The Holiday Hoax

Welcome To The Chaos

‘Are you nervous?’ I heard Miles ask. His voice sounded distant, regardless he was sitting next to me.

‘A little; yeah,’ I glanced at him. ‘It’s been years since I saw them. I don’t know…’

He doesn’t say anything but instead wrapped his hand around mine, giving it a little squeeze.

It made me relax a little, but I was still anxious.

‘I can’t wait to see them though,’ I glanced at him again. ‘You’re going to love them, trust me.’

‘I hope not,’ Miles chuckled.

It’s been five hours of driving, and we were almost close to the farmhouse. The sun was high up in the sky when we passed a sign that read:

WELCOME TO PINE RIDGE.

The town was exactly how I had last seen it- Christmas lights on every lamppost, snow piled in perfect drifts, the kind of small-town charm that felt manufactured until you realized it was genuine.

It was aggressively picturesque.

‘Looks like one of those towns in Christmas movies,’ Miles pointed out.

I didn’t answer. Rather I focused on driving, the anxiety building up within me each passing second.

How would everyone be when we finally met? Would they accept Miles or they’d see right through my lies?

I glanced at Miles but he was looking out the window, studying the town and absorbing details with such immense focus, like he was memorizing a place he never wanted to forget.

Then we finally arrived at the farmhouse.

‘Looks quiet,’ Miles said as we got closer to the place.

Before we could get out of the car, the chaos erupted. Everyone spilled out of the house, cheering and full of laughter.

‘I spoke too soon,’ Miles muttered with an exaggerated expression.

‘Darlin’,’ Mom came out first, and she hugged me, then turned to Miles and wrapped him in a hug meant for man she's imagined for three years.

My father followed, peering at him with an obvious scrutiny. He gave Miles a handshake that was actually an evaluation.

My aunts, uncles, cousins all swarmed out. All I could hear at that moment was:

‘You’ve grown a bit taller, Thea.’

‘Was the road confusing for you?’

‘I finally got rid of that stuffed bear that scared you.’

‘Thea, you look stunning.’

‘And a bit chubby too.’

‘Is this Derek? Gosh.’

‘He sure is eye candy.’

Someone took our bags while someone else pushed glasses of hot cider into our hands.

They led us inside while still throwing questions at us. I felt a sense of belonging as I interacted with them. My family was overwhelming, suffocating and wonderful at the same time.

And as I glanced at Miles, I noticed an expression flicker across his face. It was too quick for me to identify what it was, but he looked comfortable.

Regardless, I wound my hands around Miles’s hands as we both walked to the living room.

‘Where’s Josie?’ I asked my mom.

Mom nodded to a place behind the door and I spotted her at once- my younger sister looking on with suspicion.

‘She’s really not going to come and say hi?’ I turned back to my mom.

‘You know your sister,’ mom rolled her eyes. ‘She's been suspicious of Derek from the start- not because she thinks he's fake, but because she thinks he's too perfect. No one is actually that ideal, according to her. So she’s made it her personal mission to find ‘em cracks.’

That explained why she was looking at Miles like she had already found them.

I ignored that for the meantime, as me and Miles went walked to meet the real test.

Grandma Eleanor.

She was sitting by the fireplace, looking diminished by the sickness ravaging her body, but still sharp as ever.

‘Nona,’ I ran into her arms and hugged her, taking care not to hug her too tight.

‘My baby’s grown so much,’ she looked at me with lots of affection.

‘I’ve missed you,’ I gave her a kiss on the cheek before standing up. ‘Nona, this is Derek.’

‘Good day, Eleanor,’ Miles smiled at her.

I watched tensely as Miles crouched to Grandma and she took his hands, studying his face for a long time. My pulse quickened but I composed myself. What if she noticed something wrong?

‘You’re not what I expected,’ was the next thing she said. No welcome, no “nice to meet you.’

Just that.

I looked at Miles, but he didn’t flinch.

‘I hope that’s a good thing,’ his smile broadened to a grin.

Grandma smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.

‘Dinner is in an hour,’ she announced to everyone then turned to my mother. ‘Paige, what about the room assignments?’

‘Oh darn, I almost forgot,’ mom chuckled. ‘Thea, you and Derek would have to share your room. You know, the one you had when you were a kid?’

‘Oh…’ I simply said.

‘Yeah… there’s nowhere else to put Derek. The farmhouse is full. But don’t worry. The bed’s a double and there’s plenty of space in there.’

We both thanked mom and grandma, then followed mom as she led us upstairs to my childhood bedroom.

‘Hope you like it,’ mom opened the door. ‘Be down in an hour for dinner.’

My breath caught within my chest as my eyes settled on the bed first. It was exactly what I feared: just a bed, barely enough for two people.

I would be spending the nights here with Miles, in a room full of my teenage memories.

The room was painterd a bright yellow and white- my favorite colors. My Hannah Montana stickers still graced my wardrobes, and that huge wallpaper of Big Time Rush was faded but surprisingly still there.

‘Here we are,’ I exhaled loudly as we stood in the middle of the room.

‘It’s okay,’ Miles moved around carefully, studying the space as if he was calculating angles.

‘We should just find a way to arrange our stuffs and, as for the bed… are you listening?’

He turned to look at me and said nothing, but his expression… I don’t know what it was but it made my pulse stutter.

And I couldn’t look away; because I liked it.

That shiver that ran down my spine while looking back at him, it was unexpected but…

I tore my gaze back to the bed.

We were going to sleep just inches apart for a week. The pretending just became a lot more dangerous.