She exhaled. “Yes, I want you to come up. If you want to.”
“I do,” he said. He hesitated a moment before he continued. “One question first. Jasmine wanted me to ask you if you’ll come to her place for Christmas Day brunch. It will be me, her, and the girls. Maybe it’s too soon, and you probably have plans, but—”
Ruby put her hand on his, stopping him. For all the love Ruby had for the season, she’d never actually spent Christmas Day with anyone since her mom died. Ruby didn’t mind being alone on Christmas itself—for her it was all about the season, not the day.
But he was asking her to join him and his family for Christmas. “I would love to.”
He smiled, then kissed her on the lips, lingering there a moment. “Okay. Good. Now let’s go upstairs. I’m hoping there are more of those peppermint burfi up there, because Shayne ate all the ones you brought.”
THE NEXT FEW DAYSwent by in a whirlwind of long, chaotic shifts in the store and quiet cozy moments with Rashid.
Ruby developed callouses on her feet, her fingers were perpetually sticky from handling so much tape while wrapping, and she was finally, officially done with “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (but not “Last Christmas”; she’d never tire of Wham!). But her stolen moments with Rashid more than made up for her hectic job. They met for drinks in the Winter Market one night after she was done with work and had lunch together on another day when she didn’t start until one, and he spent most nights sleeping pressed against her in her tiny apartment.
On Thursday, they had their final holiday outing with the girls. They’d decided on Casa Loma, an enormous castle-like property in the northwest end of the city that was fully decorated for Christmas and had a light display outside. Ruby had brought the girls a gift again: a combination kids’ cookbook and storybook by a well-known South Asian cooking personality. They spent the whole drive going through all the picturesof food. Casa Loma was lovely—outside it looked like a castle, but inside it was like the English manor house of Ruby’s dreams. They got some beautiful pictures, and the girls loved all the lights outside.
Finally, it was Christmas Eve. Ruby worked until ten, making sure the store was neat and tidy for the Boxing Day sale, then collapsed on her bed the moment she got home. About fifteen minutes later, her phone chimed with a text.
Rashid:Buzz me in, I’m downstairs.
Ruby:I didn’t know you were coming over tonight. I’m exhausted. My feet hurt.
Rashid:I have massage oil and ingredients to make ginger hot toddies.
Ruby buzzed him up into the building immediately.
Ten minutes later she was sitting on her sofa wearing her fuzzy bathrobe with a hot toddy in her hand. She’d showered, and her bare feet were in Rashid’s hands on his lap.
“You’re so good at that,” she said. “I should have stayed with you all day instead of going to work. I forgot—why do I love this season so much?”
He laughed. “Now you’re seeing things my way. The chaos is too much, right?”
She nodded, then sipped her drink. It was rich and fragrant with ginger, cloves, and whisky. “Retail isbrutalthis time of year.” Hopefully this would be her last December working in a store. Hospitality would be busy, too, but she hoped less chaotic.
“You’ve had more to keep you busy this year than most years,” he said as he slid closer so that her knees were on his lap instead of her feet. He started rubbing her calves.
He was right. She looked around her tiny apartment. She’d finally started packing—not that she had a lot to pack. Her two big suitcases were open near her closet, and about half of the clothes she was taking were in it. There were also empty boxes in her kitchen—she’d start packing up the rest of the apartment after her last day at work.
It wasn’t just her big move keeping her busy, but Rashid. She’d spent every free moment with him. She’d been getting less sleep, she was behind on all her shows, and she didn’t remember the last time she opened a book. Between work, packing, and this holiday fling, it was no wonder Ruby was on the edge of burning out. But she wouldn’t trade it for anything. This holiday season might be her best one ever. She only wished there were more hours in a day to enjoy it.
But tomorrow was Christmas. Neither she nor Rashid was working. And they didn’t have to be at Jasmine’s until noon for brunch, so they could sleep in for the first time all week. Ruby drank the rest of her beverage in one sip, then slid onto Rashid’s lap, straddling his thighs. The movement made her robe slip off one shoulder, revealing the top of the floral tattoo on her breast.
Rashid grinned, sliding his hands up her thighs to rest on her bare hips. “I thought you were tired?”
“It’s Christmas Eve. I know we said we wouldn’t buy each other anything, but you’ve been such a good boy. I think you deserve a present.”
He pulled her robe off her other shoulder gently. “I like that idea. In fact, I’m wondering why I ever disliked this holiday.”
Ruby was right. Thiswasthe best Christmas ever.
“Ruby Auntie! This one’s for you!” Noor said, holding out a wrapped box.
Ruby leaned over to take the gift, suppressing a groan thanks to her sore muscles and full stomach. Jasmine had ordered their brunch from a local Pakistani restaurant instead of cooking, but the girls had insisted on supplementing the chicken tikka, naan, kebabs, and rice with mini strawberry pancakes with whipped cream. And Ruby had made eggnog chai and more peppermint burfi. Now they were all gathered in the living room for presents. Ruby was sitting next to Rashid on the white sofa—not so close as to be touching, but close enough.
The gift was from Tara, Noor, and Jasmine, and it turned out to be a pair of fuzzy socks and a rom-com novel set in London—clearly picked out by Jasmine.
“Thank you!” Ruby said. “These will be perfect for my flight.”
“This one’s for Ruby Auntie, too!” Tara said, handing Ruby a larger box. Ruby frowned. Who was this from? The box was wrapped horribly: thin, cheap paper; baggy corners; and morethan one spot of the cardboard box showed under the paper. The label saidTO RUBY FROM RASHID. Well, that explained the terrible wrap job.
