Thursday, December 24th. 1 day 'till Christmas...
"Aladdin is here," Odette told Jasmine, coming back into the bedroom.
Jasmine went over to Odette's apartment so they could get ready for the ball together. Plus, after hers and Aladdin's talk the other day, Jasmine thought Aladdin might be more comfortable coming to Odette's apartment instead of going to Jasmine's house.
Jasmine took one last look at herself in the full- length mirror. She didn't know where Aladdin was taking her, but they were going to the ball right afterwards, so Jasmine was dressed in her ballgown.
Jasmine went out to meet Aladdin. Aladdin smiled when he saw her.
"You look beautiful," Aladdin told her.
Jasmine blushed. "Thank you. You look very handsome, as well."
Aladdin looked down at his winter coat. "You can't even see what I'm wearing."
Jasmine smiled at him. "I can still see your face."
"Wow. All of this sweetness is giving me a cavity," Odette said. "You guys should get going so you can actually make it to the ball before it ends."
Jasmine gave Odette a quick hug before she and Aladdin headed out to his car.
They drove in silence for a few minutes before Aladdin spoke up.
"There's something I have to tell you," Aladdin said.
"All right."
"We're going to visit my dad..." Aladdin paused. "In jail."
Jasmine's eyes grew wide with shock. "Oh. Wh-why is he in jail?"
"He was arrested for operating a Ponzi scheme. He's been in jail for a year; he's supposed to serve four years."
"I'm sorry, Aladdin. That must be hard on you."
"He and I weren't really close to begin with. He left when I was a baby. After my mom died, I went into foster care. He didn't come back until about a year or so after I graduated high school. We were slowly working on getting to know each other and form some sort of relationship. It was starting to go well, and then he was arrested."
Aladdin pulled into the parking lot. He hesitated for a moment, then got out of the car and opened Jasmine's door for her. Jasmine was nervous as they walked inside. After getting searched and going through a metal detector, they were taken to a room with a few tables in it. They were led to a table by the barred window where a man sat alone.
"Merry Christmas, dad," Aladdin greeted.
His dad beamed at him. "Merry Christmas, son." He then looked at Jasmine. He looked so much like Aladdin. "And who is this?"
"This is Jasmine. Jasmine, this is my dad, Cassim."
"Merry Christmas," Jasmine said.
Aladdin and Jasmine sat down across from him.
"You're both all dressed up. Big date tonight?"
"We're going to the Christmas Eve Ball after we leave here," Aladdin told him.
Cassim smiled at Jasmine. "Ah. So, you come from money, Jasmine? No way my son could afford tickets to the ball."
Out of the corner of her eye, Jasmine could see Aladdin physically withdraw.
"Actually," Jasmine spoke up. "Aladdin was given the tickets as a reward for all of the good he's done with the shelter and the toy drive. He's made a huge difference in a lot of people's lives. When you're a good person, good things happen to you."
Cassim raised an eyebrow at Aladdin. "Good for you, son."
"You should be proud of the man Aladdin has become," Jasmine said.
"Well, he certainly must be doing something right to have someone as beautiful as you as his date."
Jasmine wasn't sure how to respond to that. Somehow, that sentence simultaneously sounded like a compliment and a jab.
"You better enjoy tonight, Aladdin," Cassim continued. "She's eventually gonna realize she's out of your league and can do better."
"You're one to talk," Jasmine blurted out, without thinking. They both looked at her. "You're sitting in jail for stealing people's money, and you're talking down to Aladdin?"
Aladdin touched Jasmine's arm. "Jasmine, it's fine."
Jasmine frowned at him, but didn't say anything else. She knew she had probably crossed a line.
"Maybe we should go," Aladdin said.
"No, I'm sorry," Jasmine told him. "That was rude. I shouldn't have-"
"You were right," Cassim said. "I'm sorry, Aladdin. It's obvious you're ten times the man I am."
"Maybe we should start tonight over," Aladdin suggested. He stood up, then sat back down. "Merry Christmas, dad. It's good to see you."
OOOOO
Shortly after Odette and Proteus arrived at the ball, Odette spotted her dad talking with Derek and Uberta. She and Proteus walked over to them.
"Merry Christmas, dad." Odette hugged her dad. She then turned to Derek and Uberta. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, dear," Uberta said. "I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already. This year seems to have gone by so fast, while at the same time it felt like the longest year ever. But, it's so nice to all be together tonight."
"Absolutely," William agreed.
After doing a little bit of catching up, Odette and Proteus excused themselves. The orchestra started playing an instrumental cover of 'Christmas Waltz' and Proteus led Odette out to the dance floor.
"I talked to Meg last night," Proteus told her.
"Oh yeah?"
Proteus let out a small laugh. "Are you going to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about?"
Odette winked at him.
"She invited Vanessa and me to spend Christmas with her and her friends."
"That's awesome, Proteus. I'm so happy for you."
"She said you talked to her and it was your idea."
"She wasn't supposed to tell you that."
"So, it's true?"
Odette nodded. "I wanted you to get your Christmas wish."
"I can't believe everything you've done for me."
"Well, it's the least I could do after you pretended to date me."
Proteus stopped their dance and looked into her eyes. "It was never pretend for me, Odette."
Odette's breath caught. "It wasn't?"
Proteus shook his head. He brushed her hair back, then kissed her. Odette's heart raced. She slipped her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.
When they finally stopped kissing, they were smiling at each other.
"Proteus, will you be my real date to the Christmas party tomorrow night?"
Proteus wrapped his arms around her. "Well, that depends. Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Yes."