Christmas Wishes

by Emma Collins

  Normally, Ally loved spending the day here, but this year, she couldn't stop checking the clock. She couldn't wait to see Sydney. Ally had left her apartment almost a week ago, and they'd both been so busy that they hadn't seen each other since.

  Ally also couldn't wait to sit down. The salon had been crazy in the lead up to Christmas with people booking at the last minute for work parties or family photos. Ally just wanted to stretch out on the couch with Sydney and watch a movie or talk.

  So much had happened in the last few weeks. Her opinion of Sydney had completely changed, although she still cringed when she thought about the way Sydney was so dismissive of her DUI.

  "Hey."

  Ally turned to see Sydney tying an apron around her waist, covering up the black sweater she was wearing. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

  "Thought you could use some help. I figured with the few inches of snow forecast today that you might have been extra busy."

  "We are."

  "And I may have missed you," Sydney added as she stood between Ally and the other woman helping her.

  "Only may have?"

  "Okay. I did. I do."

  "Me too," Ally added with a chuckle.

  Here they were, standing side by side dishing out food just like they had on the first evening they'd met. She'd been attracted to Sydney from the start, getting distracted by her skirt and toned legs, despite her attitude.

  What a difference a few weeks could make. Sydney was here because she wanted to be, not because she was trying to log more community service hours.

  "Hey, where's that Santa dress?" Sydney asked, leaning in so that only Ally could hear her. "I was hoping you'd be wearing it today."

  "I may have it in by bag for later..."

  "Oh." Sydney's eyes went wide.

  Ally smiled. Sydney was joking, but it was still hanging in her locker, so why not?

  "So, what's Clarke up to today?" Ally asked as she reached for another cracker and added a slice of mango flavored cheese on top of it.

  Sydney tucked her legs underneath her and sat back, forcing herself to take a break from eating. "Do you remember that guy he was with the night you met him?"

  "Yeah. He had a beard, fifties."

  "That's him. James. And apparently, it's quite serious."

  "Oh wow." Ally said, between bites. "That's great."

  "So, Clarke is actually bringing James to meet his family."

  "Very serious then."

  "Yeah. It's not like him to settle down so quickly, so this guy must be pretty special. I've only met him twice, and he seems nice."

  Sydney ran a hand through her hair, admiring the Christmas tree and how amazing Ally had made it look in only an hour or two. Sydney had offered to help, but by the time they'd eaten breakfast, and Sydney tidied up the kitchen, Ally was back at it, hanging the last few red and silver ornaments, carefully spreading them out among the white fairy lights that wrapped around the tree.

  "Why aren't you with your family today?" Ally asked out of the blue.

  "My parents are both dead."

  "Oh, I'm sorry."

  "They were older when they had me, and I'm an only child, so... It's just me now. Normally, Clarke would spend Christmas Eve with me before he visited his family, but he left with James yesterday. What about you? No siblings?"

  "No. Well, my older sister died when I was a kid. I barely remember her."

  "What happened?" Sydney asked, leaning forward to top up her glass of wine.

  "Drunk driver. He ended up on the sidewalk. She was walking home from work and was killed instantly."

  Sydney swallowed, leaving the wine glass where it was. "I'm sorry." A flashback to one of their first conversations made Sydney sick to her stomach. She'd been complaining about her DUI and how she’d been okay to drive. "Shit, Ally. I'm really sorry about what I said..."

  Ally gave her a wry smile. "I wasn't impressed with you that day. It was like an echo. That was exactly what that guy said, that he was fine to drive, that he was in control, that he'd only had a few beers... That's enough to alter your reaction times and your perception, and unfortunately, my sister was at the wrong place at the wrong time."

  Sydney wiped her hand across her face. "That's why you don't drink?"

  Ally nodded. "It just never interested me. I always associated alcohol with losing my sister so... Drinking isn't for me."

  "I had no idea, Ally.” Sydney met her eyes, but there were no tears. “I'm so sorry. For everything. For what happened, for how I treated my DUI." Sydney wished there was more she could say, something she could do, but the only thing she could do was promise herself never do it again, never to drive after she'd had a drink. It wasn't worth the risk. “It’s a mistake that I won’t be making again.”

  Ally nodded, and Sydney wanted to wrap her arms around her, but she seemed fine, and Sydney knew Ally wouldn’t want her pitying her. She’d had a tough life, but she’d gotten through it.

  “I’m sorry I brought down the mood,” Ally said with a sigh as she tousled her hair. “But you might as well know my story sooner rather than later. In case…”

  “In case what?” Sydney asked, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. “You don’t think any of that would change the way I feel about you, do you?”

  She shrugged. “It could. It’s just another difference, on top of our ages, where we live.”

  “I don’t care about any of that.” Sydney did wrap her arms around Ally this time, pulling her into a hug, Ally’s hair brushing across her cheek as she hugged her back. The musky scent of Ally’s perfume brought her back to the night they first kissed. “Do you?” Sydney asked as they separated.

  “Do I what?”

  “Do you care about our age difference or any of the other things we don’t have in common?”

  Ally sat up straight, her hand on Sydney’s jean clad thighs. “I don’t want to, but... It is hard to ignore. I mean, I haven’t asked you to come over to my place yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I share a two bedroom apartment with Jess. Because my room is probably the size of your closet.”

  “And I don’t care,” Sydney said, realizing for the first time that she had no idea where Ally lived.

  “And our friends?”

  “What about them? Clarke likes you. I don’t really care what anyone else thinks... Oh. You mean Jess.” Sydney laughed softly. “I know I need to win her over.”

  “That’s an understatement, but it’s her fault too. She never wanted to get to know you.”

  “And I don’t blame her. She knew why I was there, at the shelter...”

  “You’ve come a long way,” Ally said with a smile.

  “The second half of my community service will be much more enjoyable. That’s for sure. I was such a snob for the first few weeks.”

  “You really were.”

  “Hey,” Sydney said, playfully hitting her with a throw pillow that was beside her. “You’re supposed to say that I wasn’t really.”

  “But you were.” Ally picked up her own pillow, shielding herself before getting in a swing and hitting Sydney right on the jaw, sending her back into the cushions.

  “Oh. Now this is serious.” Sydney jumped up, reaching for the other two pillows and firing them behind her and out of Ally’s reach.

  “Hey, that’s not fair.”

  “Are there rules for pillow fighting?”

  “We should have two each to start,” All said, her eyes on the cushions on the floor behind Sydney.

  Sydney took advantage and got in a two handed swing, hitting Ally in the stomach before leaping back.

  “Alright,” Ally said with a smirk. “You want to play dirty?”

  “Why not?” Sydney tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, waiting to see what Ally had in mind.

  18

  Ally could think of better things to do than start a pillow fight. She was going to start a naked pillow fight. She’d been thinking about getting Sydney out of that sw
eater and those jeans that clung to her ass so perfectly all evening. Then they started talking about her past, and the moment was gone, until now anyway.

  Ally stood in the middle of Sydney’s living room, her bare feet cold on the wood floors. She dropped the pillow she was holding and started unbuttoning the navy and white plaid blouse she was wearing, taking her time, watching the way Sydney’s expression changed from concentrated and competitive to relaxed and intrigued.

  Ally let the fabric fall away from her shoulders, exposing the new white lace bra she’d purchased during the week. She’d never been one for skimpy lingerie, but with Sydney, she wanted her to look at her like she was right now, like she wanted to devour her.

  “I like where this is going,” Sydney said.

  “Your turn.” Ally picked up her pillow and tossed her hair over one shoulder. “This is like strip poker. Each hit means you have to remove an item of clothing. We each have one hit.”

  “Alright.” Sydney reluctantly dropped the cushion in her hands, keeping her eye on Ally. “You’re not going to hit me while I’m defenceless, are you?”

  “No. I wouldn’t do something like that,” Ally said, feeling her lips tug into a smile, half holding up the pillow causing Sydney to take a few steps back as she unbuttoned her jeans.

  Ally tried to keep her face neutral and hide her disappointment. She’d assumed Sydney would take her sweater off first.

  Sydney stepped out of her jeans, and they both got ready to resume the fight. Ally put the couch in between them as they started a dance, both venturing a few feet one way before back tracking. Ally struggled to hold her laughter in. This was completely ridiculous behavior for two adults.

  Sydney’s serious face was distractingly gorgeous, her lips pursed and her eyes on her like an animal stalking its prey.

  “What does the winner get?” Sydney asked as she started moving around to the back of the couch and Ally shifted towards the front.

  “I don’t know, but I’m not going to let you distract me.”

  “It’s a legitimate question. I need to know what I’m fighting for, and since this is your game, you have to decide.”

  Ally laughed. “Alright. The winner gets... Complete control tonight.”

  “Of what?” Sydney asked, although the glint in her eye told Ally she knew exactly what she was talking about. “The remote? Because I feel like-”

  “No. The winner gets complete control in bed. Effective immediately.”

  “Ah.” Sydney’s eyes locked onto hers as they circled the couch. “That’s something worth fighting for.”

  Sydney’s gaze drifted to her chest, and Ally took the opportunity to leap over the back of the couch hitting Sydney with three consecutive shots, one to the side of her head, another to her arm as she backed away and one final shot to her ass as she scrambled to the other side of the room.

  “Three,” Ally said with a smug smile, holding up three fingers. “Come on.” She motioned for Sydney to start undressing. “Three pieces of clothing, and I’m the winner.”

  “Wish I was wearing socks,” Sydney mumbled.

  Ally’s hand was on her waist, catching her breath as she watched Sydney debate over which item to remove first. She only had on panties, a sweater and a bra.

  “I’m all for a strip tease,” Ally said with a smirk, “But they’re all coming off, so... Not much to think about really.”

  Sydney tossed her pillow onto the couch as she crossed the room. She lifted her sweater over her head, letting it fall to the floor, leaving her standing in matching black lingerie, and Ally subconsciously licked her lips.

  “I’m all yours,” Sydney said, holding up her hands in defeat.

  19

  New Year's Eve

  Sydney sipped on her second glass of champagne, surveying the crowded hotel function room. She made small talk, moving between groups of clients and coworkers, checking her watch every few minutes to keep an eye on the time. She wanted to make her speech and get out of here in time to see Ally before midnight.

  If Clarke had told her six months ago that Sydney would be ducking out of this party for a woman she'd met only a few weeks ago, she'd have told him that he had completely lost his mind. Nothing was more important than their reputation as an agency. Nothing was more important than marking another successful project and sharing that moment with all of their agents and clients, but tonight, on New Year's Eve, Sydney finally found something more important than all that.

  She wanted to be with Ally. Sydney had never really felt anything on New Year's Eve. There was no magic to it. She'd always celebrated it, because it marked another successful year in business, and she knew that they'd raise the bar even higher the following year, but she could feel it now, just thinking about being with Ally as the clock struck midnight. That fluttering in her belly.

  Sydney just had to say a few words. She glanced down at her watch. 10:40PM. She picked up the microphone that was left by the DJ's table, and he gave her a nod as the music faded out.

  "Thank you," she said as people stopped talking and gave her their attention. "Thank you all for coming. This building is another masterpiece by this city's best architect, and even though she couldn't be here tonight, let's give her a round of applause." As the noise died down Sydney moved on to thanking all the buyers and the vision of the developer.

  They'd unveiled the apartments tonight, and for the first time their clients were getting to see more than the floor plans. Posters were on display around the room of the furnished show apartments. They were all on a list to get first access, but now the bidding had officially opened, and there would be a lot of competition and potentially a bidding war for the two penthouses.

  The deal she'd lost with Michael would have brought in three times as much in commissions, but she didn't care about that right now.

  "I also want to take a moment to appreciate how fortunate we all are here tonight," Sydney said. "As you're deciding whether you'd like to buy a two-bedroom overlooking the river or if you're going to splurge on one of the penthouses, take just a few seconds to be grateful that you're in such a position. I've spent the last few weeks working with a team of volunteers to get this city a much needed second homeless shelter. I know that the city has a lot to answer for. The problem has gotten out of hand, but we need to help these people and provide a safe, warm place for them to sleep at night while they get back on their feet. We're accepting donations towards that second shelter here tonight. Thank you in advance for your generosity."

  Sydney left the stage to applause, and Clarke gave her a wink as she slipped away from the crowd. She took her phone out of her clutch bag, pausing in the lobby of the hotel to double check her appearance in the enormous mirror. She was in all black tonight, wearing a dress she considered her old reliable. Her hair was swept across one shoulder in loose waves, and she’d accessorised with silver jewelry.

  Hopefully, Ally would be out tonight. Sydney purposely made vague plans for tonight because she didn't know how this party would go, if she'd actually be able to get away or not, and she didn't want to let Ally down. So, now it was going to be a surprise.

  She sent Ally a quick text as she left the lobby, her black heels clicking against the tiles. Her driver was waiting for her and her thumbs flew across the screen as she slid into the backseat, her eyes glued to her screen, waiting for Ally to reply.

  At a bar with Jess. Although, I was thinking of leaving. I hate being the third wheel.

  Sydney typed as her driver pulled out. What's the name of the bar?

  Reilly's. It's a sports bar. Do you want to join me?

  Sydney said she'd be there in ten minutes. She owed Jess big time. They'd had a long chat yesterday, about Ally mostly and how amazing she was, but Sydney didn't miss all the hints that were dropped that basically said that Jess would kill her if Sydney screwed her around.

  Sydney did her best to let Jess know that she was serious, and Sydney asked her what her plans were for New Year’s Eve
. She’d said she was planning on going out and trying to get Ally to go with her.

  Sydney asked her if they’d consider going to a particular sports bar that had an amazing rooftop bar that was only opened up for private parties and events, but since Sydney knew the owners, she planned on calling in a favor and seeing if she could get up there tonight. She knew they’d have a perfect view of the fireworks. She just had to make sure Ally was there, and Sydney wanted it to be a surprise, so Jess, thankfully, had been willing to help.

  Jess got Ally there, and even better, it sounded like Jess had asked another friend, so Ally wouldn’t feel bad about being swept away to check out the view from the roof.

  Sydney asked her driver to take a few side streets, shaving a valuable five minutes off their journey. It had snowed earlier in the day, and the flurries were back now as she got out of the car and stepped inside the warm and very crowded sports bar. It took her a second, her eyes scanning the room, but there was Ally, leaning against the bar, trying to get the bartender’s attention. Sydney found Jess and a dark haired man in a booth across from the bar, looking very cozy.

  “Hey,” Sydney said, squeezing in beside Ally, shrugging off her jacket, knowing she’d overheat in the few minutes she was down here if she left it on.

  “Hi. That was fast. I heard somebody say it was snowing. I thought you might get delayed and miss the countdown.” Ally forgot about the bartender and gave Sydney her full attention. “Wow.” Ally openly checked her out, taking in her black dress until her eyes finally returned to Sydney’s.

  “I take it you approve?” Sydney asked with a smirk.

  “Oh, I approve, but I think I might be underdressed,” she said, glancing down at her black jeans and a long sleeved gray top.

  “I wouldn’t say that. Where’s your coat?”

  “Are we leaving?” Ally asked, turning to Jess and her date.

  “No. I was thinking about going upstairs to see the fireworks.” Sydney checked her watch. “What do you think?”