The Christmas Party

Baking Cookies and Keeping Secrets

"Happy Monday," I said when I arrived with Thea's coffee. "Are you not getting sick of peppermint mochas?" I put Thea's coffee on the kitchen counter.

She sipped her coffee. "No, I guess not."

"I had no idea how much of a sweet tooth you had."

"Everyone I work with is so bitter so I really need the sugar to offset everyone else."

"I think that if I had as much sugar as you did I wouldn't fit into my pants anymore."

Thea shrugged and turned back to cooking breakfast. I smiled when her back was turned to me: I liked the small routine we'd forged together, the small comforts of consistency that I could look forward to every day when I came over with coffee. I rested my chin against my hand and watched Thea move about the kitchen, lost in my reverie.

"What?" Thea asked when turned around to serve me. I blinked, phasing back to reality.

"Nothing, lost in thought."

"Penny for your thoughts?"

I laughed. "I was just thinking it was nice to be fed breakfast every morning."

"You don't eat breakfast?"

"Usually a granola bar or a banana."

"What are you going to do next week when you don't have to bring me coffee anymore?"

"Bring coffee anyway and bribe you to cook me breakfast? Although my wallet can't afford a peppermint mocha for the rest of the year."

Thea laughed and sat next to me to eat. "I might be interested in accepting your bribe."

I grinned and began to eat.

"I was thinking," Thea began, chewing her food slowly. "What do you find hot about me?"

"I'm leaving."

Thea laughed when I stood up with my plate.

"You don't want breakfast, Louise Dearest?"

"I'm taking this to go."

I heard Thea still laughing when I closed the door. I ran down the apartment stairs, hopped in my car, and got to work early. I was going to kill my mom. My phone buzzed shortly after my arrival.

Luca: Can you come over tonight and help me bake cookies?

Me: What's the occasion?

Luca: I may have volunteered to bring cookies to the play Wednesday.

Me: Why don't you just buy them pre-made?

Luca: You know I have the best homemade chocolate chip recipe and I hate store-bought cookies.

Me: But you're not eating them.

Luca: I will not embarrass myself in front of my students.

Me: They're six.

Luca: Or their parents. We also will be taking home all the leftover cookies.

Me: Deal. I'll come over and help. What time?

Luca: Come over after work and I'll order pizza ;)

Me: I'm there.

The rest of the day passed slowly, despite the deadlines closing in. Monica was buzzing around the office in a stressed out panic, planning for not one, but two, holiday parties.

"I think she might actually break," Jim said, standing by my desk and mindlessly sucking on a candy cane while we watched, intrigued, Monica having an aneurism while on the phone with a caterer when they told her they did not have a snack platter in the shape of Santa. Jim offered me my own candy cane to enjoy the show. I accepted and sucked on it while I thought.

"It's kind of sad, right? I feel a little mean for laughing."

"It is. To be so self-absorbed to think that our entire party will be ruined because of the shape of our snack platter."

"No YOU don't understand!" Monika nearly screamed into the phone.

Jim and I exchanged looks.

"You know I think she's on another level because you added another picture of you and your girlfriend to your desk," Jim said.

This morning I'd set out the a photo Thea and I took when we were ice skating. I swore Monica's eye twitched at twice its normal rate since then. I laughed.

"It's just too much fun to mess with her and the first one seemed to upset her so much," I answered.

"She really does seem to hate it, right?" Jim agreed.

"I hate that I'm about to ask you this."

"Ask anyway."

"Do you think Monica likes me? I mean like, wants to date me. Is that why she's been like this since she realized my girlfriend was real?"

"I have no doubt."

I groaned.

"Yeah that's rough, buddy."

"What did I do to deserve this?"

Jim shrugged. "When you find out, let me know because I want to make sure I never do it."

* * *

"It's finally just us two," Luca said grabbing a bag of chocolate chips from the shelf. We were at the store buying the ingredients for his cookies and a few other items for the refreshments table.

"What do you mean?"

"You're always hanging out with Thea now and not me."

I rolled my eyes. "This again?"

"It's not a bad thing! I'm not jealous."

"Then what is it?"

"I want to know what's going on," Luca said with a suggestive smile.

"With what?"

"With you and Thea."

"What do you mean?"

"Well yesterday our mom—"

"She's my mom."

"She's my mom too. Anyway, yesterday our mom reveals that you're attracted to Thea—."

"I never said that!"

"—And you two are going on dates and being all cute ice skating, so I just want to know what's going on."

"Oh my God, that wasn't a real date, it was a joke and I was literally going to die if Thea didn't hold me up ice skating. I've already told you all this!"

Luca looked at me unimpressed.

"Nothing is going on!"

Luca grabbed a bag of flour and sugar and placed them in the cart. "Nothing?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Is it because she's my sister?"

"What is with you and my mom? Are you two feeding off each other?"

"Well we obviously talk, but no. Just curious is all."

"Nothing has changed between us."

"You guys just hang out more."

"We're friends. You've always wanted us to be closer friends."

Luca shrugged. I narrowed my eyes and studied him and then it all hit me. "What are you not telling me?" I asked.

"Nothing," Luca said too innocently.

"Luca Joseph! What are you hiding from me?"

"Nothing."

"I'm your best friend; I know when you're lying. Every time we play One Night Werewolf I fucking know when you're a werewolf!"

"That's a board game!"

"I still know when you're lying!"

Luca began to push the cart through the aisle away from me.

"I know where you live!" I yelled down the aisle. He laughed, turned the cart, and disappeared. I shook my head and tapped my foot while I thought. What was he hiding?

Instead of pursuing him, I went to the wine aisle and picked out six bottles to get my discount and went to find Luca. I found him in the produce section, picking out some lemons.

"Hot toddies tonight?" he asked, lifting the lemons.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm not letting this go. Don't think your bribe of alcohol will make me forget."

"I won't bring up the fact that you think Thea is hot if you let go of this ludicrous idea that I'm lying."

"You wouldn't have to make a deal like that if you weren't lying!"

"I'll make Thea stop too."

I narrowed my eyes. "Fine . . . But I'll find out eventually."

"I'm sure you will."

"Wait what? What the hell does that mean?"

"Sorry," Luca said and mimed zipping his lips. "We just made a deal."

Begrudgingly, I put my alcohol in the shopping cart and followed Luca around the store pouting. Back at the apartment Luca ordered us pizza and set out our baking supplies. I prepared hot toddies with heavy pours; I thought that maybe if Luca got a little drunk he'd spill all his secrets.

He took a sip of the drink.

"Jesus, that's strong. All I can taste is the whiskey. Did you even put honey, lemon, or black tea in this?"

I sipped my own drink innocently. "Of course I did. It's Monday: we all need a strong drink of Mondays."

Luca considered this then nodded his head. "I need you to measure out the ingredients while I get everything ready."

"Got it!" I carefully bent over Luca's mother's handwritten chocolate chip cookie recipe and measured out all of the ingredients and poured them into a bowl. I passed it to Luca who cracked eggs and began to beat the mixture.

I grabbed my drink and began to sip more. By the time Luca was done preparing the first batch I was making my second drink.

"You're a horrible assistant," Luca said.

"Why?" I frowned.

"We have to match three batches. You started drinking after you made one."

"I don't bake, okay?"

"I don't think that has anything to do with your ability to read directions and put things into a bowl."

I stuck my tongue out at him, put my drink down to cool, and began mixing ingredients again. By the time we had all the cookies in the oven we were both on our third drinks and my head was spinning. We were in the kitchen laughing and eating pizza.

When Thea came home she took one look at the pair of us and shook her head.

"What are you two doing?"

"Baking," Luca told her.

"Are you drunk?" Thea asked Luca. I looked at Luca, who looked at me, then we both looked at Thea. Thea looked at me. "Are you drunk too?"

Luca and I laughed.

"Getting drunk on a Monday night, huh?" Thea asked, hands on her hips. "Classy."

"Sorry, Mom," Luca laughed. Thea rolled her eyes.

"I can't handle you two."

Luca walked over to his sister and threw his arms around her neck. "I love you, sister. Have some pizza and some wine. It'll help you loosen up since you're so tightly wound all the time."

"Oh my God," Thea groaned, then looked at me. "Get your friend."

I poured Thea a glass of wine. "You could join us."

"I'm not going to be hungover for work tomorrow."

I shrugged. "Your loss."

"We'll see about that."

When the timer on the oven beeped, Luca pulled out his chocolate chip cookies; the amazing smell wafted through the apartment. He set them on the oven and admired his work.

"They're beautiful," he said. Thea wandered over, but Luca smacked her hand away. "No! These are for school."

"You didn't make any extra for me?" she whined.

"I'll make more."

Thea pouted and poured herself another glass of wine. While Luca and I were in the kitchen admiring our work, Thea commandeered the TV and turned on another shitty Hallmark movie.

"No absolutely not. I can't do this again," I complained.

Thea raised her eyebrows. "You made a deal."

I groaned and grabbed an entire bottle of wine to bring to the couch.

"Fine, but I'm going to drink."

"Do whatever you want."

I stuck out my tongue and poured another glass of wine. By the end of the movie I was absolutely hammered, as was Luca. I couldn't drive home. I stood up too fast and stumbled. Thea caught me.

"Slow down there, tiger."

"I need to call an Uber," I said.

"You think?"

"Just sleep here," Luca said. "You have a toothbrush."

Thea looked at him. He shrugged.

"Your couch throws out my back every time I sleep on it," I said.

"We have an air mattress," Thea offered.

"No I think it has a hole in it," Luca answered.

"I'll just call an Uber."

"You can sleep with me," Luca offered. "But you can't cuddle me like last time."

"I can't help what happens when I sleep!" I protested.

"No cuddling. Thea, can she borrow pajamas?"

"Can I also take a shower?"

"Yeah come on," Thea said.

I followed Thea to her room, stopping quickly in Luca's bathroom to grab my toothbrush. Thea set out a fresh pair of pajamas and a towel on her bathroom counter.

"Thank you," I said and closed the door behind me. The warm water felt so good that I felt I could stand in there for hours. When I left the bathroom, I heard Thea and Luca in the kitchen cleaning up. Somehow in my drunk stupor I looked at Thea's bed and the only thought in my head was that her bed looked so much comfier than Luca's.

I tested this theory.

I crawled into Thea's bed and sank in; it was the softest mattress I've ever felt and she had the warmest blanket. I was the coziest I had ever been in my entire life. I was never getting out of this bed.

* * * 

A/N: Thank you all for reading, voting, and commenting! I truly do look forward to reading your comments.

Do you have a favorite drink? Alcoholic, coffee, or otherwise?  I'm partial to Sangria and, of course, Peppermint Mochas, especially on Four-Shot-Friday.