Chapter 79: Christmas

"Babe," he said as Dorah answered the call. "My love, how are you? This one you're calling me, hope I'm safe?" she asked sarcastically, her tone playful but warm. "Shut up. Can't I call you again?" he said, rolling his eyes even though she couldn't see it. "Whatever. How are you?" she asked, her voice softening. "I'm good. Can I come over to your place? I'm bored at home." "WTF! Being bored on Christmas? You've got to be kidding me," she chuckled, clearly amused. "Can you just shut up? I'm coming over." "Suit yourself," she said, hissing playfully before ending the call. Without wasting time, Jace jumped out of bed and dashed out of his room. It was Christmas Day. Since it fell on a Sunday, they had gone to church earlier in the morning. After service, his dad left the house, saying he had a date with Agnes again and his grandma had gone out to spend time with some old friends. The house was silent, and the holiday spirit just wasn't the same without noise, laughter, or the scent of food filling the air. For days now, Jace had been trying to reach Miranda. At first, she ignored his calls; now, her number wasn't even going through. It left a dull ache in his chest. His thoughts were a mess, and the pressure of his upcoming performance only made it worse. He couldn't decide on a genre for his new song his creativity was frozen. His comeback had already been set for the end of the year, and Joseph, his father, had officially announced Star's return. Star, that was the name everyone knew him by. The once-silent mystery behind the voice was finally about to reveal his face after years away from music. Fans were ecstatic. Social media was buzzing with posts, speculations, and countdowns. Tickets sold out in minutes. But Jace? He just felt… hollow. When Dorah opened the door, she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not giving me breathing space, dude." "I told you, I'm just bored," he replied, brushing past her as he followed her up the stairs. "Who on earth gets bored on Christmas? Today is Christmas, for Christ's sake!" she said, exasperated. "I don't have anyone to talk to. The boys are all with their families, and Ronald is saying weird stuff I don't even understand. You're the only one I have now." His voice trailed off as he collapsed face-first onto her bed. "What about Miranda? You two could go on a couple's outing or something." She paused when she noticed the change in his expression. "Oh," he mouthed, eyes fixed on her ceiling. "Oh? What's wrong? Haven't you guys settled your scores?" she asked, sitting beside him. He sighed. "No. She's actually ignoring me. Won't take my calls or reply to any of my messages. It's like I don't exist anymore. I don't even know what I did wrong. And with this song thing, my brain's completely fried. She's stuck in my head, Dorah. I can't function." She offered a sympathetic smile and rubbed his shoulder. "Sorry, love. I'll talk to her. I'm sure she'll come around eventually." "Okay," he murmured. "I need to get ready," she said, standing up and disappearing into her closet. "You're going out?" he asked, sitting up slightly. "Yes," her voice floated out from the closet. She emerged a few minutes later in a gray crop top and high-waisted jeans. She pulled on her white sneakers and scanned her wardrobe before grabbing a cropped black jacket. She stood in front of her mirror and gathered her hair into a sleek ponytail. "What do you think about this?" she asked, turning around. Jace blinked. "Wow. You look beautiful. I'm sure you'll turn heads wherever you go." He winked, and she chuckled. She walked over to her dressing table to apply lip gloss. "So, where are you going? Can I tag along?" he asked, standing behind her. "Dude, I told you already. I'm going out with Ronald." "Oh, right. I forgot." He leaned closer. "Don't wear makeup. You look beautiful like this." "I won't," she smiled again. "Let's go. I'll give you a ride," he offered, pressing a quick peck to her cheek. "Ronald is coming over," she said. "Just text him to send you the location. I'll drop you off," Jace insisted, flopping back onto her bed. He picked up his phone and quickly texted his father: "Dad, I'm returning today." Later that day… "He didn't look so good when he dropped me off earlier," Dorah said to Ronald as they strolled hand-in-hand through the park. "It felt like he was saying goodbye. He waved at me and gave me this really sad smile." "Don't overthink it. He's probably just overwhelmed. Let's enjoy the moment first, then worry later," Ronald replied, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Besides, I want to take you home to meet my mum and dad." Dorah froze. "What?! Don't you think it's too early for that?" "It's not," he shrugged with a small smile. "But what if they don't like me? You haven't even ended things with Maddy. You're still betrothed, and we're not even dating. It just doesn't feel right, Ronald," she said, concern etched on her face. Ronald stopped walking and turned to her. "Babe, we've talked about this. I told you I'm ending that engagement, and I am. It's already in motion. As for us, I know we're not official yet, but trust me sooner or later, you'll be mine." Dorah shook her head with a soft laugh. "Huh-huh." "Gosh, your smile is addictive," he blurted out. "I love you so much." Her smile faded. She looked at him, stunned. "Oh God, babe, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, no, wait, I did. It's true. I love you," he said again, the last part barely above a whisper. Still, she said nothing. Ronald took a step closer and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her gently in. Before he could stop himself, he kissed her. It was brief, but electric. He pulled back almost immediately. "Geez, I don't know what's wrong with me. I....." But Dorah had already turned and started walking away. "Oh, come on, babe. I'm sorry!" he called, chasing after her. He reached for her hand and held it. "I got caught in the moment. I didn't mean to mess things up. Please forgive me." "Say something, Dorah." She turned, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "What do you expect me to say?" she asked quietly, pulling her hand away and walking ahead. He trailed after her, guilt written all over his face. Suddenly, she lit up. "Oh! A photo booth!" He blinked. "You want to try it out?" "Yes!" she said, already heading towards it. "I'll wait for you here." She spun around. "What? You're kidding, right?" Rolling her eyes, she grabbed his arm. "Let's go together." They squeezed into the booth, laughing and posing through a series of silly, sweet photos. Anyone who saw them would assume they were a couple, the way they smiled at each other, the way she leaned on him. Afterward, they tried out different rides. When they got off the rollercoaster, Dorah screamed in excitement. "Wow! That was fun!" "It was scary to me," Ronald admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, come on. Don't be a boring guy," she said, rolling her eyes. "Babe, I'm just stating the facts." "Seriously? Scary? But you didn't even scream. I'm sure you enjoyed it too." "Whatever," he muttered, clearly trying to act cool. "What else do you want to do?" she asked, her eyes scanning the rest of the amusement park.