“Could be weeks, could be months.” HOW COULD HE LOOK HAPPY AS HE SAID THIS?

Weeks?! That was basically days! Which was basically hours!

I steadied myself on the sink—the sink I was going to really miss. We were basically moving in with Colin-human and the twins in a matter of minutes.

“So I should start packing… What…now?”

Mum laughed, but this was no laughing matter. Especially as she was soon going to realize that I’d put up most of my photo frames with glue. And some of the tinsel earlier.

Hang on. Why was I even decorating?! “Is this why you haven’t got our tree?” Mum nodded slowly.

“One of the reasons… The estate agent wants the house as tidy as possible for any viewings.”

Tidy? That’s the exact opposite of Christmas!

“But we can get one in our house, have Christmas Day over there,” Colin-human said softly.

Christmas? At his house?!

So we were never having Christmas here again. Ever.

“I’ve already told your mum, I don’t mind relaxing the no-tinsel rule.”

I think my eyes did a boggle. Who has a no-tinsel rule? IT WAS A FESTIVE HUMAN RIGHT.

He could be such a wet wipe. I replied with a weak, “Great,” but I needed to get up to my room. I needed space to deal with this without them both staring at me to see if I was okay. Spoiler alert: I wasn’t.

“There is one other thing…” How could Mum have more? “That I’m hoping you’ll be okay with.” I muttered an “earhehghh,” which was as close to a yes as I could get. Never had a person in such a semi-festive jumper felt so un-semi-festive. “I’ve been put on the schedules to work on Christmas morning. But I’ll be back by midday.”

Right.

Stick a turkey thermometer in me—I was done.

My head dropped against the tea towels hanging on the back of the door (the door I was already missing).

I pictured the scene. Christmas morning.

Me, a confused Colin probably having turkey flashbacks, New Boyfriend (he’d been relegated to that again after the tinsel comment), and the twins, who, if I’m honest, I still had no idea which was which. And we wouldn’t even be in our own house.

BUT WAIT.

There was one glimmer of hope. One Woody-shaped glimmer that I had just spotted behind the sign, walking out of his house. Was he walking right over here?

I WASN’T READY!

I had a ponytail my mum had ruffled at least ten times and absolutely no grip on a single one of my emotions.

I squinted again. Did he have something green and leafy in his hand?

Was it…mistletoe?!

Like the exact foliage we’d had our amazing kiss underneath last Christmas?

Was this all part of what he had planned for tonight?

BUZZZZZ.

My phone vibrated.

Give me an hour?