Rebirth: Love me Again

[LINA]

Christmas wasn't exactly my favorite holiday. At least, not anymore. Growing up, I loved it—the warm lights, the laughter, the feeling of belonging. But this year, things felt different.

Cole was off celebrating with Eve, and my parents were having their usual private dinner, leaving me stuck in the middle of nowhere.

I could have gone to some glamorous party or made up an excuse to leave town, but I didn't want any of that. What I wanted was something simple—a quiet celebration, maybe with Dylan, if he would ever stop treating me like I didn't exist outside of his 'bodyguard duty.'

But, as usual, Dylan was more interested in lifting weights or going through endless rounds of training than spending even a second celebrating with me. I mean, why celebrate Christmas when you can punch things, right?

After an awkward attempt at trying to get him to join me for dinner (which resulted in nothing but a curt nod and a muttered excuse about 'work'), I gave up. He clearly didn't care about the holiday, so why should I stick around and sulk?

That's when I called Daniel.

"Hey, Daniel. What's up?"

"Not much. Just helping my mom set up for dinner," he said, his voice calm and steady as always. "Why? Aren't you with your family?"

I paused, not really wanting to get into the whole 'I'm out of place in my own home' conversation. "They're busy. So . . . mind if I join you guys? I promise I'll behave."

There was a brief silence, but then Daniel laughed softly.

"Sure. My mom would love to have you. Come over."

And just like that, my evening plans were set. Daniel was always like that—calm, accommodating, and sweet in a way that didn't scream 'look at me, I'm being nice.' He didn't have to pretend or try too hard; it was just who he was. Serious on the outside, but thoughtful underneath it all.

I arrived at Daniel's place a little while later, greeted by the cozy warmth of a family gathering. His mom was as lovely as ever, immediately pulling me into a hug and insisting that I join them at the table. It felt . . . nice. Familiar.

"So," Daniel said as we sat by the fireplace after dinner, the glow of the flames casting a soft light on his serious expression. "How's everything with Cole and Eve?"

I shrugged, leaning back against the couch. "They're fine, I guess. Off celebrating together somewhere fancy."

Daniel didn't say anything right away. His jaw tightened just slightly, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his usually calm expression. It wasn't like him to react that way—Daniel was always collected, composed, the kind of guy who never wore his emotions on his sleeve, just like my brother.

But I knew why this particular topic got under his skin.

"You knew, didn't you?" I said softly, tilting my head as I watched him carefully. "About Cole and Eve?"

He gave a faint nod, his eyes fixed on the flickering flames. "Yeah. I have a guess of what is going on already."

Daniel had liked Eve for a long while. But Eve was . . . complicated, and even though I never really understood what drew her to Cole, I knew it had hurt Daniel.

Not that he ever said it out loud. He wasn't the type to dwell on things or make a scene. He just . . . accepted it, like he did everything else.

"You okay?" I asked after a beat of silence, my voice quieter now.

Daniel gave me a small, tight-lipped smile. "Yeah. It's not like we're a couple. I have no right to her from the start."

I could tell he was brushing it off, pretending it didn't bother him as much as it did. Typical Daniel—always the reliable, steady one, never letting anyone see when something cut too deep.

I didn't want to make things worse by pushing the topic, so instead, I leaned forward with a smirk. "Well, since that didn't work out, how about this? I've been thinking about finding a temporary boyfriend like I've told you before." I opened up the topic once more.

Daniel blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sudden change in conversation. "That again?"

"Yeah, you know—just someone to help me out. Scare off the guys who keep pestering me. And"—I wiggled my fingers dramatically—"you can get your company's reputation back." I could use him to move on from Dylan.

His lips twitched, like he wanted to smile but wasn't sure if I was joking or serious. "You're actually serious?"

"Completely."

For a moment, Daniel didn't respond. He just watched me with that steady gaze of his, the one that always made it seem like he was quietly weighing everything in his head. And then, much to my surprise, he nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright. If you're offering, I'm in."

I blinked, surprised. "Wait, really? You're okay with this?"

"Why not?" he said, leaning back against the couch with a shrug. "It'll be mutually beneficial. I keep the creeps away, and I . . . get this 'reputation.' Besides, since Eve's with Cole now, there's nothing stopping me from pretending to be your boyfriend."

That last part caught me off guard. He said it so casually, as if it didn't mean anything, but I could feel it. He wasn't the kind of guy to jump into something unless he'd thought it through.

Maybe this was his way of moving on from Eve. I couldn't blame him—my reason wasn't any different. Two people coming together just to get past something. It had all the makings of a disaster, but who knew? Maybe it would work.

Either way, I wasn't about to question it. If Daniel was willing to help, then I wasn't going to complain.

"Deal," I said, holding out my hand.

He shook it, his grip firm but warm. "Deal."

We spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing, and for a moment, it felt like I had a Christmas worth remembering. There was no tension, no awkwardness—just two friends figuring things out together. Daniel was always easy to be around, and I liked that about him. Even if there was no romance between us, I was contented with him like he was my long last bestfriend. Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire