The Christmas Playbook (Shadow Valley U)

Chapter 16 "So... where's your boyfriend?" Cammie smiles deceitfully as she twirls her champagne flute. The cranberries and rosemary sway around the glass, taunting me. I already downed my Christmas mimosa-the featured drink for brunch at the resort. I wish I had twelve more to get through the rest of the day. "Why'd you say it like that?" I ask. "As if you don't know his name." Cammie raises an eyebrow and shrugs. Does she know? My reality slips. If she knows, then that means my fake relationship with Rhys is over. Why does that make my heart twinge?

"Yeah, where is Rhys?" Marcus asks, glancing up from his phone for the first time during this lunch. Rhys is spending time with his friends, like he should've been doing all along. There's a part of me that's hurt he's not here, like he chose his friends over me, but that's the most ridiculous thought I've had this entire trip, aside from the whole fake-dating scheme I came up with. If anything, I should feel guilty for keeping him from them, and I do. I'm jealous, too.

I would rather be with Rhys right now, and not just because I'm stuck shielding myself from my family's condescending remarks in between every other bite of food. "He's video-chatting with his parents," I finally say. I shoot my sister a glare, fully fed up with her jabs. I don't know if it's because I've finally had enough, or if it's because it's partly her fault that I'm in this situation to begin with. My heart is becoming invested, and it's going to end up broken. That's her fault, too. "Oh, really?" Eliza smiles at me from beside my dad.

"Is he close with his family?" My stepmom actually seems interested, giving me her full attention. At least I've fooled one person at this table that Rhys and I are in a fully committed relationship. A smile touches my lips. "Yeah, he is." I go on and on about his family dynamic and some of the traditions that Rhys has with his family. The more I talk about him, the bigger my smile gets. By the time I'm done, the entire table is quiet. All eyes are on me. Or past me? "What? Is Santa Claus behind me or something?" I half-laugh.

Liam perks up with a crayon held tightly between his chubby fingers. I spin in my chair, and that's when I hear my sister laugh from her seat. Shit. The blood drains from my face. Rhys stands with his snowboard in his hand, face red from the cool wintery wind of the slopes. He's in the middle of his large group of friends, laughing at something one of the girls said. "I knew it!" Cammie shouts. "You two aren't even dating... are you?" "What? Mira wouldn't lie about something like that," my dad argues. I turn around briefly. All eyes are on me. Marcus clicks his phone off.

"I've gotta give this my full attention." A wave of nausea hits me. I try to come up with an excuse or cover my tracks in some way, but all I can think is, it's over. I peek over my shoulder again, and as if he can feel me, Rhys looks over. At first, his brown eyes light up with excitement. His cheek rises with a crescent smile, but then, his gaze shifts to the rest of the table, and his expression falls. "I've gotta record this." Cammie snickers at my back. My eyes water, and I don't even know why. Rhys and I are at an impasse.

Our stares are locked on one another from across the resort restaurant, and I wish he could read my mind. One of his friends nudges him with his elbow, and when Rhys doesn't budge, he follows his line of sight. Suddenly, his whole posse is staring at us. "Is that who you've been fucking?" one of them asks. His voice carries across the room. "No wonder you haven't been hanging out with us the entire trip." My stepmom gasps. I clench my eyes together tightly. Could this get any worse? "Jack!" a girl exclaims. "She's with her whole family. Shut up." "I'm confused," my brother says.

"Aren't you two dating? Why don't they know⁠-" "Dating?" someone interjects. "Shut up, Thorne," Rhys stresses. Oh God. They moved closer. Newest update provided by FіndNovel.net I finally open my eyes, and Rhys is no more than a few feet from me. His lips are tugged into a frown, and I can tell he wants to help in some way, but he doesn't know how. I shake my head and look away. When I turn to face my family, they're clearly waiting for an explanation. "No," I admit. "We're not dating.

In fact, I hadn't seen him in years until we ended up in the same cabin by accident." Cammie snorts while Rachel tries to hide a laugh. "So you lied?" My mom's shocked expression clearly displays her disapproval. Cammie makes a noise of satisfaction. "Of course she lied. I knew there was no way he was dating her." Ouch. I don't even have it in me to stick up for myself. It's already embarrassing enough that this is happening in front of random strangers, but for Rhys and his friends to be standing behind me while I'm made out as the black sheep of the family is the cherry on top.

Instead of bickering with my sister, I scoot my chair from the table and stand abruptly. My napkin, that my mother forced me to put on my lap, falls to the floor. I attempt to flee, but stop at the last second when Rhys wraps his hand around my arm. "Mira..." His tone is soft, like he only says my name for me to hear. I shake my head and manage a tiny smile. "Thanks for making part of my trip bearable." I jerk my arm out of his grasp, and he lets me go willingly.

I walk out the door with my arms crossed over my chest, as if they'll be able to catch my bleeding heart as it falls right out of my chest and onto the snowy ground below.