[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.

    "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