My December Darling: A Holiday Novella

Despite the pep talk I gave myself during the walk over to the restaurant about being on my best behavior and acting like a mature man in my early thirties, the moment I saw Catalina, all bets were off.

We have only seen each other a handful of times since Aiden and Gaby have gotten together, and every single interaction has ended with me wondering why I bothered trying to talk to her in the first place. If Aiden hadn’t insisted that I join them, I would’ve passed on lunch altogether.

Despite being roommates, it’s rare for us to spend quality time together since we are both emergency room doctors at the new, state-of-the-art Lake Aurora hospital. Usually, we only see each other in passing since we both work graveyard shifts on different days, but today we both had the night off.

I thought I could get through today without an incident, but clearly, I slipped up when I called Catalina by her full name. She probably thought I did it strictly because I like to annoy her, but I just think her name is beautiful.

The waitress interrupts the table’s conversation by asking for our orders. Everyone but me, the guy who didn’t look at the menu because he was too focused on the beautiful, irritated brunette sitting across from him, knows what they want to eat, so I pick the first thing I see.

Catalina snorts, and hell, it sounds a lot cuter than it should.

Cuter? More like rude.

Yes. So damn rude, I find myself fighting both a smile and a request for her to repeat the sound again. Most people in town call Catalina an ice queen, but everyone has a melting point.

I just haven’t found hers yet.

“Have something to share?” I lean forward on my elbows, giving her my full attention.

“Nope,” she says with a pop of her lips. Her pink, pillowy, always pulled into a frown whenever I’m around lips.

“You sure about that?”

“Yup.”

“Are all your conversations this riveting?”

“Possibly.”

“Three whole syllables?” I check my pulse. “Warn a guy next time.”

She stares down at her menu, pretending to read it despite already ordering her food. Aiden pulls me into a discussion he is having with Gabriela and her mom, all while Catalina watches with quiet interest. She doesn’t say much whenever we are in a group setting, which only makes me more curious about whatever she is thinking.

Most likely silently judging you. I wouldn’t put it past her, even if Aiden claims she is nice once you get to know her.

When our plates arrive, it doesn’t take me long to understand why Catalina reacted the way she had when I placed my order. Had I known a Dragon’s Breath roll would literally set my mouth on fire, I would have chosen something a bit more palatable. Literally, anything has to be better than the food currently burning through every last one of my taste buds.

At this rate, I might be the one needing to visit an emergency room because there is no way my stomach will make it through eating the entire plate of this.

I’d say it is the worst sushi roll on the planet, but with the way Catalina keeps laughing under her breath at me constantly chugging water between spells of heavy breathing, I would be lying.

I’m so caught up in the way her eyes sparkle that I’m taken aback when she reaches across the table and snatches a piece of sushi off my plate.

Before I can warn her against it, she tosses it into her mouth with a smile and chews.

No flinching. No watery eyes. No desperate search for water.

“Show off.” I frown.

She gasps dramatically. “Did you just scowl?”

I glare.

“Whoa. Warn a girl next time.” She mocks me by checking her pulse.

I flip her off with my chopstick, earning a little huff of amusement from her and a choked laugh from Aiden sitting beside me. Gaby and Mrs. Martinez carry on the conversation, and I try to rejoin, only for Catalina to steal my attention again when she reaches over to eat another piece.

“You’re such a baby. This is nothing,” she says.

“If by nothing, you mean awful, then yes, we can finally agree on something for once.”

She leans forward to take a third piece, but I pull my plate closer to me.

“Stop stealing my food.”

Her eyes roll. “Is it considered stealing if you took one of mine when I wasn’t looking?”

Shit. She noticed that?

I hold my hands up. “In my defense, I’m starving.”

Her sigh is soft and resigned. “Here. We can trade.” She doesn’t wait for me to agree before swapping our plates. The move catches the attention of everyone at the table, although no one says anything.

Well, nobody except for me.

“Why did you do that?” I blurt out.

Her brows scrunch. “What do you mean why? You hate it.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not exactly known to be the nice sister, so I’m instantly suspicious.” My tone is light and teasing, but with the way Catalina slinks back into her seat and avoids eye contact, I feel like a complete and utter jackass.

For once, we were having a pleasant conversation, and I ruined it without meaning to.

Her half-hearted shrug drills a hole through my heart. “You’re right.”

Then why have I never felt more wrong?

I’m irritated with myself as I say, “It was meant to be a joke.”

“It’s fine,” she says with a clipped tone that confirms the complete opposite.

“Then why won’t you look at me?”

It takes her a few seconds, but she manages to glance up from her plate. Her gaze flickers over my face. It lacks the warmth from a minute ago, leaving me yearning for…I’m not entirely sure, to be honest.

“Do you really want me to answer that question?” she asks.

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.” A playful smile tugs at my mouth.

Her gaze follows the gesture, and her brows crinkle together from how hard she frowns. “I find you…”

“Yes?” I lean in toward her, my breath catching in my throat as I wait for what she might say.

“Repugnant,” she says with a small scrunch of her nose, as if the very idea of breathing the same air as me leaves a bad taste in her mouth.

“Repugnant?” Skepticism bleeds into every syllable. Never in my life has someone described me in such an insulting way, and definitely not after spending the last twenty minutes checking me out when they thought I wasn’t paying attention.

Screw that. I’ve seen the way she stares at me, and repugnant is the last thing on her mind. That much I can promise.

She continues, “Yes. You’re like a Captain America wannabe, and I don’t mean that as a compliment.”

My mouth falls open. “Excuse me?”

She releases a dramatic sigh. “I know it’s hard to hear given your savior complex.”

Aiden, who apparently has been eavesdropping instead of listening to his future mother-in-law’s story about visiting the dentist, chuckles under his breath.

“Shut up.” I jab him in the ribs, making him wince.

He rubs at the spot. “You underestimate your superhero strength, Captain America.”

The little she-devil across from me sits back in her seat with a satisfied smirk, and my heart trips at the sight. I’m not sure what kind of hold she has over me, but her presence is screwing with my head.

Up until this point, we’ve hardly spent time together. It was easy to coordinate having other plans since Catalina only visits Lake Wisteria twice a year, so I never thought to ask myself what would happen if I enjoyed her company.

And worse, how would I feel if I wanted more of it?