A Mate For Christmas

Chapter 2.

Chapter 2: A Night to Remember

I stand rooted to the spot, trying to process what just happened. Logan Silver kissed my cheek. Derek Silver kissed my other cheek. And Seth Silver—calm, mysterious Seth—kissed me full on the lips. My lips.

My mind spins. Was this some kind of prank? A dare? Why me?

The mistletoe. Right. That’s all it was—a stupid holiday tradition. No big deal. So why is my heart racing like I just ran a marathon?

“Hey, Ava!” Mia’s voice cuts through my thoughts. She rushes up to me, her face lit with excitement. “What just happened? Did the Silver triplets seriously—”

“Don’t start,” I mutter, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks.

“Are you kidding? I have to start! Everyone saw it!” She practically bounces on her toes. “Logan, Derek, and Seth just kissed you in front of the whole school. Do you know how many girls are going to be jealous? This is, like, a Christmas miracle!”

I roll my eyes. “It was just the mistletoe. Nothing more.”

Mia raises an eyebrow. “Oh, come on. Mistakes don’t happen under the mistletoe. That was deliberate. And bold. And, honestly, kind of hot.”

“Mia,” I groan, covering my face with my hands. “Please stop.”

She laughs and grabs my wrists, pulling my hands down. “Fine, fine. But seriously, you have to tell me how it felt.”

“How it felt?” I echo, exasperated. “It was… unexpected, okay? Can we just drop it?”

Before Mia can argue, I hear Logan’s voice behind me. “Ava.”

I stiffen and turn around, finding all three of them standing there again. Logan’s smile is as easygoing as ever, Derek looks amused, and Seth… well, Seth’s expression is unreadable, as usual.

Mia nudges me and whispers, “Good luck,” before slipping away, leaving me alone with the Silver triplets. Great.

“What do you want now?” I ask, crossing my arms.

Logan chuckles. “Relax. We’re not here to embarrass you or anything.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” I mumble.

Derek steps forward, his grin widening. “Look, we’re just curious. You seemed a little… shocked back there. Did we ruin your night or something?”

I blink at him. “What? No. I mean… I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”

“Fair enough,” Logan says. “But for the record, it wasn’t just about the mistletoe.”

My heart skips a beat. “What does that mean?”

Seth speaks up for the first time, his voice calm and deliberate. “It means we’ve noticed you, Ava. You’re not as invisible as you think you are.”

My breath catches. What kind of game are they playing?

“Noticed me?” I repeat, narrowing my eyes. “Why would you notice me?”

Logan shrugs. “Why not? You’re different from everyone else here. You’re… real.”

“Real?” I snort, unable to help myself. “What does that even mean?”

“It means you’re not fake like half the people in this school,” Derek says. “You don’t try to impress anyone. You’re just… you. And we like that.”

I stare at them, trying to figure out if they’re serious. Their expressions don’t give much away, but something about the way they’re looking at me feels genuine.

“Well,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady, “thanks, I guess. But I’m still not sure why you’re telling me this now.”

Logan steps closer, his smile softening. “Because we wanted you to know. And because we were hoping you’d let us make this night a little better for you.”

“Better how?” I ask, my skepticism creeping back in.

Derek grins. “By showing you how to have some fun. What do you say?”

I glance between them, unsure of what to do. My instincts tell me to say no, to walk away and avoid whatever chaos they’re about to drag me into. But another part of me—the part that’s tired of feeling like an outsider—wants to say yes.

Before I can decide, Logan holds out his hand. “Come on, Ava. Trust us.”

Against my better judgment, I take his hand.

The next thing I know, I’m being dragged outside into the cold night air. The gym’s warm glow fades behind us as the triplets lead me toward the parking lot, where their sleek black truck is parked.

“What are we doing?” I ask, shivering as the wind bites at my skin.

“You’ll see,” Logan says, opening the passenger door and gesturing for me to climb in.

I hesitate. “I don’t know about this…”

“Don’t worry,” Derek says, climbing into the driver’s seat. “We’re not kidnapping you. We just thought you could use a change of scenery.”

Seth climbs into the backseat, his expression unreadable. “You can back out if you want, but something tells me you won’t.”

I glare at him but climb in anyway, sliding into the passenger seat beside Derek. Logan hops into the back with Seth, and a moment later, we’re pulling out of the parking lot.

The ride is quiet at first, the hum of the engine filling the space. I glance at Derek, who’s focused on the road, his hands resting casually on the steering wheel.

“So… where are we going?” I ask.

“You’ll see,” he says, his lips twitching into a grin.

“Great. More cryptic answers,” I mutter, crossing my arms.

“Relax, Ava,” Logan says from the backseat. “You’re going to love it.”

“Doubtful,” I reply, but a tiny part of me is curious.

After a few minutes, Derek pulls off the main road and onto a narrow, snow-covered trail. The truck bumps along the uneven ground, and I clutch the door handle to steady myself.

“Are you sure this is safe?” I ask nervously.

“Trust us,” Seth says.

“You keep saying that,” I grumble. “Doesn’t mean it’s true.”

Logan laughs. “You’re feisty. I like that.”

I roll my eyes, but before I can respond, the truck comes to a stop.

“We’re here,” Derek announces.

I look out the window and see a small frozen lake surrounded by tall pine trees. The moonlight reflects off the ice, making it shimmer like glass. It’s beautiful, I have to admit.

“What is this place?” I ask as I step out of the truck, my boots crunching in the snow.

“Just a little spot we like to come to when we want to get away,” Logan says, grabbing a pair of ice skates from the truck bed.

“You skate?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“We’re hockey players,” Derek says, handing me a pair of skates. “Of course we skate.”

I look at the skates, then at the frozen lake, feeling a pang of hesitation. “I don’t know how to skate.”

“That’s okay,” Logan says, flashing me a reassuring smile. “We’ll teach you.”

A few minutes later, I’m wobbling on the ice, clinging to Logan’s arm for dear life.

“This was a terrible idea,” I mutter as my feet slide out from under me.

Logan laughs and steadies me. “You’re doing fine. Just relax.”

“Relax? I’m one slip away from breaking my neck!”

“You’re not going to break your neck,” Seth says, skating up beside us with effortless grace. “Just bend your knees a little and keep your weight forward.”

I try to follow his advice, but my legs feel like jelly.

“Here,” Logan says, taking both of my hands. “Look at me, not your feet.”

I reluctantly meet his gaze. His blue eyes are warm and steady, and for a moment, I forget about my fear.

“That’s it,” he says softly. “You’re doing great.”

A small smile creeps onto my face, and I feel a flicker of confidence.

“See?” Logan says. “You’ve got this.”

Derek skates up, grinning. “Not bad for a first-timer. But let’s see if you can keep up with me.”

“Don’t even think about it,” I warn him, but he’s already skating backward, motioning for me to follow.

“Come on, Ava,” he calls. “I’ll go easy on you.”

I take a shaky step forward, then another, until I’m gliding—well, sort of—toward him.

“There you go!” Derek says, clapping. “I knew you could do it.”

I can’t help but laugh, feeling a surge of pride.

By the time we’re done, my cheeks are flushed, my legs are sore, and I can’t stop smiling.

“See?” Logan says as we head back to the truck. “Told you we’d make your night better.”

I glance at him, then at Seth and Derek, who are laughing and joking as they load the skates into the truck.

“Yeah,” I admit quietly. “You did.”

As we drive back to town, I find myself wondering if maybe—just maybe—this Christmas won’t be so bad after all.