Rashid looked a little confused, so Ruby explained. “Carol? Have you seen it? It’s a movie from like, 2015, I think. With Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. It’s set in the fifties—very midcentury chic. It’s about the secret romance between a divorced housewife and an aspiring photographer. It’s sweet, but also super depressing. Shayne’s obsessed with the movie, which makes sense because he’s a photographer. It’s a beautifully shot movie.”
Rashid still looked confused.
“I went to the Caroling party last year,” Ruby continued. “They go all out. Very glamorous. There’ll be themed food, cocktails… the works. No singing. Probably.”
Rashid finally laughed. “Okay, it sounds like fun. I like Shayne and Anderson a lot. And Reena and Nadim.”
“You still need to meet Marley and Nik. Warning, though: Nik’s an actor. I hope you’re not the awkward starstruck type. Although you did meet Anderson, and he’s on TV every day.”
He chuckled. “I should be fine. I don’t think I have any midcentury clothes. Do guests have to dress up?”
Ruby shook her head. “Nah. Just wear something festive and you’ll be fine.”
Ruby opened the text group the moment Rashid dropped her home.
Ruby:Can I bring Rashid to the Caroling party?
Nik:Who’s Rashid?
Marley:Dr. Rash.
Nadim:I thought you hated him?
Ruby:No…
Reena:Oh my god, did you sleep with him?
Ruby:Where did you get that from? All I said was no!
Reena:There was subtext in the no. It was the three dots.
Shayne:Bravo, girl! Are you and he playing dermatologist and patient? Did he study ALL your skin?
Ruby:Never mind. You guys are weird. I’m not bringing him.
Reena:No, bring him! He’s HOT. Like… y’all need to see his skin. Softer than Aleem’s.
Shayne:Has he even seen Carol? He’ll need to watch it first.
Marley:Don’t listen to Shayne, Ruby. He can come. I still haven’t met Dr. Rash!
Nik:Okay, I think I’ve figured it out. Rashid is a dermatologist who Ruby is dating. But why go into dermatology if his name is Rash?
SHAYNE AND MARLEY’S HOUSEwasn’t far, only about a ten-minute drive from Ruby’s condo. Rashid drove to Ruby’s place, but they’d decided to take an Uber to the party so they could have some cocktails.
When Rashid texted that he was downstairs, Ruby took the elevator down, carrying her bags of presents and the dessert she’d made for the party, and met him in the building lobby. She smiled warmly. It had only been a day since she saw Rashid, and she’d already missed him. But her jaw dropped when she saw what he was wearing.
“Um, are you wearing a Christmas sweater?”
He looked down at the bright blue Fair Isle knit that clearly had a pattern of snowflakes, snowmen, and snow-topped trees on it. “It’s actually a holiday vest,” he said. “You said to dress festive. I thought this is what people wore to Christmas parties. Aren’t ugly sweaters a thing?”
Ruby huffed a laugh. “Yeah, maybe they’re a thing for other people, but not for Mr. I Don’t Celebrate Christmas. What happened tothe holiday isn’t for us?” She smiled and kissed himbriefly on the lips, so he’d know that she was teasing him. The sweater wasn’tthatbad—the cool blue looked fantastic against his rich brown skin, but she wasn’t used to seeing Rashid in a bright color. Ruby was wearing a soft cream cable-knit sweater with a full red skirt as a nod to the 1950s setting of the movie, along with her signature black lace tights and red lipstick.
“What’s in the tin?” he asked, pointing to the round red container covered with snowflakes that Ruby was carrying.
She opened it to show him little white squares topped with crushed candy canes. “I woke up early to make these before work—peppermint burfi. My mom’s invention.” Burfi was a traditional Indian sweet—basically a milk fudge usually flavored with cardamom, pistachio, almonds, or saffron. Peppermint burfi was something Ruby’s mother had come up with one Christmas when Ruby was a kid. Even though peppermint wasn’t Ruby’s favorite, she made it every year.
“Oh, wow, that sounds delicious.” He leaned forward to smell them.
