Tangled in Tinsel (A Christmas Novel)

27| The Christmas Crasher

"Mine isn't working."

Aria glanced over at Vance's now burnt marshmallow and chuckled. "You're still doing it wrong."

"How? How am I doing it wrong. Show me."

"I showed you three times already! Just eat it like it is."

Vance took the burnt mallow off the poker and threw it in the ever growing pile of charcoal colored puffs. "Come on, Aria. Yours are perfect. Help me, please! I can't keep eating this burnt piece of—"

"Fine!" she sat her skewer down and grabbed the mag of marshmallows. "Okay, first you put the marshmallow on the skewer like this."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Fine," Vance sighed. "I'm sorry."

Aria gave him a single nod of agreement before she refocused on the teaching lesson. "Now, stick it in the flames for no more than five seconds. But the trick is to make sure you rotate it. It should catch on fire right as you count to five—that's when you pull it from the flames and blow it out."

I watched in amazement as she showed Vance step by step what to do. I was a little nervous at the idea of those two hanging out at first. Vance told me before that he hit on her a couple times. I really didn't want there to be any awkwardness between the three of us. Thankfully, they seemed to get along great. 

The more Vance got to know her, the more he seemed to like her. There were a few times when he and I would be alone and he would whisper that she wasn't as stuck-up as he thought and that he approved of my new girlfriend.

I told him repeatedly that she wasn't my girlfriend, but he wasn't going for it. Then he accused me of being in denial.

Maybe he was right. 

As I sat here and watched the two of them argue over how to properly roast a marshmallow, I couldn't help but stare at her with fascination.  She really was one of a kind. I wish I could honestly say I knew that since I first saw her. But it wasn't true. Freshman year of high school she came off prudish and snobby. It wasn't until sophomore year of college that I started noticing that there was a difference between the Aria Whitmore she broadcasted to the world, and the Aria that was sitting across from me right now by the fire. 

She tucked her hair behind her ear and winked at me. If Vance wasn't here right now, she would probably be sitting next to me. Or on my lap. Yeah, my lap sounded better. 

"Well, I'm beat. I'm gonna go to bed." Vance got up from his chair and clapped me on the shoulder before smiling at Aria. "Micah, Aria, it's been a pleasure. And thank you for the roasting lesson." 

"Anytime," Aria chuckled. 

Once Vance cleaned up some of the mess, he was inside the house and probably knocked out on the couch. 

"Come here," I whispered to Aria. 

She didn't hesitate to bring her chair around the fire so she could sit next to me. She reached out and twined her fingers with mine. 

"This is nice." 

I nodded as I stared at the dancing flames. "Yeah, it is." 

As much as I loved my mom, this is a lot nicer than our Christmases usually were. Even Vance was a nice addition. Usually it was just my mom and I. Alone. That wasn't Christmas. 

This Christmas is filled with laughter and...Aria. 

"You know...this is another Christmas Checklist thing."