People chuckled. I turned to glare at Hwan.
“What? I’m just reading the lines I’m fed,” Hwan replied all innocently, and I huffed. “Great work, Cole. That showed us.”
More laughter.
I glared at my friend in the front row, and he just hid his laugh behind his hand. He did a poor job of it too.
I shook my head and looked at the back as more people came in. Jeez, how many had they invited? I was sure there weren’t even close to enough firefighters for everyone attending, but I guessed that was the point. Competition and charity.
Pfft. Even charity has its limits and so did I. And I was pretty close to mine.
As I tried my best not to roll my eyes, I noticed someone in the back. A very familiar face though I couldn’t be sure he wasn’t a figment of my imagination seeing as I couldn’t stop thinking about him since I met him.
Was that Samir, the bookstore owner? What was he doing here? And why did I feel a hundred times more self-aware standing in front of him than I did standing in front of everyone else.
“Isn’t that right, Cole?” Hwan jabbed my ribs with his elbow, and I shook my head, trying to focus on the question and not the hunky guy in the back.
“I said…” he started again, but I caught Enzo from the corner of my eye looking at Samir’s direction too, and I scowled at him.
“I’m sorry. You’re going to have to repeat that.”
Hwan licked his teeth and frowned. I didn’t even know he could do that.
“You’re an excellent cook and can flip a pancake to save your life. Isn’t that right, Cole dear?” I didn’t miss the way he mumbled my name at the end.
It was a threat.
He was telling me “don’t you dare make me repeat myself a fourth time or I’ll make you sing in front of everyone.”
I shuddered.
“Um… yeah. Yeah, I can. Though it’s been a while since…” I started and my eyes landed back to Samir without even meaning to. “I haven’t made pancakes in a while.”
“Well, flipping pancakes is like riding a bike, ain’t it, folks?” Hwan giggled and the crowd chuckled.
Not Samir though. He was staring at me, and despite the distance, barely being able to see him, and all the spotlights hitting my face, it was his gaze that made me feel hot.
“So, for a date—” Hwan started when Enzo pssted Hwan and the latter excused himself as my best friend whispered something in his ear.
Now what?
I focused on them as if I’d suddenly acquired the power of super hearing, but I didn’t. It didn’t mean I didn’t glower at my friendas if I’d heard what he’d said, and Hwan straightened up and cleared his throat.
“Well, things are about to get interesting, folks. Because you aren’t just getting a date with Cole. You’re getting twelve! That's right. Twelve dates of Christmas with Cole! And since you’re getting this hunk for a lot more time, let’s start the bidding at five hundred dollars!”
“What?” I turned to Hwan, but he ignored me and pushed me to the front of the stage leaving me with no one else to glare at but Enzo.
“I’m going to kill you,” I mouthed at him.
He ignored me and lifted his paddle. “Five hundred!”
What was he even doing? Why would he bid on me? Had he dragged me to this auction only to humiliate me?
“Five hundred to his best friend who’s in a relationship. Come on, people. We can’t let this beautiful man go to waste. Do I hear five-fifty?”
“Six hundred dollars!” someone shouted from the other side of the stage, a middle-aged woman with a very enthusiastic paddle-wave.
“Six hundred. Do I hear seven hundred?”
