Page 76 of Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal
Max
Narrator: Do you smell that?
Is love possibly in the air?
The beginnings of a budding relationship?
From the hearts in Max’s eyes when he was recollecting his time with Betty, I’d say there’s a budding relationship, even if he’s clueless about it at the moment. He’ll get there, trust me, he’ll get there.
But Max isn’t the only one playing a ruse. No, now with Storee’s firsthand observation of how Max talked about Betty, she’s on a mission of her own. A mission to get the two together. Because she’s known Max for a few years now, and she’s never seen him talk about someone the way he spoke about Betty.
Because squirrels, really? He was gushing about squirrels?
Our boy has it bad.
Let’s see what Storee has planned.
Max:I’m sweating. Cole’s going to be pissed.
Storee:I’ll handle him. You worry about yourself. Bring your A game. Got it?
Max:I will, but... Cupid Christmas Night? This is your sacred night with Cole.
Storee:I wouldn’t call it sacred. Now stop worrying. See you in a few.
I pocket my phone and sit on a bench in Ornament Park. The exact bench Storee told me to sit on to wait for Betty to show up.
I can see this being a disaster. The other night, we went over a few ideas, and she was stuck on this one, said it would be perfect, but I had my doubts, still do. Cupid Christmas Night is a special night Kringle puts on every year. The date varies depending on the calendar and vendors, but it just so happened to land on tonight.
Every year, the town comes together and centers the event around the theme of love during Christmas. It’s for couples only, no kids, and there are themed cocktails, mistletoe everywhere, shareable foods, and even a walkway called Lovers’ Lane.
I’ve brought a few dates over the years—no one too serious—but this was the night that Cole and Storee kissed—reluctantly—for the first time, so I’m not sure how my best friend will feel about this.
Hands stuffed in my jacket pockets, I watch couples walk hand in hand around the different vendors set up in Ornament Park. It’s a little different this time. In the past, they’ve made maps to direct individuals to each business in town, which was great, because it brought in an impressive amount of business. But from what I’ve heard, there’s been a lot of overcrowdingin the past few years, given the popularity of the event with people coming from out of town, so they’ve brought some of the businesses into Ornament Park. They’ve each set up a booth to represent their business and offer a few different options from their offerings rather than all of them, which is harder work in a temporary site.
From what Tanya was telling me, everyone likes this format better.
“Oh, Atlas, what are you doing here?” Storee asks, startling me out of my thoughts.
“Hey, you two,” I say, standing from the bench. “My brothers told me to meet them down here.” I look around, playing up my acting skills. “But it seems like maybe they were teasing me and have left me alone on Cupid Christmas.”
“Were you going to romance the night away with your brothers?” Cole asks, looking me up and down.
“No.” I adjust my reindeer hat. “They were bringing dates and were going to bring one for me.”
“Ouch,” Storee says. “Stood up by someone you don’t know.”
“Yeah, kind of afraid she got one look at me and bolted.”
“I could believe that, since you’re wearing that hat,” Cole says.
“Cole,” Storee chastises him. “Be nice. He’s clearly upset.”
“He doesn’t look too upset,” Cole says, studying me.
“Trying to keep it together, man, but thanks for the concern.”
“Do you want to join us?” Storee asks, right on cue.
