Beneath the mistletoe

chapter 13

It was a quiet morning in the Grey household. The freshly fallen snow blanketed the yard, and the faint aroma of coffee wafted through the air. Karen Grey sat at the kitchen table, her phone pressed to her ear as she stirred her cup absentmindedly. The conversation with Xander, who was still enjoying the trip with others, had taken an unexpected turn.

“Xander, I need to talk to you about Emily,” Karen said, her voice soft but laced with concern.

“What about her? Did she get home safely? ” Xander replied, the sound of the wind rushing past as he spoke indicating he was outside.

Karen sighed, glancing out the window at the empty street. “Yes she did she's fine... She told me yesterday that Julian called her. She said it wasn’t anything serious, but I don’t know. I’m worried, Xander. What if he’s trying to manipulate his way back into her life? You know how he is.”

Xander’s jaw tightened on the other end of the line. “Mom, Emily’s not going back to him. She’s stronger than that now.”

“I want to believe that,” Karen said, her tone uncertain. “But she’s vulnerable right now. It’s her first Christmas without him, and she’s been keeping to herself so much. I know she’s hurting, even if she won’t say it.”

“Mom,” Xander said firmly, “you’ve seen how far she’s come. She’s not the same person she was with Julian. She’s starting to stand up for herself again. We just need to support her, not smother her.”

Karen hesitated before responding, her next words cautious. “I just wish she had something or someone to take her mind off him. Someone to remind her that she deserves better.”

Xander raised an eyebrow, though Karen couldn’t see it. “What are you getting at?”

“Well,” Karen began, her tone growing lighter, “I thought maybe Luca could be that someone.”

Xander let out a surprised laugh. “Luca?”

“Yes, Luca,” Karen said, a hint of exasperation creeping into her voice. “He’s kind, thoughtful, and obviously cares about Emily. They’ve been spending so much time together lately, and I can tell there’s something there. But then I saw him with Lily, and I just assumed…”

Xander’s brow furrowed. “Wait, you think Luca and Lily are dating?”

“Well, aren’t they?” Karen asked, genuinely confused.

“No, Mom,” Xander said with a chuckle. “Lily might have a crush on Luca, but he’s not interested in her. Trust me, he’s got his sights set on someone else.”

Karen’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re sure?”

“Positive,” Xander said confidently. “And that someone else is Emily. I mean, he hasn’t said it outright, but it’s obvious. You should see the way he looks at her, like she’s the only person in the room. And don’t even get me started on the mistletoe thing.”

Karen’s lips parted in astonishment. “Mistletoe thing?”

Xander grinned, despite knowing his mother couldn’t see it. “Let’s just say they shared a moment under the mistletoe on Christmas day. It’s still early, but there’s definitely something there. I think Luca could be exactly what Emily needs right now.”

Karen leaned back in her chair, her mind racing. “Well, I’ll be,” she murmured. “I had no idea. I just assumed he and Lily were together.”

“That’s what Lily wants you to think,” Xander said with a smirk. “But Luca’s not interested. If anything, he’s probably frustrated that Emily’s been giving him the cold shoulder since yesterday.”

Karen frowned. “Cold shoulder? Why?”

“I think she’s jealous,” Xander said. “She probably thinks Luca and Lily are a thing, just like you did. And you know how Emily is she’s not going to confront him about it. She’ll just shut him out instead.”

Karen sighed deeply, rubbing her temples. “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Why can’t people just talk to each other? This could all be cleared up in five minutes if they’d just have an honest conversation.”

“Tell me about it,” Xander said with a chuckle. “But you know what? I think this might actually be good for Emily. She’s learning to navigate her feelings again, and that’s not something she’s had to do in a long time. As frustrating as it is, this is part of the process.”

Karen nodded slowly, her initial worry giving way to a sense of cautious optimism. “You’re right. I just want her to be happy, Xander. After everything she’s been through, she deserves that.”

“She’ll get there,” Xander said confidently. “And if Luca has anything to say about it, she’ll get there a lot sooner than later.”

Karen couldn’t help but smile at her son’s words. “You’ve got a lot of faith in him, don’t you?”

“I do,” Xander said without hesitation. “He’s a good guy, Mom. He won’t hurt her.”

Karen’s heart softened at the conviction in her son’s voice. “All right,” she said finally. “I’ll try not to worry so much. But if Julian tries to pull anything…”

“He won’t,” Xander said firmly. “And even if he does, Luca and I will handle it.”

Karen nodded, a sense of relief washing over her. “Thank you, Xander. For everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d manage,” Xander said with a laugh. “But I’m happy to help. Just keep an eye on Emily for me, okay?”

“Always,” Karen said with a smile.

As the call ended, Karen set her phone down and leaned back in her chair, her mind still buzzing with the revelation about Luca and Emily. She couldn’t believe Emily had been so blind to the connection between them.

Emily sat on the couch in her room, flipping absentmindedly through a book. Her thoughts kept drifting to the events of the past few days Julian’s call, Luca’s apparent closeness with Lily, and the kiss they had shared under the mistletoe not to mention the night they spent in each others arms.

She felt like she was being pulled in two different directions. On one hand, she was starting to realize that she might have feelings for Luca. But on the other, she couldn’t shake the fear of opening herself up to someone again, only to be hurt.

As she sat there, lost in thought, Luca entered the room, carrying two mugs of hot chocolate. He was shocked to find the room empty he called out but no one answered. He look out the window only to find her car was not there, "maybe she's gone to the store or something." He thought to himself .

Luca sat down on the edge of the bed, his hands wrapped around his own mug placing Emily's cup on a stool. He waited for her to retain, as he sat there he started to scan the room he noticed her bags were not there and the wardrobe was empty.

He tried calling her but she did not answer. When everyone met to go out for breakfast, Emily was missing "hey Xander, " Luca called out, "Where is Emily? "

"Oh I forgot to tell you she left last night, she's home, I don't know why she left but she's home. " Luca felt sad and upset that after being so distant and cold she just left without saying goodbye. "And about that conversation, you were right it was Julian my mom confirmed it. "

Luca didn't really have much to add on after hearing Julian's name.