Chapter Text
Ravi flipped to the last page of the book he had brought on the flight and leaned into the corner of his window seat in first class. Beside him, Emma scrolled through pictures on her phone and sipped on sparkling water. They were on a plane to the McCormick’s lake house. After three years of dating, Emma thought it would be fun if she spent New Year’s Eve with her boyfriend and shared a midnight kiss with him.
“It’ll be totes romantic,” Emma had sighed dreamily as she booked a flight to arrive early morning on the holiday after she had asked for and received her parents’ permission.
“Take your brother with you,” Christina Ross had told her daughter. “You know I feel better when you kids travel together. And Ravi hates skiing at the resort anyway.”
Ravi was excited to visit his fellow Grizzly bunkmates. He had brought a gift for Griff, who was celebrating his second holiday season with his new adoptive parents and big brother. It was a beanie with Griff’s favorite team’s logo on it. Ravi voiced his worries over if he should have brought Xander something as well, but Emma made it clear that she had dibs on all of her boyfriend’s time and that Ravi was to keep his interactions with him to a minimum.
“But I wanted to tell him about the engine modifications I made for our go-kart,” Ravi whined as he put his book away.
“Tell him in June,” Emma said sternly. “Today’s about me and Xander’s love and our perfect New Year’s kiss. So, don’t mess this up.”
“Shesh. Cranky much,” her brother replied as he crossed his arms.
“You’d be cranky too if you’d been kiss deprived for four months,” she said.
He raised an eyebrow at her and said, “Seriously? You’re saying that to me.”
“Yeah… I guess you’ve got a point. But if you did have a girlfriend, you’d totally get it.”
“I doubt it,” he replied.
Xander picked them up from the airport and sure enough his full attention went entirely to Emma after he briefly greeted Ravi. The young couple had been apart for months, and the way they held hands as Xander gave them all a tour of his hometown made it clear that Ravi would not get a chance to talk about their go-kart engine. Every other minute, the lovesick couple would steal a kiss or giggle or sigh contentedly. Luckily, Xander had brought Griff along too, so Ravi had someone to talk to during the tour. By the end of their walk, Ravi lost count of how many times Griff gagged or groaned over the mushiness.
“Are you two going to be like this the whole day?” Griff asked sarcastically as he tugged his new beanie farther down over his cold ears.
“If you mean beautiful, then I don’t think it’s possible for Emma to stop,” Xander replied as he grinned at his girlfriend, never breaking eye contact.
“If you mean wonderful, then I don’t think it’s possible for Xander to stop,” Emma said in a dreamlike tone as snow flurries fell around them.
“Ravi, make them take us home now. I need at least three hours of video games to get their gross heart eyes out of my brain,” Griff said as he looked over to Ravi, who was walking beside him.
“Unfortunately as the day progresses, they may grow worse,” Ravi replied.
“I missed you,” Emma cooed as she shifted closer to her boyfriend.
“I missed you,” Xander responded in the same tone.
“I don’t get it,” Griff said as he shook his head.
“Me either,” said Ravi half-heartedly. For a moment his mind wandered back to summertime and his favorite camp counselor with the friendly smile and the stuffed woodchuck.
“Come on,” Xander said. “Let’s head home.”
Outside the McCormick house, Christmas decorations were still up. There was a giant inflatable snow globe in the yard that played “Jingle Bell Rock” on a loop. But inside the house, silver streamers cascaded over doorways. Silver, gold, and black decorations were everywhere for New Year’s Eve. Mrs. McCormick loved decorating and hosting, so she had gone all out for the celebration.
“You get more beautiful every time I see you, Emma,” Mrs. McCormick said with her arms wide for a hug.
“Thank you! It’s so good to see you,” Emma said as she embraced the hug. “I love your blouse! And these decorations are amazing!”
“I try,” Mrs. McCormick replied as she waved her hand. She turned her attention to Ravi and gave him a hug.
As promised, Griff ditched the group to play video games in his room. Ravi helped Mrs. McCormick in the kitchen, preparing appetizers and adding finishing touches to the elaborate array of treats she had made for the evening. Emma helped Xander take down the inflatable snow globe in the front yard. A few hours passed. Now, Ravi was standing on the back deck with Xander, Emma, and Mr. McCormick. There was a light dusting of snow on the trees behind the house and the lake was visible from the deck.
“So how are your clarinet lessons going, Mr. McCormick?” Emma asked politely as she stepped closer to the outdoor fireplace.
“Eh, I think I might be too old for it,” Mr. McCormick said as he took a drink from his cup. “I shouldn’t have waited so long to take it up.”
“No way, Dad. You’re doing great!” Xander said encouragingly. “Trust me. One musician to another, you’re going to be awesome.”
Ravi smiled. He was happy to witness the scene between Xander and his dad, knowing how worried Xander had been a few years ago when he had told his dad that he wanted to be a musician. He looked over to see his older sister’s reaction. She was smiling too and reached out to hold her boyfriend’s hand.
“One thing that I know for sure is that I can eat the heck out of a brisket,” Mr. McCormick said. He emptied his cup and then patted his stomach. “When’s Lou getting here with that famous brisket of hers?”
Ravi felt a wave of excitement hit him. He asked in a peppy tone, “Lou’s coming over?”
“See, Ravi’s as excited about brisket as I am,” Mr. McCormick said as he patted Ravi on the back.
Ravi didn’t have the heart to tell Xander’s dad that he couldn’t care less about the brisket, so he just smiled and nodded. He shifted his gaze back to Xander, eager for the answer to his question.
“Yeah,” Xander answered. “She’ll be here at seven to celebrate New Year’s Eve with us.”
“Yay!” Emma cheered. “I can’t wait to see the new chainsaw she got for Christmas. She’s been texting about it non-stop.”
“She’s bringing a chainsaw?” Mr. McCormick asked. He snapped his fingers and said, “Yes! There’s a tree near the garage that’s been giving me trouble. Lou’s always been my favorite son.” He tipped his cup toward Xander and added jokingly, “No offense.”
“None taken,” Xander chuckled and Emma leaned closer to rest her head on his shoulder.
“Does she know I’m here?” Ravi asked. He patted his jacket pocket for his phone. “I should text her.”
“Chill, Ravi. I told her you're here,” Emma said. “You look like you’re about to have a heart attack.”
“No, I don’t,” Ravi muttered, giving up his search for his phone.
As time went by, various relatives, friends and neighbors of the McCormick’s came to wish the family and their guests a happy new year and eat the food that Mrs. McCormick had prepared. By seven, it had formed into a joyous party. The doorbell rang and, over the music and laughter in the living room, Mr. McCormick shouted for someone to answer it. Ravi was in the entryway sifting through a bowl of candy and decided to open the door.
“Ravi!”
“Lou!”
His face lit up at the sight of her. He sprang forward to hug her and she wrapped her arms around him and laughed. Snowflakes fell from her earmuffs and onto his shoulder.
“I didn’t know you would be here,” he said as he let go of her and stepped out of the way for her to enter the house.
“Emma didn’t tell you?” Lou asked as she unwrapped her scarf. “She called me as soon as your parents said she could visit Xander for New Year’s.”
“Of course, she didn’t tell me. It’s Emma,” Ravi said as he rolled his eyes. He took her coat from her and hung it on a hook near the other guests’ coats like he had seen Mrs. McCormick do for some of the other visitors.
“Oh well,” Lou said good-naturedly. “You know I’m here now. And now it’s like a surprise.”
“It’s a great surprise!” Ravi checked out her outfit. “I like your dress. You look…” he started but stopped to search for the right word.
“Sparkly?” Lou said as she shimmed in her long-sleeved, knee-length dress. “I figured it’s New Year’s Eve, so I should look the part.” She pointed to her earlobes and added, “Plus, they match my hay bale earrings.”
“Ah, they do! And you look lovely,” he said. That was the word he had been looking for. He checked her out again and hoped she didn’t notice.
“Thanks. You look nice too,” she commented.
He almost pointed out that he was wearing a plain shirt and khakis, but he didn’t. He said, “I’m happy you’re here.”
“Me too,” she replied.
They stepped together for another hug, but the sound of Griff’s voice stopped them from embracing.
“Hey, Lou,” Griff greeted his friend as he bounded down the stairs. “Did you bring the brisket Dad’s been asking about?”
“I left it in the garage like he told me to,” Lou said. She leaned forward and said in a quieter tone, “He didn’t want to have to share with guests.”
Ravi chuckled. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Xander and Emma coming out of the noisy living room.
“Lou!”
“Emma!”
The best friends ran to each other and hugged, rocking from side to side and laughing. Emma had changed into an expensive dress for the party and spent an hour in the guest room doing her hair.
“You look amazing!”
“No, you look amazing!”
“I missed you so much, bestie!”
“Impossible! I missed you so much more!”
Griff shook his head and said, “We just saw each other at camp. You see each other every summer. Don’t you think this is a little much?”
Emma and Lou were still in a loose hug when Lou said, “Nope. Seems right to me.”
Ravi stepped to the side as some party guests walked around the group to step outside. He looked over at Lou and was much happier with his decision to travel with Emma.
“Let’s go down to the den,” Xander said. “We can hang out down there.”
“Yeah, I can show you all the cool stuff that I got for Christmas,” Griff said as he waved for the group to follow him.
There were a few rounds played of a new video game Griff had gotten. Each person had taken a turn playing against Griff until Emma and Xander forfeited their turns in favor of softly talking to each other on the couch. Lou and Griff had battled for first place while Ravi accepted defeat early on. At one point, Xander’s grandparents had come down to the den with a radio in hand and got everyone to dance.
“Shimmy and shake, Lou Lou! Shimmy and shake,” Grandma McCormick had cheered while twisting her own hips to the beat.
Lou had laughed so hard that she had to lean on Ravi for support. He put his arm around her back and ignored the way he felt warm and safe with her so near.
“I don’t think I’ve got moves like that, Grammy,” Lou had replied with tears of laughter in the corner of her eyes.
Eventually things quieted down in the den. Emma and Xander were snuggled on the couch and looking at his parents’ old yearbooks. Griff was listening to music from his phone with his earbuds in and relaxing in a bean bag chair in front of the tv.
“Can I get you something from the kitchen?” Ravi asked Lou.
She was seated in the bean bag chair adjacent to Griff. She looked up from her phone and smiled.
“I’ll go too,” she replied, standing up from her seat.
He offered her his hand to help her up from the bean bag chair too late. She was already standing. But she took his hand in hers and swung it for a second.
“I’ve got a hankering for a spinach puff,” she said before she let go of his hand and walked toward the stairs.
He didn’t respond. He flexed his hand to get rid of the tingly feeling and followed her up the stairs.
The kitchen was littered with half eaten pans and dishes of food. There were decorative plates and cups all over the counters and the kitchen island. Lou and Ravi stood by the island, each holding a small plate of appetizers. People were mostly in the living room, but some of the guests had formed another party on the back deck. From the kitchen, Lou could see the outdoor fireplace lit up and the lights strung above the deck were bright against the winter night sky.
“It looks like everyone’s having a good time,” Ravi said as he munched on his celery stick dipped in ranch.
Lou hummed in agreement and bit into a spinach puff. A stringy green leaf dangled from her chin and Ravi used a napkin to wipe it away for her.
“Thanks,” she said.
“No problem.”
“So, did you have a good flight?”
“Yep. I finished a book I had started over winter break. Have you been able to try out your new chainsaw, yet?”
He poured himself some water and filled her glass as well.
“Not as much as I’d like. But on my way to the bathroom earlier, I caught up with Mr. McCormick and he’s got a tree for me to work on. So, I’m ready for that! This thing has got some real power,” she said. She tucked some hair behind her ear and added, “If you’re not busy tomorrow, you could help.”
“Sure. I’ve been threatened to stay out of Emma’s way, anyway. She’s trying to catch up on quality time with Xander.”
“Oh… I know what that means,” Lou said. She put her hands on his shoulders and made kissy faces and sounds. Ravi rolled his eyes and laughed.
At that moment, Grandma McCormick casually walked into the kitchen. Lou let go of Ravi’s shoulders and smiled at the older lady, who grabbed a gingerbread cookie off the plate on the kitchen island.
“You two lovebirds getting a start on those kisses before midnight. That’s good luck,” Grandma McCormick teased.
Both Lou and Ravi’s faces heated with embarrassment. Lou quickly picked up her glass and took a long sip of her water. Ravi laughed awkwardly.
“We’re just friends,” Ravi said.
Grandma McCormick shrugged as she poured herself a glass of water and said, “Friends kiss.”
Lou choked on her water and gasped, “Grammy!”
“Lou Lou, you’re telling me that you got all dolled up so that at midnight you won’t be kissed by this handsome young man? He’s not going to let that happen.” Grandma McCormick winked at Ravi. “Are you?”
“Uh…well...” Ravi took a gulp of his water and looked nervously around the kitchen.
Lou gripped the edge of the honed marble countertop and busied herself with inspecting the food in front of them. “Did you try the spinach puffs, Grammy?”
“Psh, spinach puffs,” Grandma McCormick dismissed the appetizer, grabbed another cookie, and sauntered out of the kitchen with her glass.
Both friends were uncomfortably silent in the kitchen. Lou added some celery and carrot sticks to her small plate. She arranged them into her initials. Ravi added some more water to his cup. He glanced at Lou’s nearly empty cup and added her some more too.
“Thanks for the water,” Lou finally spoke. In a shaky tone she added, “Grammy’s such a character.” She took another sip of water and looked up at the bright kitchen lights.
“She’s vivacious,” Ravi said, taking a drink of his own water and staring straight ahead at the silver streamers over the doorway.
Both of them thought about Grammy’s words and wondered if the other agreed about her philosophy of friends being able to kiss.
They felt cold air enter the kitchen as the door to the back deck opened. Mr. McCormick stepped inside with a pan of grilled hamburger patties. He set the pan on the counter and looked over at his son’s friends.
“I thought to myself, you know what this party could use. More grilled meat,” Xander’s dad said.
“You know what I say, grillin’ time is anytime,” Lou replied with a grin.
Mr. McCormick gave a hearty laugh and wagged his finger in Lou’s direction. “That’s what I’m talking about,” he said. “Oh, Lou, did you tell Ravi here that the brisket is in the garage?” He put his finger over his lips and said in a quieter tone, “Just for us. Don’t want anyone else getting wind of it.”
Ravi nodded, not sure of what else to do.
Lou hid her confusion and answered, “Yes, sir. Sure did.”
“Great,” Mr. McCormick smiled. “Man, you should’ve seen the way Ravi’s face lit up when I told him you were coming over with brisket. Who could blame him? It’s an excellent cut.”
Ravi remembered his reaction on the deck and his eyes widened. He hadn’t been excited about the brisket. He watched as Mr. McCormick grabbed a roll of paper towels and exited the kitchen for the back deck.
Lou turned to Ravi. She furrowed her brow and said, “You don’t like brisket. Do you?”
“No. My interest wasn’t in the brisket,” he answered honestly. “I mean my concern, not interest. I don’t care for… No, I don’t like brisket.”
There was an awkward tension in the kitchen that wasn’t broken until Griff strolled in. He leaned his elbows on the island and surveyed the spread of food on it.
“Dude, I’m so glad to be in here,” Griff said.
“Hungry?” Lou asked.
“More like trying not to barf,” he replied. He spotted the plate of gingerbread cookies and grinned. “Remember that time I wrecked your gingerbread house at camp?”
“A tragedy,” Ravi said solemnly.
Lou frowned and shook her head. “Don’t bring up memories of such a dark time,” she said.
“You guys are so weird,” Griff chuckled as he picked up a gingerbread man.
Ravi ignored the comment as he sat his glass down beside his empty plate and asked, “What’s causing you to barf?”
Griff threw his cookie down on a plate. “Xander and Emma! They’re so… yuck! They’re making gooey eyes at each other and whispering and giggling and it’s gross, Dude.”
“Gooey eyes?” Ravi echoed, amused.
“I never realized how annoying it is!” Griff continued his rant. “I guess at camp I can ignore them while I’m kayaking or ziplining or whatever.”
“It’s New Year’s Eve, Griff. And they’re happy to see each other,” Lou explained. She wanted to take up for her best friends even if she knew Griff had a point.
Ravi hooked his foot around a stool and pulled it back. He sat down at the island and said to Griff, “I know they’re annoyingly mushy, but remember that your new brother and my sister care so much about each other. It’s just them being a couple.”
Lou stepped closer to Ravi, put her hand on his shoulder, and nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, but why can’t they be less mushy,” Griff said with his nose scrunched up. “You know, like you two,” he said nodding in their direction.
Lou bunched her eyebrows together in confusion. “Us two?” She asked as she lifted her hand away from Ravi’s shoulder.
“Uh huh,” Griff said with a nod. He broke a cookie shaped like a star in half and said, “You guys are together and you’re not all over each other.”
“All over?”
“Each other?”
Ravi and Lou didn’t dare look at each other for confirmation of Griff’s words. Grandma McCormick’s assumption had been one thing, but this was one of their closest friends. Lou opened and closed her mouth like a fish, not sure what to say. Ravi tapped his chin and stared at the thirteen-year-old across from him. He figured the best approach was to play dumb.
“By together… you mean Lou and I are… in the same place?” Ravi asked slowly. He waved his hand around the room. “As in we are together at this spacious kitchen island perfect for entertaining?”
Crumbs fell from Griff’s mouth as he asked, “What? No, I mean together. Like you two are together.”
“I don’t follow,” Ravi said with what he hoped was a blank look.
Lou sat down on one of the stools. She folded her hands on top of the countertop and tilted her head to the side. She asked, “Griff, do you think Ravi and I are dating?”
“Of course, he doesn’t...” Ravi started.
“You are dating,” Griff said matter-of-factly. He finished his cookie and reached for another. “Man, these things are good.”
“We most certainly are not!” Ravi protested as he swiped the plate of cookies out of Griff’s reach.
“Hey!” Griff shouted. “What’s your problem?”
“And where would he get an idea like that, hmm, Ravi?” Lou asked in an accusatory tone as she gave Ravi a pointed look.
“Don’t look at me. I never told him we were dating,” Ravi said as he put the plate of cookies back down.
“Was it a secret?” Griff asked in a bored tone. He leaned over to reach for a bowl of candies with shiny wrappers that matched the New Year’s Eve decorations around the house. “If so, you two are so bad at it. I’ve known for like two years.”
“Two years,” Ravi stuttered. He flushed with embarrassment.
“There’s no secret,” Lou insisted. “And you’ve only been at camp for two years.”
Griff unwrapped a candy and popped into his mouth. He chewed for a moment, looking from one of his friends to the other. “Wait a sec. So, Ravi isn’t your boyfriend?”
“No!” Both Lou and Ravi shouted at the same time.
“I can’t believe for the past two years, you’ve thought I’ve been dating Ravi,” Lou said as she rolled her eyes. “You’re about as observant as your new brother.”
“Exactly,” Ravi nodded in agreement. He ignored the twinge of pain in his gut from the exasperated tone in Lou’s voice.
“Whoa,” Griff said offended. “I’m plenty observant. It’s not my fault you two are sending people vibes.”
“Vibes,” Lou stuttered, flustered. “We are not!”
“You, sir, lack any evidence as such and I refuse to partake in this foolish conversation,” Ravi said as he stuck his nose in the air and began to stand from his seat. He wanted to leave the room as soon as possible.
“Evidence? Okay, I’ve totally got evidence,” Griff said, snatching a handful of candy. “When I first got to camp and you guys tried to kick me out when you thought I stole Xander’s guitar, after the trial, Hazel wanted to put Ravi in the hole with all the snakes for fun, and you wouldn’t let her,” he said to Lou.
“Hazel also tried to lock Ravi in the freezer when he ratted her out for stealing Xander’s shirt at the lake. But I didn’t let her turn him into a human icicle either. And that doesn’t make him my... boyfriend,” Lou replied.
“I hate freezers,” Ravi muttered to himself. “Not sure about the snakes.”
“You wouldn’t have made it,” Lou said, giving him a knowing look.
“You’re right,” Ravi admitted.
“Fine. What about the dance? You go with her every year,” Griff said to Ravi.
“No,” Ravi said with emphasis. “Every year I’m rejected by every girl that I ask to the dance and Lou takes pity on me.”
“Meh, it’s not that bad. We have a good time,” Lou said.
“I know I do. You’re awesome,” Ravi said with a shy smile.
“Aw shucks, you think I’m awesome?” Lou grinned despite herself.
“You are indeed,” Ravi said sweetly.
Griff chewed on a piece of candy and said flatly, “And stuff like that.”
“Stuff like what?”
Griff rolled his eyes and said to Ravi, “You went to rescue her from that crazy lady in the woods.”
Lou thought for a second and then raised her eyebrow. “Who? The horror writer that trapped me and the campers in her weird basement?”
“Oh, yeah, I remember that,” Ravi said with a nod. “It was more of a group effort than a romantic rescue type of thing.”
“No romance at all. I’m just glad that we all got out of there alive,” Lou said.
“It was terrifying. Thank goodness she ended up arrested,” Ravi said with a worried look and tone.
Without thinking, Lou reached out her hand and placed it over his. The worried look disappeared from his face. She gave him a look that made his heart race. He removed his hand from hers and looked away.
“Whatever, this is stupid. I don’t even know why we’re arguing,” Griff said. “You two hang out. All. Of. The. Time. I never see one of you without the other. You both have the same weird hobbies. I mean, a funeral for gingerbread cookies? Who does that?” He picked up one of the gingerbread men and waved it around. Part of its cookie leg fell off.
Chatter wafted into the room when the glass door to the back deck opened. Mr. McCormick entered the kitchen. He spotted his youngest son and asked, “Griff, want to help me set up for the fireworks?”
“Thank goodness,” Lou mumbled under her breath. She looked to see if Ravi had heard her but he didn’t give any indication that he had.
“Sure, Dad,” Griff said with the smile he always had whenever one of his new parents asked him to participate in something.
Mr. McCormick nodded. He grabbed a half-empty pan of fritters and walked out of the kitchen to the main part of the house.
“Guess I was wrong about you guys,” Griff said as he leaned away from the kitchen island. “But if you two aren’t dating,” he said, “Then I think one of you is crushing on the other.”
With that said, he left the kitchen, leaving Lou and Ravi dumbfounded. The chatter from outside grew louder for a moment and then settled back down. Music still played from the living room. Lou reached for one of the gingerbread cookies at the same time that Ravi did.
“Sorry,” he said quickly as he snatched his hand away from hers as if he’d been electrocuted.
“No, you go ahead,” she said.
They both reached for the gingerbread men frosted with New Year’s Eve top hats and candied buttons again. Their fingertips touched again, but this time neither moved away.
Xander walked into the kitchen and asked, “What are you guys doing?”
“Nothing,” Lou practically shouted as she hopped up from her seat.
“Hiya, Xander,” Ravi stammered as he folded his hands on the countertop.
Xander picked up a clean platter and stacked some appetizers on it while he asked, “Do you two want to play charades with my cousins? We’re about to start a game in the den.”
“That sounds fun,” Ravi said as he stood from his seat. “Count us in.” He winced and added, “Or just me.”
“I’m in too,” Lou said. She walked out of the kitchen without looking back at either of the guys.
“Cool,” Xander said with a mouth full of deviled egg. “Hey man, can you grab that bowl of spinach dip? Oh, and some little plates.”
Down in the den, Lou sat on the couch with Xander’s older cousins. They were twenty-three-year-old twins that used to play college football, so Lou barely had any space to sit on the edge of the couch. Emma stood by the foosball table laughing at something the twins’ mom had said. Xander handed his aunt the tray of food and Emma perked up when she saw the spinach dip. Ravi handed his sister the bowl and plates.
“So, let’s pick teams,” Xander said.
Ravi glanced across the room at Lou, but she was busy trying not to fall off the couch.
Emma scooped some of the dip onto a plate and said, “Well obviously Lou and Ravi are on a team together. But sweetie you’re awful at charades, so I’m on your aunt’s team.”
“Gee thanks,” Xander said as he rolled his eyes and grabbed another deviled egg.
“It’s not obvious,” Ravi argued. “There are other team combinations.” He looked to see Lou’s reaction, but she was poking one of the twins in the rib to get him to scoot over.
“Team Pretty Girls for the win,” Xander’s aunt said. She gave Emma a high-five.
“I can choose my own partner,” Ravi continued to mutter.
“You’re a couple decades late to be considered a girl, mom,” one of the twins joked as he swatted Lou’s hand away.
“But you’re still super pretty,” Emma said and added, “And we’re going to crush the competition.”
“Xander and I will be a team,” Ravi spoke up. He felt all the eyes in the room land on him and his face heated up. He realized that his volume had been on the loud side.
“But you and Lou are always on the same team,” Emma said matter-of-factly.
“No, we’re not,” Lou protested. She glared at Ravi. “We don’t have to do everything together.”
“Right. I agree,” Ravi said unconvincingly.
“But you always do everything together,” Emma said in a neutral tone before she popped a spinach dipped chip into her mouth. “Your mom’s cooking is amazing, Xandy.”
“It’s crazy what cooking lessons can do. My dad used to feed everything my mom made to the dog,” Xander said.
“Whatever happened to that dog?” Xander’s aunt asked as she looked around the room as if the dog would be lounging around in the den.
“It ran away before the cooking lessons,” he answered, scratching the back of his head. “But her cooking is awesome now. And so are my charade skills. Which will be why you’ll regret not being on my team,” Xander taunted his girlfriend. He raised his hand for a high-five from his friend. “We’re going to kick butt, Ravi.”
Emma and Xander’s aunt ended up winning charades. As the two celebrated their victory by toasting sparkling grape juice, Ravi regretted making such a big deal out of not being Lou’s partner for the game. They would’ve won easily. They’d played charades as teammates for years at camp. It had been almost painful to watch the twins miss such obvious clues as Lou mimed it out for them.
“We were so close,” Xander said to Ravi.
“We lost horribly,” Ravi replied.
“Yeah…”
Xander patted him on the back and walked over to his girlfriend and aunt. Ravi sighed and plopped down on the couch beside one of the twins. At the foosball table, Lou and the other twin had started a game. As Ravi watched from a distance as his friend trash talked her opponent, he knew why he had made such a big deal out of not being her partner. Griff was right: Ravi had a crush on Lou. It wasn’t something that he normally liked to dwell on because he figured he never had a chance with her, but he never thought anyone else had noticed. It freaked him out that Griff had. He couldn’t have her finding out the truth.
“There’s not long before the countdown,” Xander announced. He grabbed the remote from a side table and sat down in the recliner near the couch. “Anyone want to watch a movie?”
“I better make sure my husband hasn’t fallen into a food-induced coma upstairs,” his aunt said as she made her way toward the stairs. “Good game, Emma!”
“Good game, Team Pretty Girls,” Emma called back as she waved her cup.
Lou’s opponent stopped his game and stepped around the foosball table. “I’m out, too,” he said. “Gotta call my girlfriend.” He followed his mom up the stairs out of the den.
The other twin relaxed into the cushions of the couch and looked over to the television on the wall. Xander scrolled through a few titles and settled on a Disney movie.
“Oh, I love ‘The Lion King,’” Lou said as she stepped around the foosball table.
Xander moved to stand from the recliner as he said to his cousin, “Hey Caleb, you can take the recliner. Lou probably wants to sit next to Ravi.”
Lou froze on her way to the seating area. “That’s not… You don’t…”
“Sure,” Caleb said. He nodded and swapped spots. In the recliner, he leaned back and pulled the lever to prop his feet up.
“There you go, Lou,” Xander said as he hopped onto a bean bag chair and waved Emma over to join him.
“You really didn’t have to move, Caleb,” Lou said, still awkwardly frozen in place.
“Whatever,” the twin shrugged. “Play the movie, Xan.”
“Turn off the lights for me, Lou?” Xander asked, not looking away from the screen.
Lou turned off the lights and the den was cloaked in darkness except from the light of the television. She sighed, made her way to the couch, and sat down beside Ravi. There was plenty of room on the couch now that it wasn’t being hogged by two massive football players, but she still felt like it was too small. She chanced a look at the guy beside her and held her breath when she saw that he was looking back at her. He turned away when she caught him.
Lou was a little ticked off at both Griff and Ravi. She hadn’t expected to be called out by a kid, but Griff had seen right through her: Lou had a crush on Ravi. Even now, as she sat there annoyed with how obvious Ravi was being earlier about not wanting to be her partner for charades. She missed the first twenty minutes of the movie as she stared at her crush and wondered if he would be weirded out by Griff’s words forever. She didn’t want him to stop spending time with her because he realized she had non-friend feelings for him when he didn’t feel the same way about her. Her worries were interrupted by his voice in the dark.
“Can we get some air?” he asked, leaning over to her. “I can’t really enjoy the movie in these, uh, circumstances.”
Lou blinked and for a moment she wondered if he was so freaked out by what Griff said that he couldn’t enjoy a family classic about safari animals. But then she heard the uncomfortable sounds of Caleb snoring like a hog in the recliner and her best friends not so quietly smooching on the bean bag chair.
“Let’s go,” Lou said.
They had headed for the kitchen first, but the party on the back deck had moved to the kitchen as a light snow had begun to fall. The living room wasn’t an option either, as the McCormick’s neighbor had brought over a sound system and turned the room into a proper dance party. Family and friends were scattered throughout the house, so Ravi made the suggestion that he and Lou go outside. It was cold and flurries of snow were coming down, so she mentioned her car was at the end of the driveway and it had heating.
“This is much better,” Ravi said as he held his hands in front of the dashboard heater in Lou’s car.
“You sure? Cause Xander’s uncle was about one bacon-wrapped cocktail weenie from showing us his best dance moves,” Lou joked.
They both laughed and Lou leaned her shoulder into the front of the driver’s seat. She pulled her fingers through her hair and smiled at him. It made his stomach fill with butterflies.
“That was so weird… What Griff said about us,” he said, not at all smoothly. “Crushes? That’s, you know, and… gingerbread funerals.”
Lou chuckled so awkwardly it turned into a snort. She covered her face with one hand and looked away from him. Ravi glanced at the time above the car radio.
“Oh, look. It’s almost midnight,” he said, pointing at the clock.
Lou uncovered her face and rolled her eyes. She shuffled in her seat. “Xander and Emma got started early,” she said with a jealous undertone.
“No kidding,” Ravi said flatly. “They’ve been like that since the moment Emma and I stepped out of the airport.” He shook his head. “Griff may have been wrong about us dating, but he was right about one thing: their mushy lovesick behavior is the worst sometimes.”
“They’re my favorite couple in the world. But sometimes I do want to shove um in a lake for flaunting their love in my face,” Lou admitted. Her eyes widened and she reached out to put her hand on his shoulder. “But don’t tell them that.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” Ravi smiled as he placed his hand over hers.
There was a loud whistle and pop and a flash of golden light in the sky that made them both jump. Ravi noticed he had gripped Lou’s hand tighter in fear. He let go and turned his attention to outside the windshield.
“Looks like Mr. McCormick and Griff got started on those fireworks early,” he said as another whistle and pop lit up the sky.
“Does no one respect the twelve o’clock time mark?” Lou said as she watched the fireworks display.
Party guests walked out into the yard. Those that didn’t want to bother with the cold watched the show from the windows of the large lake house. Ravi saw Emma and Xander run toward them. The couple piled into the backseat of Lou’s car in a huff. Emma shivered slightly as she tightened Xander’s hoodie around her designer dress.
“Why didn’t you guys tell us the fireworks had started?” Emma said as she watched the night sky light up.
“You were busy,” Lou said flatly.
“Look! Dad got purple!” Xander exclaimed and pointed out the window like a child.
“I love purple!” Emma gasped.
From the warm car, the four friends watched the colorful firework display as time inched closer to midnight. Xander’s cousins and a few other relatives bored with the fireworks started a late-night game of catch with the football on the large lawn in front of the house.
“Want to hear something weird,” Xander said as he leaned forward from the backseat to talk to Lou and Ravi. “Did you know that Griff thinks that you two are dating?”
Emma burst into laughter and wrapped her arm around Xander’s bicep as she leaned forward to see her friends’ reactions. Both Lou and Ravi looked embarrassed. Lou nervously twirled the ends of her hair. Ravi tugged at his collar and cleared his throat, looking up at the ceiling of the vehicle. Emma’s laugh settled and her eyes darted from Lou to Ravi.
“Wait a sec… Is there something going on with you two?” Emma asked. She gasped and leaned back. “Omg! Are Xandy and I crashing? Did you guys come out here to kiss?
“No!” Lou shouted and shook her head. “That’s not why I brought you to my car!”
“Not at all!” Ravi shouted with his eyes wide.
“No way,” Lou said as she gripped the steering wheel of the parked car, trying to calm her heartbeat.
The car was silent for a few moments. Emma leaned her head on Xander’s shoulder and said, “I think you guys would be cute together.”
Xander interlocked his fingers with Emma’s and nodded in agreement. “Me too,” he said.
With his arms still crossed, Ravi looked over at Lou. Her eyes were fixed on the sky ahead of her. For the first time since his crush had formed, he felt his heart ache. She looked beautiful in the flashing lights of the fireworks and he wanted nothing more than to tell her how wonderful she was. In that moment, he finally understood why Emma was so selfish with Xander’s time.
Lou could feel Ravi staring at her, but she was too embarrassed to look his way. She tried in vain to focus on the fireworks, but her thoughts kept going back to him. Part of her was ready to kick all of her friends out of her car and drive home, pretending the end of the year didn’t happen and decidedly starting fresh on January first. A bolder part of her wanted to kick Emma and Xander out of the car and ask Ravi if he thought he and she would be cute together.
“Ten… nine… eight…” The crowd outside began to countdown to midnight.
“Oh! Let’s kiss outside so I can get a picture of the fireworks in the back,” Emma said.
She tugged her boyfriend’s arm and quickly pulled him out of the car. Xander slammed the door shut behind them.
“Five… four… three…” The crowd continued chanting.
Lou finally looked over at Ravi and for the second time that night, he was already gazing at her. She felt her face heat up and her heart flutter in her chest. More than anything she wanted to tell him how special he was to her.
“Ravi, I need to tell you…” Lou started but her voice faded as nerves got the best of her. What if she ruined their friendship? What if he didn’t want a long-distance girlfriend? What if he was horrified and screamed and ran out of her car in front of all of Xander’s relatives?
“Two… one…”
“Lou, would you go out with me?” Ravi asked her in a rush.
“Happy New Year!” Everyone outside cheered. There was laughter and the popping of more fireworks as the party cheered, hugged, and blew silver and gold party horns.
Lou stared at him in wonder. She couldn’t form the words yes. So, she reached out to pull him by the collar. She kissed him as the time above her radio flashed midnight.