Although a bit late, here's the first part of my Secret Santa gift for Chloeswans. It was a pleasure to get to know you during these weeks. I hope you like it :)

If Killian had imagined when he woke up that morning that, at the end of the day, he would end up in a compromised and totally unexpected situation he might not have gotten out of bed. Or maybe it would have been better not to forget to close the door of his bloody balcony. Or not to answer his brother's phone call when he already knew in advance what he would propose.

Killian was sure of one thing, though. In retrospect, he could always blame Roger. Or maybe he would have to thank his rascal pet for being the trigger for his life to change forever.

But better if we start at the beginning. The facts:

For some inexplicable reason, the alarm clock on Killian's cell phone did not work that morning, causing him to wake up late and have to hurry to get to work on time.

He did have a reason to explain his forgetfulness regarding the door to his balcony, though. He simply opened it to check the weather, but at that precise moment the toaster decided to expel two singed and inedible toasts, so he had to throw them in the bin and resign himself to take breakfast on the way to work, while the door of his balcony was completely forgotten.

The breakfast never happened, since it seemed that today all the deities had turned against him, causing a traffic jam that made him arrive late to the office, earning the consequent disapproving look from his boss.

And then there was the phone call. The damn call of his brother. The icing on the cake. Or rather the climax of his nightmare day. Or at least that was what he believed at that moment.

Liam Jones, forty years old, the person who raised him since their father decided to abandon them when Killian was only ten years old and his brother eighteen. His overprotective, controlling and obstinate brother. Killian loved his brother, he really did, but the fact that he still treated him like a helpless child who needed to be cared for managed to both frustrate and infuriate him.

He was already a grown man of thirty-two years, thank you very much. He did not need his bloody brother to set him up in dates with the sole purpose of trying for him to move on, to find a new love. He did not need a new love, his heart was broken beyond repair. He just needed to be allowed to live quietly and peacefully. But his brother did not seem to take the hint.

For that reason, Killian knew, without needing to listen to him, that Liam was calling because he had found, once again, the ideal candidate. But he was not in the mood today, so Killian answered the call offering only vague and evasive answers and hung up right away, alluding that he had a meeting that he could not avoid under any circumstances.

When Killian finally arrived at his apartment a few hours later he found that, indeed, he had forgotten to close the door of his balcony, causing, on the one hand, his living room to have become a freezer and on the other, that the furry cat that he had for a pet was nowhere to be seen. A sigh of resignation escaped his lips as he massaged his temples in a vain attempt to relieve a headache that had already begun to form, in anticipation of what was about to happen.

He did not even have time to count to ten when the unmistakable sound of someone knocking his door energetically reached his ears. His eyes raised to the ceiling and he took a deep breath as he walked slowly towards the door to welcome his not-so-unexpected guest.

Emma Swan, a bail bonds person, his fierce and gorgeous neighbor, silky blond hair and hypnotic green eyes, the one who hated him and did not bother in the least to hide it.

Well, to be honest, there might be a reason why Killian was not Emma's favorite person. The face he found as soon as he opened the door was a clear indication, causing a pull of guilt to grow in his stomach.

Emma gave him a murderous look through her puffy eyes, the tip of her nose slightly reddish and hands on her hips in defiant attitude.

"Where the hell were you? You've been gone forever." She snapped, her voice slightly nasal increasing his sense of guilt. He swallowed that feeling, though. There was something about Emma Swan, something that made him find it almost irresistible to challenge her and get a reaction in her, even if it was negative, the fire of her gaze too enticing for her own good - or his.

"Hello to you too, Swan." He smirked at her, while leaning against the door frame, with his arms crossed over his chest. "had I known that you were so eager to see me I would have rushed to get home as soon as possible."

She, obviously, rolled her eyes. "Cut that crap, Jones and come to my apartment."

"So demanding, love. But who am I to refuse a request coming from a beautiful woman to accompany her to her apartment?" He pushed himself away from the frame while winking at her, earning a snort from her. "By the way, you don't look good. You aren't sick, are you?"

He knew that he had crossed the line the moment his words left his mouth without the possibility of holding back the sarcasm of his voice. She glared at him with such intensity that he almost flinched.

"And whose fault is it, you asshole?" Emma threw her hands in the air in annoyance as she headed for the door of her apartment shaking her head. "Are you coming or not?"

He had the good sense this time to simply nod and follow her in search of the cause of this compromising situation.

Roger, his three-year-old cat, his faithful companion, at least until Emma became his neighbor. Since then, the little rascal developed a practice to sneak into Emma's apartment at the slightest opportunity. The problem? She was allergic to cats.

"Hey mate." Killian grabbed his pet, holding him while rubbing him between the ears, causing the kitten to purr at his ministrations. "How many times will I have to tell you that your love is impossible? You should stop playing Romeo sneaking up her balcony."

"Maybe if his owner did not leave the door of his balcony open all day in November, he would have no chance to sneak up here." Emma retorted, still holding a defiant attitude towards him. Although she stayed away from the animal, she could not help but sneeze, causing the tug of regret in his stomach to grew.

That did not stop his words from betraying him again, sliding between his lips before he had time to process them. "Well, if we're going to be exact, if he's here now it's because someone opened that door for him." He cocked his head in the direction of her balcony. "Admit it, Swan. You like my cat."

"Of course I like your cat, but, as you have just said, our love is impossible." She shrugged as she bit her lower lip, a gesture that Killian found especially appealing. "Besides, I'm not that cruel. It's very cold out there today and the poor animal was looking at me through the glass with those puppy eyes while meowing... I couldn't leave him there all alone."

Killian held Roger up, placing the kitten's face beside his, arching one eyebrow as a grin pulled at his lips. "You're such a charming, aren't you? A dashing rapscallion, just like your owner."

"You wish." Emma snorted as she rolled her eyes again. "And now if you don't mind, I have more important things to do." She gestured to the front door that was still open, a clear invitation for him to leave.

For some reason, he found himself in need of continuing his encounter with Emma. The fire in her gaze still lingered, but her features had softened slightly, as if she had lowered her defenses even if it was subtle.

His brain did not seem to accompany him in his desire to not leave, though, since he wasn't able to find any excuse to continue talking to her. There was also the problem of her allergy. Or maybe he could use it to his advantage, at least this time. "Before leave, I just wanted to tell you something, but If you allow me a moment..." Without further ado, he hastened to cross the short distance that separated her door from his, pushed Roger gently into his apartment and closed the door behind his cat.

He had to suppress the smile that threatened to appear on his lips when he realized that Emma had decided to follow him. Point for him. "About earlier, I would like to apologize..." Before continuing, Killian moved his hand to scratch behind his ear. He was so used to showing his cocky facade that he found it quite difficult to show his other side, the real one. "It's bad form to make jokes about a person's state of health."

She studied him carefully through her narrow eyes, as if deciding whether she should accept his apology or not. Killian could not help but hold his breath at her scrutiny, but he did not look away. Finally, she simply sighed. "Just, don't do it again."

Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye at that moment, causing his heart to skip a beat and his pulse to quicken. His brother Liam was approaching down the hall. His brother and his proposal for a date. Killian clenched his jaw and as he swallowed his urge to scream in frustration. Instead, he focused on Emma, who was still in front of him and who was giving him a questioning look.

An idea popped into his mind at that moment — he would blame the stunning blonde he had before him— so he decided to act impulsively, not taking time to assess the consequences of what he was about to do. Before turning back to Emma, he looked over her shoulder, determining the distance his brother was in and thanking the building architect internally for creating such long corridors.

Killian cleared his throat before expressing his idea aloud, hoping against hope that Emma would be receptive. "Since you're here, I'd like to ask you a huge favor, love." In response, Emma raised an eyebrow, while tilting her head. "Don't yell at me and don't get the wrong idea, but I need you to kiss me, and do it quickly, Swan. I'll be eternally grateful if you play along with me, love."

"You're out of your mind, Jones." Emma huffed, shaking her head, but her cheeks colored a slight pink halo and she did not seem to have any intention to leave, so Killian count it as a small triumph.

"I'll explain it to you later, Swan, please, just a kiss on the cheek." He begged, his lips drawing a small pout, while his heart beat frantically in his chest. A new sidelong glance at his brother helped him to verify that he was already very close. "I'll compensate you later."

"You're starting to worry me, Jones."

"Please, Swan..." He insisted, his voice sounding like a whispered plea. "My brother is approaching us and I need to pretend that..." He could not continue his explanation because suddenly Emma's lips were on his, leaving him paralyzed for a moment.

The unexpected kiss ended before he had time to react. Her lips parted from his just at the moment he had begun to savor them, causing them to tingle in his desire for more. "Happy? you better have a good enough explanation." Emma muttered, her warm breath caressing his lips, before finally leaving in the direction of her apartment.

Bloody hell ... Killian shook his head in disbelief, wondering if this had really happened, if Emma had just kissed him or if what had happened was nothing more than a figment of his imagination.

The expression of incredulity that his brother wore when he met Emma down the hall and the look he gave him next were indicative enough that no, he wasn't dreaming. His lips still tingled, so he brushed them lightly with his fingers, in an attempt to make Emma's touch linger.

"What was that?" Liam took one last look at the now closed door of Emma's apartment and then shook his head, directing his inquisitive gaze at him.

His lips remained sealed, though, as he stepped aside to let Liam come in. Killian hoped that the previous small act would have been enough to discourage Liam in his search, although he also trusted that his brother wouldn't inquire too much. As he began to be aware of the implications of their performance, the previous idea no longer seemed so appropriate but rather reckless.

"That lass just kissed you." Liam insisted, his gaze locked on his, a slight wrinkle appearing on between his eyebrows.

"I am aware, brother."

Killian went to the kitchen in search of something, anything, that would help him divert attention from what had just happened. He grabbed two bottles of beer from the fridge, offering one to his brother as a distraction maneuver.

Liam didn't take the hint, though. "So that was the reason why you were so evasive earlier." He paused for a moment, as if he were processing the information. Something must have clicked on his brain, because suddenly his face lit up. "You are already seeing someone."

"How perceptive, I'm impressed." Killian retorted flatly, unable to stop the tone of sarcasm from his voice.

"Since when?"

Since when?... bloody hell. Killian squeezed his brain trying to find an answer that would not cause the ball of lies he had already begun to increase. Emma had moved next to him in the summer. He remembered it perfectly because the first time he met her, she was wearing tiny shorts and a tank top that left little for the imagination. He had offered his services —perhaps too enthusiastically— to help her carry the boxes but he had found a glare and a monosyllable for an answer, rejecting his help. And that's how Emma Swan had started to hate him, for no apparent reason.

"Three months." He finally replied, believing that he had found the safest answer, choosing a period not too long to be something so serious but with a certain sense of stability.

His brother did not seem to think the same, though. Liam's eyes narrowed, his features darkened. "But… you went out on a date with that lass, Tink, only a month ago."

Oh dammit . Killian groaned inwardly as he wished that a hole would open under his feet and suck him. He felt a headache approaching again due to the effort his brain was making to improvise and create something minimally credible. "Emma knew and that's one of the reasons why it was just one date. After dinner, I went back home with her." He mumbled the first excuse that came to his mind, hoping it was convincing enough.

"But why did you accept it in the first place? Why don't you tell me you were already seeing someone?" Liam asked still confused, a shadow of hurt crossing his face. He recovered quickly, though. "Sorry for the scrutiny, Killian, it's just that this is something so unexpected that it caught me off guard." His features softened, while his lips drew the ghost of a smile.

You tell me ... He suppressed the urge to rub his temples in an attempt to relieve the impending headache. Instead, the corners of his lips lifted slightly as he searched for a new excuse.

"Emma and I were still getting to know each other and she preferred to keep things for us and see if it worked."

Liam's smile grew wider. "Well, it's obvious that it's still working, if a month later you're still dating."

"Aye." He brought the bottle to his lips and took a sip, hoping that the bitter liquid would offer him enough self-confidence to continue the farce a little more.

"I'm happy for you, little brother, truly." He approached Killian and gave his shoulder an affectionate squeeze. Despite the circumstances, the fact that Liam cared so much about him caused a warm sensation to spread through his body.

"I think this good news deserves a toast." Liam raised the beer and he had no choice but to accept it, the previous warm feeling giving way to a tug of guilt settling in his stomach.

"It's younger, and It's not a big deal, really. We're still getting to know each other."

"It's not a big deal? Killian, are you aware that it's the first time since..." Liam trailed off, not daring to say her name, but her mere mention, albeit indirectly, caused his heart to tighten in his chest. "...well, I don't remember you dating with anyone for more than one occasion, so allow me to disagree, little brother, it's a huge deal."

Roger decided to reappear at that moment, rubbing his tail down Liam's legs and allowed him to finally divert the attention from Emma. For the next few minutes, they kept a light conversation while Liam held Roger in his arms and caressed him gently.

The relief was short-lived, to his dismay. Roger's momentary distraction wasn't enough for Liam to forget the subject, clearly excited by the news, once the initial shock had been overcome. "So this year you can finally take someone to the cabin at Christmas. Can't wait to tell Elsa."

Killian froze at the mention of the cabin. Bloody hell. .. He resisted the urge to bang his head against the smooth surface of the kitchen counter as he wished to go back in time to reject the damn idea that had put him in this compromising situation.

Well, if he hadn't had that idea, Emma wouldn't have kissed him, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't have had another chance to taste her lips... Focus, Jones! He shook his head slightly in an attempt to return to reality. The cabin, right.

The Jones brothers had carried on a tradition for many years, since they arrived in the States from London. Every year, no matter the circumstances, they would meet for a few days at Christmas in some secluded place, enjoying only the company of the other and their respective families.

They had been visiting that cabin for five years. The previous years they had rented a different one, but that one had so many memories that he had found himself unable to continue with the tradition. That hadn't stopped Liam, though. One of the characteristics of his brother was his stubbornness, so instead of giving up, they had simply changed the place, but the initial spirit would remain the same.

"You better not get ahead so much, Liam, there are still two months left for Christmas." He argued weakly.

"Nonsense." Liam replied with a dismissive wave of his hand, then he gave him an intense look, causing his heart to flutter as he held his breath. "I know you, brother, I know that when there are feelings involved, you give everything of yourself. If that lass knows what is good for her, she will keep you around."

Liam left half an hour later, with the promise that Killian would do everything in his power to take his girlfriend to their traditional family event. The poor excuses that Killian threw in a desperate attempt to not involve Emma in all this nonsense were of no use. Now that the lie had begun there was no turning back, unless he confessed that everything had been a farce from the beginning, and that, honestly, wasn't among his plans, at least for now.

When his brother finally walked down the hall, Killian entered his apartment and, closing the door, he leaned against the smooth surface, shutting his eyes closed for a moment and letting out a deep breath, a gripping sensation washing over him while he wondered how the hell he was going to convince Emma to be part of this stupid plan.

The moment the door closed behind her, she leaned against it and brought her hands to her chest, feeling her heart beating frantically against her rib cage. She resisted the urge to bang her head against the wooden surface while cursing herself for what had just happened.

What the hell was she thinking when she threw herself to kiss Killian? She hated the guy, for God's sake! She had spent the whole day with a stuffy nose and watery eyes because of him, and he had only needed to use that accented and seductive voice while throwing a pleading look at her through those stupid and very blue eyes and she was already at his mercy.

The kiss was fleeting, just a light brush of lips, but Emma could still feel the warm sensation of his lips on hers. Dammit ! Who was she kidding? As much as she tried to convince herself that she hated her neighbor, her feelings were quite different. Despite his cocky attitude and his sporadic slips in regards to his cat, Emma had developed a damn crush on her neighbor almost from the moment they met for the first time.

But it wasn't like she was going to confess her feelings, after all, it was just a crush that would fade over time. She did not even know the guy enough. And, most importantly, her heart was closed. Forever.

Emma took a deep breath and let it out slowly before deciding to keep herself busy in order to get her neighbor out of her mind for at least a few minutes. The task she chose did not help in the matter, though, but it was something she had to do, at least if she took into account her well-being.

For the next half hour, she devoted herself to getting rid of any traces of fur that Roger had left in his raid on her apartment. It was a shame, really. Her four-legged neighbor was so adorable, with those blue eyes — no, she wasn't thinking in his owner's eyes — and the beautiful fur color, a mixture of gray and white. But he was so furry it was a risk to her health due to her damn allergy. Even though the cat was no longer there, she sneezed a couple of times while cleaning.

She was so focused on the task that she did not hear the knock on her door at first. What she did hear was Killian's voice.

"Swan, are you there?"

Oh shit! Emma remembered that Killian owed her an explanation to his unexpected request, but she did not think that she would receive it so soon. Moving slowly towards the door, she took two deep breaths in an attempt to pull herself together and she quickly schooled her features in an expression of indifference.

To his credit, his usual swagger had disappeared when Emma opened the door. Instead, he showed a contrite expression and a strange glow in his eyes. Far from relieving her, though, his fleeting gaze activated all her alerts.

"What do you want now, Jones?"

"I just wanted to thank you for your help with my previous request, it was..."

"A one-time thing." She cut him off abruptly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Aye..." His voice trailed off, as his gaze drifted everywhere but to her face. Emma noticed how his hand moved to scratch behind his ear before he continued speaking. "The truth is, I'd have to ask you for another little favor, Swan. Could I come in and explain it to you?"

For all answer, she let out a deep sigh and stepped aside to let him in.

"Spit it out." She snapped while closing the door behind her.

"Well, as you may have guessed, the man from earlier was my brother Liam..."

"I know your brother." The words escaped her mouth before she had time to assess the implications. Emma bit her lower lip as she felt her cheeks flush at the realization of her mistake.

"You do? Because I don't remember having introduced him to you..." He tilted his head and gave her an inquisitive look.

Of course, she knew him. She knew that his brother Liam visited him frequently, at least once a week, and that sometimes he also brought his wife and children, a girl around six years old and two twin boys around four years old. And she knew all this because they were neighbors and the walls that separated the two apartments were tremendously thin. It wasn't that she had any special interest in Killian's family. Absolutely not.

"We're neighbors, remember?"

Killian raised an eyebrow as his lips drew a naughty smirk. She had to resist the temptation to erase the stupid smile from his lips using her own. "If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you have quite the interest in my family, eh Swan?"

Emma felt again a flush of embarrassment burning her cheeks but she ignored the feeling, focusing instead on trying to change the topic. "Don't try to divert attention, Jones, you owe me an explanation."

"About that ... my brother wanted to arrange me a date with some lass and I... well, I don't do the dating thing, so I thought that if he believed we were together..." His voice trailed off, all his bravado gone. Instead, he seemed quite uncomfortable with the situation, so she decided to finish the explanation for him.

"He would stop looking for dates for you?" He simply nodded as the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

"But why wouldn't a guy like you do the dating thing?" Emma's eyes widened as she realized the possible explanation. "Oh, you're a one-night-stand kind of guy, right?"

Killian scratched behind his ear again before answering, in a gesture Emma was learning to identify as a nervous tick. "Something like that."

Liar . He wasn't telling the truth. There was something that characterized Emma, almost as a gift, she could feel when someone was lying. The signs in Killian were obvious, like the way he turned his gaze away while his features hardened and a flash of something like hurt crossed his eyes.

Besides, if she was honest with herself, in the four months she had lived in that apartment, she didn't remember any disturbing sounds coming from the other side of the wall, nor had she crossed paths with any women leaving his apartment... Of course he could be one of those guys who never brought the girl to his house so that he could leave the place without having to explain himself. Someone like her…

Emma shook her head in an attempt to finish that train of thought. Instead, she focused again on Killian, who stood in front of her, with his hands in his pockets while rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Well, mission accomplished, I guess?" She replied, her lips drawing a reluctant smile. Her attitude toward him remained cautious, but somehow, his behavior after his brother's visit had made him seem nervous, so she allowed herself to lower her defenses a little. Just for this time.

"Aye, perhaps too well, and that's where I need to ask you for another small favor." The way he wrinkled his nose, while his lips twisted in a quite adorable pout told her that this favor wouldn't be small at all.

Emma wasn't sure she wanted to hear what kind of favor he would ask for this time. A swirl of mixed feelings seized her, causing her stomach to tighten into knots in anticipation as her heart thudded in her chest. "And what would that small favor be?" She asked, her curiosity finally winning the battle.

Before answering, he cleared his throat, and offered her a half smile. "We have this tradition, we spend all the holiday in a cabin in the woods and... my brother kinda has invited you to spend the next Christmas with us." He muttered hastily, while his gaze remained centered on his shoes.

Something might not be working well in her brain, maybe one of the effects of her allergy, because it took Emma a few seconds to process the request. But when she finally did, she gaped in disbelief. "Your brother did what?"

"He invited my girlfriend to spend Christmas with us in a cabin in the woods." Killian repeated tentatively, one of his shoulders tensed up around his ear.

"Have you gone crazy?" Emma almost shouted. "By your girlfriend you mean me? How the hell do you think I would accept that absurd plan? We hate each other!"

"I don't hate you, Swan. Actually, I quite fancy you from time to time when you are not yelling at me." He wagged his eyebrows at her but the glare she shot him was enough for him to change his expression, his bottom lip caught between his teeth.

Emma started pacing up and down her living room, her stomach fluttering and her heart pounding in her chest. "I'm not doing this, buddy."

"Come on, Swan, I'll compensate you. Please." And there was his pleading voice again. His heart should be broken if he was doing all this so that his brother would leave him alone. Emma couldn't help sympathizing with him, but even so, she was not doing this, absolutely not.

Killian didn't seem to give up, as he insisted. "Think of it this way, you get to spend a few days in an idyllic place for free. You would not even have to buy gifts, I would take care of it. It would be like an all-inclusive vacation."

Tempting... but nope, it wasn't happening. "You realize that it's a plan doomed to failure? It's one thing to give you a kiss that lasted a fraction of a second and quite another to spend several days in front of your family pretending that we are a couple. I'm not good with PDAs and all that stuff. Plus, you may fancy me from time to time, but, I don't like you, Jones."

"I'll clean your apartment for a month." Killian cut her rambling with another tempting offer. But not enough.

Emma shook her head energetically. "Ah ah, you need to offer me something else, Jones."

Killian growled, clearly annoyed, but that did not stop him from trying. "I will take care of paying the rent for your apartment for a month."

He was insistent and quite convincing, Emma would concede him that. It was evident that, once overcome his initial discomfort, he had regained his habitual self-confidence, deciding to embark fully on this kind of suicide mission. Emma couldn't help but feel some admiration for his determination despite the fact that he was the one who had more to lose. After all, he would be lying to his entire family. But she wasn't going to make it easy for him.

"Only one month? Not enough."

"Come on Swan, the prices of these apartments are prohibitive. I don't earn enough to pay two rentals."

"One month of rent and one month of vacuuming my apartment." She offered, making great efforts to hold back the grin that threatened to form on her lips. She was enjoying this more than she should, considering the implications.

Killian remained pensive for a few seconds while rubbing the scruff on his jaw, in a movement perhaps too distracting. Then his head moved subtly, as if convincing himself, and finally, he let out a sigh as his gaze sought hers. "Fine."

She wasn't prepared for the intensity of his blue eyes, so she remained with her eyes lost in his until, finally, she blinked breaking the spell. He had managed to convince her, no doubt, but there was something quite appealing about the enthusiasm with which Killian tried to win her favor, so she decided to continue fighting a little more.

"If I accept the deal, and yes, you have listened well, if... Roger can't come with us. I like the cat, obviously more than his owner, but we sadly can not live together under the same roof."

"Of course, love." He hastened to respond. "I already have a candidate who can take care of him."

"And one last thing." She raised a finger in warning. "If Roger sneaks into my apartment one more time before Christmas, I will break the deal."

"Sure, love, I'll personally take care that Roger stays in my apartment."

"Good."

"So, we have a deal?" He asked, focusing his gaze back on hers.

She should reject it. Her mind was screaming that she shouldn't accept it. She was about to accept spending a week pretending to be the girlfriend of the person for whom she had a crush, for God's sake! But her fluttering heart had other plans, encouraging her to accept the deal and continue to know her infuriating neighbor, even at the risk of being harmed in the process.

Before making her final decision, she took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes, studying him for the last time. She could only see honesty and clear anticipation. The decision was made. "I suppose so, but don't make me regret it, Jones."

The giant smile that bloomed on his face caused her to start feeling butterflies fluttering in her stomach. "Not to worry, lass, I'll be on my best behavior for the next few weeks."

Only when Emma closed the door after saying goodbye to Killian did she realize the implications of the risky agreement she had accepted. She was going to spend a week with the person she supposedly hated, although the reality was very different. The question was, would she be able to keep her crush on that or, on the contrary, end up falling for him irremediably?

She was a tough girl, that wasn't going to happen, she tried to convince herself. Still, she couldn't help a bittersweet feeling washing over her at the thought that her life was so pathetic that she was beginning to get excited about spending Christmas surrounded by family. It didn't matter that it was fake. This would be the first time in a long time that she wouldn't spend Christmas all alone.

Thanks for reading. I'd like to know what you all think :)