The Magnolia Café

Chapter 42

It's finally Christmas eve dinner. The Magnolia looks the part. We put the tables together to make one long enough to accommodate everyone.

It smells delicious. Carla and Miranda have been cooking for hours and Nico and I have also helped a bit. Maia is, of course, spending Christmas with her family, but she'll stop by to get her presents later. Ren is having dinner with his parents, but he'll show up afterwards. And aside from them, we are all here. Rita is talking to her father while he holds Hope. Jorge is playing a board game with Santiago and Miguel, and Connor is finally talking to Nico about photography.

Dinner goes on with a lot of laughter and talking and music on the background. I glance at Nico, and I see in his eyes that we are thinking about the same thing. We haven't had such a happy Christmas in quite a while. The two of us smile at each other. We clear the dinner table and start to spread the presents around. Ren arrives, and he joins the party.

While James is holding a sleeping Hope, Rita and Jorge take the opportunity to dance around to a Christmas ballad.

"You still own me a dance. You promised," I say to Connor with a smirk.

"I can't dance. I told you. So don't say I didn't warn you." I chuckle and grab his hand. We join Rita and Jorge on the improvised dance floor and Nico snaps a picture of us.

"Time for the presents," Miguel says impatiently.

We gather around the presents and start opening them. Rita squeezes me as soon as she opens her present. I got her a bunch of Halloween decorations, kind of a weird thing to gift to someone during Christmas, but she seems happy about it.

I got Jorge another board game for his collection. For Carla and Miranda, I got them a fully paid reservation at a restaurant that they have been dying to try and also my babysitting services for Santiago and Miguel while they enjoy their dinner.

For Ren, I got a special edition of one of his favorite books; I know... Not a very original gift for an English teacher, but he seems happy about it and has teary eyes.

Connor and I keep dancing. Not really dancing, more like wobbling around while we are in each other's arms. I glance at Ren and Nico while they exchange their gifts.

"Don't pry," Connor whispers in my ear. His breath is warm. A shiver runs down my spine and clenches my hands on his shirt. He smirks.

"I'm not prying. I'm worried about my friend and my brother."

Ren got Nico a cooking class for two at the local bakery and Nico seems really excited about it. "Thank you. I'll invite my sister to go with me." A glimpse of shock crosses Ren's face and he tries to hide it. "I'm joking Ren. Please go with me."

"Asshole," Ren says with a pout.

"Come on... Here's your gift. Open it." Ren looks suspiciously at the box that Nico gives him. Inside the box there's a backpack, sort of like the one I gave Nico. "Front pocket." Nico scratches his neck as he waits for Ren to look inside.

Ren takes out two plane tickets. "What—"

"Not real tickets. At least for now, I hope. More like an invitation. I tough we could pick a place together—" Ren pulls Nico by the collar and gives him a quick kiss.

"Are you satisfied now?" Connor asks me, and I nod. "Good. So now you can't stop staring at them."

"I wasn't staring."

"You were." He tucks my hair behind my ears. "Merry Christmas, Isabella."

"Merry Christmas, Connor." I give him a soft kiss.

My butt starts buzzing... Well not by butt, my phone that is on my back pocket. I look at the screen. There is a knot in my stomach. I recognize the number on the screen. I changed my phone number, so who could've given it to him?

"What?" Connor asks with a worried frown.

"Nothing."

"Your face says otherwise."

"I don't have the number. I'm not sure who it is."

"Someone you know probably wishing a Merry Christmas?"

"Maybe. If that's it, they can leave a message and I'll call them later." No one has my new number aside from the friends I made here, my parents and Nico. So... no. No way! "Just give me a second. I'll ask Nico if he knows the number."

I pull Nico to the side and show him my phone.

"Is it him?"

I nod. "I know you wouldn't give him my number—"

"Of course I wouldn't. I would probably send the bastard to the hospital if I ever laid eyes on him again."

"Mum and dad must've given it to him."

"You sure?"

"Aside from you, they were the only ones that knew my number before coming here. And the only ones that know Peter."

"Do you think they told him where you are?"

"I hope not. The number is annoying, but I can just block him."

"Don't worry. It probably means nothing. He's just a cocky bastard. He probably just wanted to say Merry Christmas and act like nothing happened and like he did nothing wrong."

I take a deep breath. "You are probably right."

"Just block his number and don't spend another second thinking about him." I nod and Nico hugs me. "Go spend some quality time with your boyfriend and don't dwell on the past."

"You just want to me spend the night at Connor's, don't you? So that you can have the apartment for yourself, right?" I struggle my way out of Nico's hug. "You are so manipulative." I grin.

"Pretty please?" He smiles and looks at me with puppy eyes. "You could use the distraction, and Connor is certainly good for that."

"I hate you, Nico."

"I love you too and I'll take that as a yes."

I go back to Connor's arms, and we keep dancing. "Everything okay?"

I nod. "Oh! And I'm staying at your house tonight."

He gets immediately blushed. "I'm obviously not going to complain, but may I know why the sudden change of plans?"

"No. You may not. Because I also don't want to know the details." I glance at Nico and Ren.

"Got it." Connor chuckles.