All Chapters of Meet-Cute Me Under the Mistletoe: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

*Holly* Now that we were just two weeks from Christmas, the bookstore was getting crazy busy. And since I was done with school, I had started working longer hours. But it would be short lived. I had planned to make it through the holiday season with my bookstore job. I wasn’t rude enough to quit at peak busy season. But I’d just gotten confirmation this morning that I’d been accepted for a position as a teacher’s aide that I would start at the beginning of the year, after Christmas vacation was over. It was only a few weeks away. When I applied for that job one of those restless nights a couple weeks ago, I didn't think they’d take me. I was too fresh out of college, and I was only twenty-one. But I supposed my parents had taught me to be responsible since I was young and I’d been so dedicated to my studies that I never got in the habit of nonsense, so that probably made me seem more mature to most people. Now, I was excited for it. I had something to look forward

*Holly*Something in my gut was telling me to go for it with Patrick. I really enjoyed his company, I felt like I could talk to him forever, and he most definitely wasn’t bad to look at. Sure, he had a little baggage as did anyone, and Emily was a pretty big piece of baggage, but all in all, I didn’t find a single reason why he couldn’t potentially be better than my velvet-suited mystery man. At least, it wasn’t unreasonable to continue hanging out with him. Right?I was honestly surprised and proud that I had asked him to join me at the gingerbread house building event. But after talking to him some more at the toy drive and finding out that he loved Christmas almost as much as me, I thought it would be better to ask him than to drag along Abigail, who would say yes but drag her feet, or to even attempt to get Gretchen to pull herself away from her boyfriend long enough. Patrick and I were alike in that aspect, and that excited me. And… after the date, of course, especially after he

*Holly*I was practically floating like a snowflake on the wind in the morning, still high off of my winter night walk with Patrick. I was so touched that he felt comfortable enough to open up to me about his family. He had had a tough time losing all of these people who were so important to him. It was so gut-wrenchingly beautiful that he’d maintained such a bright outlook on life and such a cheery disposition in spite of these major losses. I couldn't imagine what it would be like. I still had both of my parents and all my grandparents. It just didn't seem fair. But I was amazed by Patrick. I looked up to him in that regard. He was truly a great guy.Then there was that moment we almost kissed. At least, it really seemed like that was what was about to happen, before the kids in the park started whooping and hollering, anyway.As I worked through the morning, I thought about that night. I wondered what made him want to be so vulnerable with me. I wondered how we could have connecte

*Holly*I felt bad for being curious. I had decided it wasn't my place, that it was better if I just left Patrick alone. But when I got a text message from a random number saying that Emily and Patrick were together in front of his house, my curiosity got the best of me. Were they fighting? Were they ending it for real? Could I possibly stop ignoring him and get back to hanging out with him like I really wanted?It was such a shame. I really wanted the best for Patrick. While I knew Emily’s problems had nothing to do with me, I could tell my involvement was just making things worse. I figured it would be better for everyone to get over this if I would just step back for a while. And then maybe later on–just maybe–I could start seeing him again when she had finally stopped. So I tugged on a sweater and a hat and slipped on my boots. I found Abigail standing in the kitchen, snacking on a bag of chips.“Abbi,” I said.She almost jumped out of her socks, flinging a few chips across the s

*Holly*The morning was fresh with new-fallen snow. I wasn’t due to go to work until ten o’clock, so I spent my morning drinking hot cocoa and trying to read. But I couldn’t focus on the book, and my hot cocoa didn’t taste as sweet as usual. I didn’t even eat the whole first round of marshmallows. I hated to admit it, but I felt like my holiday spirit had been sucked dry. Maybe occasionally in the past, I would feel this way for a day or two because I felt like the world was too far beyond repair, or because I’d had a fight with my roommate back at college. Maybe once I had a crisis trying to decide if what I was going to school for was really what I wanted to do. Of course, I got over all of those. But this time, the nagging feeling of apathy was just hanging around far too long. Even Abigail was at a loss, and she was always the one to find a way to cheer me up. I’d never been lovesick before, and I wondered if this might be what it was like. I knew I needed to get over it. It wa