The Holly and the Ivy

Someday at Christmas

"You know what your problem is? You're too reserved. You hold everything in too hard, it's bound to burst out of you eventually."

It was the morning after the bachelorette party, and Mistletoe was speaking to Snowy about her public make-out session while the elves inhaled at an alarming rate waffles drenched in syrup. It was clear Snowy felt embarrassed by her hook-up, but while Cinnamon and Twinkle were teasing her, Mistletoe was trying to give her advice.

Unfortunately, Mistletoe didn't realize that her statement applied just as equally, if more so, to her best friend. Holly sipped her tea quietly, considering Mistletoe's words. She had tried so long to pretend to be someone she wasn't that she did something stupid and reckless. Every time she pushed away her true feelings, she added more and more stress until last night when she finally snapped. And now she would have to regret that for the rest of her life.

But the regret wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was feeling a brief moment of freedom, of happiness, of being herself, and knowing that she could never experience that again.

"Did you have fun?" Mistletoe asked, turning her attention to Holly.

"Mmhmm," Holly answered absent-mindedly.

"You're acting weird," Twinkle accused.

"Probably hungover," Cinnamon suggested with a smirk.

Holly surprisingly wasn't, but she decided to latch onto the excuse by staying silent. She took another sip of tea, then swirled a spoon around in the mug.

"Good thing Ivy was there to take care of her," Twinkle said. "She's not nearly as bad as you made her out to be, Mistletoe."

The mention of Ivy made Holly's heart twist up into uncomfortable knots.

"Did she go home?" Twinkle continued. "I haven't seen her."

"Yeah, she left a note," Mistletoe replied.

"What?" Holly asked, a bit too quickly and harshly.

"Yeah. Do you want to see it?"

Mistletoe held up a piece of paper, which Holly proceeded to rip out of her hands.

Headed home. Talk soon.

-Ivy

Holly reread the note at least a dozen times looking for some kind of indication of how Ivy was feeling. Did she regret their kiss, too? Did she not?

Was she going to tell Adam?

Suddenly, Holly felt something she wasn't used to feeling: anger. She and Ivy kissed - a kiss that opened Pandora's box of chaos - and all she left was a note with four words? Did she have any idea how much Holly's world had been upended? And did she even care?

"Mistletoe, can you get everyone back to the pick-up for the North Pole?" Holly asked. "There's something I've got to do."

"Of course," Mistletoe replied cheerfully. "Are you sure you don't want to wait so I can help, though?"

"I'm sure," Holly replied. "I have to handle this by myself."

Holly hugged the elves goodbye, promising to see them in only a few days at the wedding. Then she left the hotel, hopped in a cab, and within minutes, found herself at Ivy's apartment complex.

As she entered the building, a doorman stopped her.

"Can I help you?"

"Oh, um...I'm here to see Ivy Scott," Holly replied nervously.

"Oh! You were the lady that made that gingerbread Grand Central with her!" the doorman exclaimed. "That might be one of the coolest things I've ever seen."