Hi! Thank you so much for reading! Sorry it's a bit late today! I've been so busy with assignments for college but I'm so close to being done for Christmas break! I hope everyone is well!

Christmas Eve 4:35 p.m.

The thing Tobias needs to do – the urgent errand that simply cannot wait and must be done – is the purchase of a Christmas tree. It doesn't seem to matter that he'll be spending Christmas Day with his family at Evelyn's house and will probably chuck the poor tree out in a week. Tobias Eaton wants what he wants, and from what I can fathom, is quite used to getting it.

Because he's only been living in Chicago for a few months, I recommend my favorite florists on the corner where Addison and Ashland Avenue meet. I push him down the street past the heaving boutiques and festively decorated bars, being careful not to skid again on the ice forming under the rapidly falling snow. One bum bruise is quite enough, thank you. On the other side of the road, a bunch of girls are chucking snowballs at each other. I get a little memory of doing that with my mum when I was a kid – before she and Dad broke up and she moved to somewhere in the world where they never get snow.

I look away quickly and carry on down the road until we reach the florist. There's one tree left, and I feel a spark of relief that I'm not going to have to trek any further to find another one.

"It's a beaut!" Tobias declares, gently stroking the foliage of the short, fat, lush-looking tree. "You are gorgeous, and you don't even know it," he says tenderly to the tree.

"How many painkillers have you actually taken?" I ask, parking the wheelchair and standing in front of him.

"Just a little codeine. It's great stuff, don't you think? Perfect at Christmas. Mince pies! Brussel sprouts! Booze! Codeine!"

"I expect Jesus would be very disappointed to hear you say that" I deadpan, recalling his earlier jibe.

"Ahahaha! Was that a joke, Tris?"

I shrug a shoulder and reach my hand out to the tree. Urgh. It's all spiky and unwelcoming. Tobias was stroking it like it was lovely and soft.

"We'll take this amazing tree," Tobias says to the young guy manning the shop.

"That's forty-five dollars, please."

"Will you get my wallet for me?" Tobias asks.

I'm about to reach down into his jeans pocket when I realize, he's wiggling his eyebrows saucily. I snatch my hand back to my chest as if scorched.

Tobias laughs and takes out his own wallet, paying the man his forty-five dollars as well as a five-dollar tip because it's Christmas. The florist shakes Tobias' hand heartily and tells him to have a fantastic, festive season and maybe they should go out for a drink sometime.

No one ever asks me to go out for a drink! Not that I would say yes even if they asked. But still...what must it be like to naturally be that charming?

The tree is heavier than it looks. I pick it up and lay it across Tobias' knees on top of the crutches that are already resting there.

"Are you sure that's alright?' I ask. "It's not hurting your leg?"

Tobias shakes his head. "It's only the bottom half of my leg that's broken. This feels fine."

"Good." I start to push him back down the road.

"What shall we call her?" Tobias asks as we head back down Ashland Avenue.

"Who?"

"The beautiful tree!"

"You want to name your Christmas tree? How high are you right now, on a scale of one to Snoop Dogg?"

"How about we call her Tris. Because she's prickly and attractive and I like her."

Oh God. Ew. Is... is he flirting with me? Oh brother.

I stop the wheelchair in the middle of the street much to the chagrin of a woman weighed down by a million shopping bags, four young, bundled up children, and two large, rambunctious dogs.

"What are you doing?" the lady hisses. "Are you an idiot?"

"Yeah, I'm not the one Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve with four children and two dogs in tow," I grumble back.

The woman considers this for a second before shrugging at the truth in my statement and stomping away.

Once she and her entourage have disappeared around the corner I stand in front of Tobias and put my hands on my hips.

"You can charm everyone else: I get it. It's your thing, your charm. Everyone just loooooves it. Tobias the handsome charmer. But, my friend, you don't charm me, so don't even try. That tree is nothing like me, and to say something as cheesy as 'it is prickly and attractive just like you' is not only embarrassing for me, but embarrassing for you, too, especially since we don't know each other now and probably won't ever know each other ever again. I'm well and truly off men for the foreseeable future, so don't try that shit again and I'll take you wherever you need to go. No complaints. Okay?"

Tobias' mouth opens and closes a few times. He stutters the beginning of a few sentences which peter out as his brain can't catch up with his mouth. I don't think anyone has ever told him off before.

'"Okay," he says eventually, a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth. He looks down at the tree and pats it twice. "We'll just call her Elaine or something."

"Okay." I nod my head firmly and we continue on down the snowy street.