after kissing him. I didn’t realize how much I missed him. “And you promised we’d see the tree.”

      He bites his lower lip. “Again?”

      Little did he know I made daily side-trips from class just to see the amazing spectacle at Rockefeller.

      “At night,” I protest. “When you can actually see how pretty it is.”

      I feel his hesitation and want to ask him why, but he let’s go of me and starts to rifle through his dresser. He pulls out a shirt and lifts it over his head, hiding his amazing chest. He opens the bedroom door and leaves me standing in his room by myself.

      Lately I’ve been getting the sense that we’re moving backwards in our relationship. I hardly thought bringing it up in front of Becky was the time to deal with it. I have three weeks off from school and I don’t intend to waste them.

      I leave the room and hear Will moving around the kitchen. Becky is sitting up on the couch now, watching TV, but the walls are thin. She probably heard everything.

      I sit on the arm of the couch. “It’s nice to meet you,” I say awkwardly.

      Her legs are covered by a blanket and propped on the coffee table. She grins up at me. “Sorry about the secrecy.” She pats the cushion next to her and I slide into the indicated spot. “I don’t have many girl friends. I wanted to impress you.” She laughs to herself but quickly sobers. “I hope I didn’t cause an argument,” she says in a low voice.

      I glance at the kitchen where Will is pulling ingredients and pans out to make breakfast. Ever since he started working at the restaurant he picked up a few tricks. I hope he’s making the same buttermilk pancakes he made the last time I stayed over.

      I shake my head and face the television. “It’s nothing.” Nothing but the same old silent argument we’ve been having. Probably the same reason I jumped to conclusions about Becky’s presence in the apartment.

      She nudges me in the arm. “Will’s nuts about you.” She flicks her eyes in the direction of the kitchen then back to me. “I think I might have an idea.” She rifles through the blankets, looking for something. I attempt to help her as she frantically pulls all the blankets away. I scoot over as she releases a quilt from under me. Her hands disappear between the cushions