I stared at the phone for a moment, trying to remember what Matt had said about turning the sound off. Was it this button? It seemed to get quieter as I pressed it, so I had to assume that was it. I almost laughed at my own ineptitude, but that would give away my position. I quickly texted Kiera a very disappointing message. ‘I’m sorry…I can’t make it.’

When I heard the message chime on her phone, I could tell I’d startled her. I had to clench my stomach to not laugh. Lifting an eyebrow, I waited for her to look around, call me on my bluff. Come on, Kiera. You know I wouldn’t miss this. You have to know I’m fucking with you.

She slumped when she read the message though. She believed me? My phone lit up with a new message—a silent one. Ha! Take that, Matt. I did it right. Kiera didn’t notice the light from my phone. As I read her message, I saw that she really had believed me. She really had no idea I was here. ‘Really? But it’s Christmas…’ she’d texted.

I frowned as I looked at her. You really can’t tell I’m right here? But clearly, she couldn’t. She was starting to wipe tears from her eyes, and she was sniffling. Was she crying? For me? I bit my lip and took a step forward. I hadn’t meant to make her cry. I was sure she’d look around for me, then spot me instantly, then, maybe, throw a snowball at me. But she hadn’t looked for me, and I’d accidentally crushed her. But…witnessing the pain…while it made me want to run over and hold her, it was also filling me with warmth, with love, with relief. Maybe it was wrong, but seeing her grief made me feel…wanted. She does miss me. Knowing it, seeing it, made me feel buoyant, like something inside me was being patched.

Smiling, I realized I had an opportunity to make her feel just as amazing as I felt right now. I could give her a genuine surprise. A Christmas miracle, so to speak. It would just require her to feel a little worse first. But just for a second. I wouldn’t let her suffer long. Hoping she didn’t kill me later, I typed back, ‘Yeah, I know. I tried…I’m really sorry.’ Smiling, I added another message, one I already knew the answer to. ‘Are you okay? You’re not crying, are you?’

She scoffed at the phone, wiping her nose, wiping her tears. A heartbeat later, I read her response. ‘No…I’m fine. I know you tried. I’m okay…really.’