Love Me by Christmas Read online

  Jennifer was then distracted by another customer who wanted a big order, four different sandwiches and couple of cold drinks. Writing everything down, she just passed it on to Johnas when Tristan’s order was set in front of her. She quickly grabbed the plate and the hot drink before walking towards Tristian.

  “Here you go,” Jennifer said, placing the cup of tea in front of him, followed by the gorgeously smelling sandwich. “You should drink the tea first, 3 to 4 gulps quickly, wait for a couple of minutes before you go on with the sandwich, it will help you quench the initial exhaustion.”

  “Really?” He looked up, surprised. He didn’t know anything about exhaustion and frankly, he had dealt with even worse before, but today was indeed a very tiring day. Trying her method, he watched as she walked off again, going towards Anita who had to deliver another big order to a large party on the other side of the cafe. He noticed the look that the boys were giving Jennifer and almost growled, drinking much more gulps then he was supposed to and then simply resorting to glare at them. Filthy perverts, how dare they?!

  Suddenly, he remembered Jennifer’s words and actually found himself feeling much better off than 3 minutes ago. The unbearable quench in his mouth and throat had suddenly worn off and he seemed to be panting a lot lesser than he did some time ago and he smiled slightly, his lips quirking as he bit into his sandwich. Truly, the girl was a work of art, she knew something about medical knowledge that even he didn’t and he was no ordinary person.

  “You know, your idea worked really well.” Just as he finished his food, he looked at her, a big smile on his face. “Like, really well. I wonder how you know this.”

  “Oh, I’m a practicing paramedic in training, that also for intensive care,” Jennifer said, quite proud of herself. “And I’ve seen such cases many times before, it is the first thing that we’re told to treat. Be lucky you didn’t collapse, or I actually might have to lay you down and transfuse hydration to you.”

  “Well, if you say that then it makes all the more tempting to actually find myself collapsed when close to you,” he said, taking a slight dive into deep and rocky waters. “Maybe I’d enjoy this ‘transfusion’ of yours as much as I find myself enjoying your company.”

  “Now, sir, that is no way to treat a waitress that has just joined yesterday.” Unaware of the flush on her face, Jennifer did smile playfully, taking the plate and the cup off his table. “But if you continue on your ridiculous advances I might find myself delving away from you and helping Johnas out with the salads.”

  “Oh, I hope that is the case, at least I’ll get a reason to sit anywhere else other than this table.” Tristian winked. “Well, thank you for your advice, ‘Dr. Jennifer’, I’ll be sure to remember it.”

  “You better do, sir, or you’ll find yourself in the hospital.” Jennifer winked. Mellissa never said anything against flirting back with a customer, especially as attractive as this one was.

  Tristian only chuckled and walked out while Jennifer dropped off the dishes and plates near the dishwasher. Following Tristian’s leave, there was a small bout of silence as the other customers came in were all take away coffee drinkers so Mellissa, who until now was doing some work in the kitchen, and Jennifer had a chance to talk about her performance.

  “Good job, Jennifer, you are doing really good,” Mellissa said, but then her smile turned into a devilish smirk. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you staring and looking at Tristian. He’s cute, isn’t he?”

  “It’s not like that!” Jennifer blushed. For some reason, another woman teasing her with the man felt much more embarrassing rather than flirting with the man. “He’s a hard-working young man and was extremely exhausted.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you’d rather have him collapsed and in need of medical care, so you can give him mouth to mouth respiration and maybe much more, don’t you?” Mellissa said suggestively. She then leaned in and winked. “He’s been only in 2 relationships before and they never lasted for more than 2 to 3 months, but I’ve heard that he is quite amazing in bed.”

  If Jennifer’s face was pink before, it was absolutely scarlet now. She really wondered what it would be like to actually experience the said man with her in bed, naked, and using his mouth for other things than talking and flirting with her. The very thoughts caused her to unconsciously rub her legs together as she walked off, getting turned on as she stepped, her thoughts running absolutely wild as a multitude of different scenarios ran through her head that involved Tristian and herself. Shaking her head rapidly, she gave Mellissa the stink eye who was laughing merrily. Unknown to her, the older waitress was also thinking.

  ‘She’s deliberately ignoring that he’s the boss’s son? Impressive.’ Mellissa giggled in her head. ‘I wonder how long will it take for them to end up together, days, weeks or months?’

  Unknown to her, the same thoughts were running through Tristian’s head. Ever since he’d met the cute and beautiful girl that Sunday morning, she had turned out to be a really nice and helpful woman. Further prodding with Mellissa gave him the information she studied at the Manchester Metropolitan University as a paramedic, and that was a very noble career she had chosen to go into. Not many would go for something as demanding as paramedical training, hoping to go straight to being doctors and that only showed the woman’s attitude towards life.

  He had dated two girls before, one just after he’d finished his training as a Royal Marine and was on leave for a month. That one wasn’t what he’d call a relationship but more likely just hormones acting up and both the girl and him thinking rather with what was between their legs and not what was between their ears. In the end, the relationship had ended in a disaster, a big, giant disaster and that was saying something.

  The second girl he’d dated was when he’d quit the Marines after serving for 5 years. He felt the desire to lead much more normal life and do something positive for lives of the others instead of potentially killing the lives. He was able to do a short course in physical education and now found himself enjoying the career of a personal fitness trainer. Additionally, this new lifestyle gave him a greater opportunity to do his beloved sport - cricket. Tristan joined local county-level cricket team, which was what he wished to do. When celebrating winning one of their matches, he’d met his second girlfriend and was very, very charmed by her antics and they ended up dating. That was perhaps the worse of the two relationships, with them breaking in 4 months when he’d realized the girl was only interested in his looks and his former marine status.

  So he’d kept an eye out for someone to actually spend his time with, someone who wouldn’t think of him as the son of the owner of one of the most popular cafes in the entire Firswood, a former marine, a semi-professional cricket player and a fitness coach that had helped Firswood people claim their health back, and he really, really hoped that Jennifer was that girl.

  ***

  Jennifer finished her job at 10 pm that evening and walked back home, taking a deep breath after a long day of school and work. Working at the cafe was no easy task, especially when an entire party worth of people popped in exactly half an hour before closing time. The number of perverted looks, attempted touches and fleeting comments made her sick to her very stomach but she stopped herself from giving into them and completed every single order, good enough for her boss to actually come out of the kitchen and then praise her work for the day and promising her some bonus at the end of the week. That was what she actually found herself needing as the next day, she suddenly had an invitation shoved into her hand.

  “Oh, you’ve got to come to the weekend Christmas party at the Park by the highway!” her best friend exclaimed.

  There was a single pass, reading, ‘You are invited to the Christmas Party on December the 19th at the Park Hotel by the highway, near the main highway in Central Manchester. This invitation admits one person, only people above 21 allowed.’

  Jennifer’s eyes raised up in the air as she stared at what was in front of her. A Christma
s party, this weekend, at 9 pm in the evening, just two days before the University would give them a short, 10 days long Christmas break.

  ‘Well, it’s on Sunday at least,’ Jennifer thought. On Sundays, she started to work at 7 in the morning and left at 7 in the evening, after a 12 hours shift. That would leave her enough time to get ready for the party. ‘Alright, why not? It’ll be a good time for me to have some fun, won’t it?’

  She just looked up at her best friend, and smiled, nodding.

  “Alright, I’ll be there.” Her best friend squealed and threw her arms around Jennifer, who stumbled slightly but managed to catch her in her arms, smiling brightly.

  “Oh yes, that’s great! We’ll have so much fun together!!!” Angelina exclaimed. “And who knows? You might also hook up with someone cute this year!”

  “Shut up, Angie!” Jennifer blushed, letting her best friend go. “I don’t even want to think about that! Besides, who’d want to get together with ugly old me?!?”

  “Ugly? You think this...” she pointed to her body. “Is ugly?!? What’s your dress size again?”

  “Oh God!” Jennifer exclaimed, getting up, horrified. “You know that Angie, don’t ask embarrassing questions!”

  “Yes, then you shouldn’t diss your own body. Lord knows how much people want it,” Angelina said, wrapping her hands around her chest and giving her friend a good look. Jennifer was wearing a white top and skinny jeans, that nicely complemented her curves. “Everyone is envious of your body, you know? People literally love watching you whenever it is swimming time.”

  “Because they’re a bunch of perverts!” Jennifer huffed. “I’ve not met any man who focuses on my face and my work rather than what’s beneath my neck.”

  It was true, not even Tristian was prone to her body and that was saying something. Ever since her encounters with the handsome young man became a daily thing, she found herself being more and more attracted to him and in only a few days there was no doubt she had some sort of a crush on him, and she’d seen him occasionally trace his eyeballs down the curve of her waist and look at her appreciatively whenever he thought she didn’t see him, but strangely, she found it actually even more arousing than anything else.

  “Oh common! All you’ve got to do is undo one more button of your shirt once in a while and hoards of men will come in to devour you in seconds, but you don’t!” Angelina whined, clearly upset her friend didn’t have any boyfriend. “Do you aim for the other-.”

  “If you finish that sentence God forbid I will never talk to you again!” Jennifer growled. “I just haven’t found the right person to be in a serious relationship with and I don’t want it to be a fling. I’ve heard that break-ups aren’t that easy to deal with.”

  “Alright, fine, don’t get angry with me.” Defending her opinions, Angelina rolled her eyes. “But maybe, just maybe you’ll find someone in the party to spend time with.”

  ***

  On the other side of the city, however, in a cricket ground, there were two teams that were currently playing against one another.

  It was the second day of their test match and Tristian found himself batting on the first down position. So out he went, with his bat and helmet ready for action, and his pads properly put on as well. Even though his mind was filled with things like ‘Jennifer’ this and ‘Jennifer’ that, his attention was on the hard red ball that was headed right for him.

  Playing a cricket match was intense, especially a 5-day test match. county cricket was harder but right now, he was on an end of year holiday, especially because their club’s next match was going to be in January, and currently he was playing in a charity match against another local team to raise money for kids who suffered from lung infections and such. But even if it was a noble cause, playing for 5 days straight was no easy task. Every morning, waking up at six, batting from 9 am to possibly four in the evening, it really was a difficult thing to do but he managed it.

  His eyes narrowed down as he spied the ball swinging due to the morning winds and he expertly struck the ball upwards. With the speed, the ball was coming in and considering his own strength, it was no surprise to anyone when the ball sailed over the ground up in the air and directly over the boundary line into the stairs, giving him 6 runs to his name.

  Now he might not be the best player in the world but he was most definitely a good all-rounder and very few all-rounders would bat at the one down position, and he proved it.

  “Awesome batting mate!” His good friend and pal all the way from the Marines, Jesse Stone, clapped him on the shoulder. “You gave them a right whacking out there.”

  “True.” Tristian winked, getting his helmet out as he took a deep breath, grabbing his water bottle and tilting his head at the applause and pats he was receiving on his shoulder. “The ball wasn’t spinning and swinging as they wished and was screaming ‘beat me’ so I beat the ball.”

  “Phew,” Jesse snorted. “Well, it’s gonna be my turn tomorrow morning, so I’ll quickly get us up to mark before we declare our innings. By the way, you’ve got to come with me to the Christmas Party at the Park by the highway.”

  “In that 5-star hotel?” Tristian asked, surprised. Now that he was a grown man and actually lived away from his parents, he could go anywhere he wished to, but this was a bit surprising. “Mate, do you know even how much it must cost to get an entry ticket?”

  “Nothing,” Jesse smirked, throwing him a pass. It read, ‘Dear Mr. Tristian Smith. You are invited along with the rest of your team as guests for the Christmas Party at the Park Hotel by the highway, Manchester, at 9 pm on the 19th of December. This pass is an attendance for only Mr. Tristian Smith.’

  “Wow, who’s the host?”

  “Apparently some high sports hot-shot in Manchester.” Jesse shrugged. “But what’s in for us, you will ask? Well, hot babes, nice drinks, free food and not to mention hot babes? Do you know how many people are going to be there? Hundreds, if not, thousands!”

  “I’ll be surprised if even 100 show up,” Tristian snorted. “Like, seriously, Park by the highway? It boasts the best food around the entire Manchester and that is saying something. Please for God’s sake, don’t tell me you’ve managed to get an invite for your girlfriend as well.”

  “Of course I have!” Jesse exclaimed as the two moved into the locker rooms. Tristian was slowly removing all his gear and was about to remove his jersey when Jesse showed him something. It was a ring, a simple diamond ring. “And I’ve also managed to get this.”

  “An engagement ring?!” Tristian asked, looking at a suddenly nervous yet absolutely determined Jesse. “You’re going to ask her to marry you? You’ve been dating for what, like, 9 months? 10?”

  “A year and a half, idiot,” Jesse snorted. He put the ring back inside of his bag’s secret pocket and slipped out of his own clothes. Considering he had to go in next, he was already all suited up and ready to bat. “But yeah, I’m sure. She’s a wonderful girl, she’s independent, wants to help people and most of all, she doesn’t see the scars but what caused them.”

  “Damn,” Tristian smirked, slightly envious. “That’s a great thing mate, I’ll be sure to be there.”

  “Be there? If I have any say in it you’re going to be the best man!” Jesse exclaimed. “I mean, come on man, we’ve been friends since when, our diaper days?”

  “I’m pretty sure we weren’t wearing diapers in primary school, or at least I wasn’t.” Tristian grinned. “But yeah, I’ll agree, you’re right. Now, if you don’t mind I’ll go to the shower and we can have this conversation when your would-be fiance actually agrees to marry you.”

  Jesse just shot him a dirty look while Tristian walked inside of the shower, getting ready and walking out of the club with his bag on. The two friends were living close by, in the homes that were really close to the stadium, and since it was also the county team’s home ground, they both had chosen a home close to their training area.

  Tristian’s house was the furthest but the
most straightforward. It was located just near Highway number 47 and was also walking distance away from his father’s cafe.

  Turning the hot water on, Tristian couldn’t still believe that his best friend was going to get married to his girlfriend, quite possibly very, very soon and that was a big change from the ‘I’ll be a playboy’ Jesse Stone in their teenage years of glorious 16 and 17.

  ‘Alright, I really should find a girlfriend too,’ Tristian thought. ‘Damn, I’m almost 29, and I have no one to spend nights with.’

  Shaking his head, Tristan started to apply a shampoo and his thoughts ran back to Jennifer. Jennifer and him... If only they could make it work somehow together...

  Chapter 4

  It was as if the time had literally flown when Christmas Party day arrived. Tristian regularly met Jennifer in the cafe and although both enjoyed those precious moments together, it seemed like none of them was brave enough to pursue things anywhere further.

  Today was the day when each of them was going to attend the Christmas Party, not knowing about the presence of the other in the event.

  Knowing that there would be some high-profile people at the party, Tristian opened his wardrobe and began to browse through his clothes, considering his options for a not-too-smart-not-too-casual outfit. Finally, he decided to take a simple white shirt that perfectly highlighted his muscular arms, dark blue pants, and a matching blazer. Satisfied with his look, he grabbed the invitation and headed out of his house to meet up with the rest of the team at the hotel so they could enter together. Even though people said it was wise to be ‘fashionably late’, they were absolutely on time, and that was saying something.