Last Christmas (Private 0.60)

Nice try, loser, a voice in her head taunted her. Why do you even bother?

"You okay?" Thomas asked gently, reaching out and touching her knee. Now that his touch was pitying, she

didn't want it. "M'fine," she choked out, jerking her knee away from him. "Whoa." Eli laughed, propping

himself up on his elbows. "Pearson's really starting to rub off on you. Last year when we were all in Cabo

you wouldn't touch that shit. Remember? Gage did that prissy impression of her?" he asked, slapping Thomas

on the shoulder. Ariana's face burned. No one had ever told her that Gage had mocked her after that incident.

"I didn't go to Cabo last Christmas," Thomas reminded him. "My parents made me go to Switzerland. Blake

was skiing in that big tournament thing." "Riiiight. You missed one hell of a party, man," Eli said. "But then,

so did Ariana," he said, nodding at her. "Girl refused to unclench the whole time."

"Well, a lot can change in a year," she snapped. Although this one thing will stay the same. She handed the

joint back to Eli.

"Fair enough." Eli shrugged, taking another hit. "So how long are you planning on sticking around, Tate?"

Thomas asked, shooting Ariana a meaningful glance. Her heart skipped a beat. Eli shrugged. "Depends on

how long I can get away with ducking out on this wedding shit." "It would probably mean a lot to your sister

if you were there," Ariana said flatly. If she had to carry him back to Greenwich herself, she would.

"Stepsister," Eli corrected her. "And trust me, she doesn't care if I'm there or not, so long as she gets her

fucking white silk tent in Aruba." He stood up, clapped Thomas on the back, and headed down the aisle for

the door, the joint held tightly between his fingers.

"Are you leaving?" Ariana asked, aware that she sounded too hopeful.

"Gotta take a piss," he called over his shoulder. Something seemed wrong about saying the word piss in a

chapel. Then again, something seemed wrong about hooking up in a chapel with a guy who wasn't even her

boyfriend. She wasn't in much of a position to judge. "We've got to ditch him. ASAP," she whispered as the

chapel doors slammed shut. She jumped to her feet, wrapping her coat tightly around her frame. "Get up."

She extended her hand toward Thomas, the cold rushing over her again. Her fingers were tinged a light blue,

her nose and ears completely numb.

Thomas looked up at her with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. "I think I like the new you."

She liked the new her too. Even in this frigid, abandoned space, with a boy she barely knew, she felt safe.

Secure enough to say exactly what she wanted. She fiddled with the fleur-de-lis around her neck, wondering if

this was what it felt like to be Noelle. To know what you wanted and expect to get it.

"Then let's go," she said playfully.