MORE THAN MISTLETOE

THE REUNION

Chapter 3

Mixed POV's

The house was chaos in the best possible way.

Luggage cluttered the entryway, coats were thrown over chairs, and the sound of laughter filled every corner. Maya stood in the living room, taking it all in, the massive Christmas tree with its twinkling lights, the fire crackling in the fireplace, the garland draped everywhere.

It looked like a Christmas movie had exploded in here, and she loved it.

"You like it?" Carol asked, appearing at her elbow with a mug of hot chocolate.

"I may have gone a bit overboard."

"It's perfect," Maya said, accepting the mug gratefully. The first sip was exactly as she remembered, rich chocolate with a hint of cinnamon and a generous dollop of real whipped cream.

"This is amazing."

"I'm so glad you're here, sweetheart." Carol pulled her into another hug, and Maya sank into it.

Carol had always felt like a second mother, especially after Maya's own family had fractured.

"Three whole weeks. We're going to have such a wonderful time."

From across the room, Maya caught Ethan watching them. When their eyes met, he looked away quickly, suddenly very interested in the fireplace.

Weird.

"Maya, come see my room!" Liam called from the stairs. "I finally got rid of that awful wallpaper Mom made me keep."

"It wasn't awful, it was vintage," Carol protested.

"It was from 1987 and had ducks on it, Mom. Ducks."

Maya laughed and followed Liam upstairs, grateful for the distraction. She needed a minute to settle, to adjust to being here, to figure out why everything felt slightly off-kilter.

Downstairs, Ethan watched Maya disappear up the stairs with Liam, then immediately felt stupid for watching.

"She looks good," Alex said, coming to stand beside him with his own mug of hot chocolate.

"Yeah," Ethan agreed carefully.

"Really good."

Ethan shot him a look. "What are you doing?"

Alex grinned. "Just making conversation. Observing. You know, brother things."

"Alex—"

"Relax, man. I'm just saying, it's good to be here. All of us together again." Alex clapped him on the shoulder. "Feels like old times."

But it didn't feel like old times, and they both knew it.

Maya's guest room was exactly as she remembered, pale blue walls, white furniture, a view of the backyard where she could see the old tree house they'd all played in as kids. Her suitcase was already on the bed, and she started unpacking, needing something to do with her hands.

"So," Liam said, leaning against the doorframe. "How've you been? Really?"

"Good," Maya answered. "Busy with work, but good."

"Any new boyfriends I should know about? Anyone I need to threaten?"

Maya threw a pillow at him. "No. I'm taking a break from dating, remember?"

"Ah yes, the great dating sabbatical of 2024." Liam caught the pillow and tossed it back. "How's that going?"

"Boring. Peaceful. Exactly what I needed after Jake."

At the mention of Jake, Liam's expression shifted slightly. "You know Ethan wanted to kill that guy, right?"

Maya paused in her unpacking. "What?"

"After you guys broke up. Ethan was... well, let's just say I've never seen him that angry. He kept saying Jake was an i***t who didn't deserve you."

Something warm bloomed in Maya's chest. "He said that?"

"Oh yeah. Full protective big brother mode. It was actually kind of scary." Liam grinned. "Anyway, I'm glad you're here. This is going to be a fun three weeks."

After Liam left, Maya sat on the bed, processing. Ethan had been angry about Jake? That was... that was just him being protective, right? Like a brother would be?

So why did her heart speed up at the thought?

Dinner that night was loud and warm and perfect. Carol had made lasagna—Maya's favorite, and they all crowded around the dining table like they'd done a hundred times before.

Diana and Carol caught up on months of gossip, Alex and Liam argued about sports, and Maya just... absorbed it all.

This. This was what she'd been missing.

"Pass the garlic bread?" Ethan asked quietly, and Maya realized he was sitting right next to her.

"Sure." Their fingers brushed as she handed him the basket, and Maya felt that spark again. She pulled her hand back quickly.

Ethan cleared his throat.

"So, uh, how's the new job?"

"Good. Challenging. My boss is intense, but I'm learning a lot." Maya took a sip of water. "How about you? Still at the architecture firm?"

"Yeah. Actually just got promoted to lead designer on a new project."

"Ethan, that's amazing!" Maya turned to him, genuinely excited.

"You've been wanting that forever."

His smile was small but real. "Yeah. It's pretty cool."

For a moment, they just looked at each other, and Maya felt the rest of the table fade away. There was something in Ethan's eyes, something she couldn't quite name—

"Ethan, honey, tell Diana about the community center project," Carol interrupted, and the moment dissolved

Ethan turned away to talk to Diana, and Maya tried to ignore the strange sense of loss.

Later that night, after everyone had migrated to the living room for a movie, Maya found herself tucked into the corner of the couch with a blanket. Liam and Alex were arguing about which Christmas movie to watch, Diana and Carol were sharing a bottle of wine, and Ethan...

Ethan was in the armchair across from her, and when no one was looking, his eyes kept drifting her way...