No Two Are Alike

24 | the christmas party

Jack was a bundle of nerves.

He glanced around his  parents' South Kensington flat, packed with faux pine trees, elegant  nutcrackers holding champagne, and socialites dressed in gold silk and burgundy taffeta. His parents were singing carols by the piano. His cousin Hattie and her boyfriend were doing a ridiculous jig next to them. It was a beautiful scene, really.

Shame Jack might  ruin it by vomiting on the floor.

He tugged at his tie. God, it was hot in here. Why on earth was it so bloody hot?

He grabbed a miniature  salmon sandwich from a passing waiter, stuffing it viciously into his  mouth. Chloe still hadn't arrived. He had been casually — okay,  desperately — searching for her for the last hour, but there was no sign  of her anywhere.

Her parents, on the other hand, were holding court near a towering four-layer cake in the shape of the mouse king.

"How are you, Amanda? Been up to much?"

"Oh, nothing much, John, darling; I must admit that I'm slightly jet-lagged, though; I got back from a vineyard in Italy yesterday, you see."

"How delightful! I just bought a French vineyard. A small one, mind you, so it's really nothing much."

"Did you? I happen to be dating a French chef. He's won a few awards, but it's really nothing much, so I doubt you'll have heard of him."

Jack took a gulp of his wine. Yikes. He was grateful that Chloe was missing out on today's Battle of Nothing Much, at least.

But where the hell was she?

He glanced around. She  was coming, wasn't she? He couldn't handle waiting another few days to  speak to her. Not after giving her the bracelet. Or, more to the point, a  card confessing his feelings. He might as well have torn out his heart  and gift-wrapped it for her.

Crumbs.

Maybe Jack had frightened her. Maybe his declaration of love had—

Jack felt a small hand  tap his shoulder, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. But it was only  Kate, looking radiant in a green gown.

"No sign of her yet, huh?"

Jack winced. "Am I that obvious?"

"Yes. Yes, you are."

"God, I'm pathetic."

She toasted him with her champagne. "Better than being apathetic."

"Who's apathetic?"

Logan materialized next  to them. He was dressed in a black suit jacket, with a moss-green tie —  the same color as Kate's dress. Jack blinked, thrown, as Logan wrapped  an arm around Kate's waist, tugging her closer.

"Hello, darling." He kissed her cheek. "I was wondering where you'd gone to."

"Hang on." Jack narrowed his eyes. "Since when is this a thing?" He gestured between the two of them. "How the hell did that happen?"

Logan smirked. "Kate said she fancied me."

"And?"

"It turns out that I fancy her, too."

Jack stared at him. "And that was it? Just like that?"

"That was it." Logan shrugged. "We don't all turn our love lives into three-act soap operas, mate. This isn't Shakespeare."

"I certainly hope not," Jack muttered.

Particularly given how "Romeo and Juliet" ended. Poor sods.