CHAPTER 6: Decorating Day

Maya's Pov

I woke up to the smell of cinnamon and coffee. For a moment, I forgot where I was. Then everything came rushing back. The estate. Derek. Last night's text messages that I read at least fifty times before falling asleep.

I grabbed my phone. No new messages. Part relief, part disappointment.

Downstairs, the living room was in chaos. Boxes everywhere, overflowing with ornaments and garland. Sophie stood in the middle wearing reindeer antlers and the biggest smile.

"There you are! Dad's getting the tree. We have so much to do."

The front door opened and Derek and Jason carried in the biggest Christmas tree I'd ever seen. Derek's eyes found mine across the room and held for just a second. Long enough that my coffee mug suddenly felt too hot.

"Morning, Maya," he said, voice still rough.

"Morning."

Sophie put me on ornament duty while Derek strung lights around the tree. I tried not to look at him but Failed constantly. Every time I glanced over, he was doing something that shouldn't be attractive but was. Reaching up to loop lights, his shirt riding up slightly. Crouching down to plug in cords.

"Earth to Maya." Sophie waved an ornament in front of my face. "You're staring into space."

"Just tired. Didn't sleep great."

After an hour of decorating lower branches, Sophie announced we needed the tall ladder for higher ornaments. I volunteered, grateful for something to focus on besides Derek's presence.

Derek held the ladder steady while I climbed up. His hands gripped the sides just below where I was standing. I was very aware of how close we were.

"Careful," he said quietly. "Some of these rungs are loose."

I stretched to reach a bare spot near the top, rising up on my toes. The rung under my foot shifted.

I felt it give way. I was falling backward, ornament flying from my hand.

Derek caught me.

His arms wrapped around my waist, taking my full weight. I slammed into his chest and his hands tightened. For a moment we just stood there frozen. My back pressed against his front. His arms around me. Both of us breathing hard.

I could feel his heart pounding. Or maybe that was mine.

"You okay?" His voice was low, right by my ear.

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"Good catch, Dad," Sophie said, completely oblivious. "Maya, you should probably come down now."

Derek helped me step off the ladder, his hands on my waist longer than necessary. When I finally turned to face him, his expression was carefully neutral but his eyes told a different story.

"Thanks," I managed.

"Anytime."

We spent the next two hours decorating every surface. Around noon, Sophie stopped suddenly. "The attic! I forgot. We have more ornaments up there. The special ones Grandma made."

"Do we need more ornaments?" Jason asked, looking around.

"Yes, we need them. They're tradition. Maya, come help me?"

But when we reached the second floor, Sophie's phone rang. She looked at the screen and frowned. "It's my boss. Do you mind starting without me? The attic door is at the end of the hall."

Before I could answer, she was already walking away.

I pulled down the attic ladder. The attic was dusty, hot despite the cold outside, crammed with boxes. I grabbed one labeled "Christmas" and was pulling it toward the ladder when I heard footsteps.

Derek's head appeared through the opening.

"Sophie sent me," he said. "Her call's running long."

My heart started racing again. "I'm fine. I can handle it."

"I know you can." He climbed up anyway, his tall frame filling the small space. "But there's no reason to do it alone."

Suddenly the attic felt about half its original size. Derek was right there, close enough to touch. Every accidental brush of shoulders felt electric.

"Maya." He said my name quietly, like a question.

I turned to face him. Big mistake. He was right there, maybe a foot away.

"We should talk about last night," he said.

"What about it?"

"The texts. This." He gestured between us. "Whatever this is."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Can we really handle being in the same house for two weeks?" He took a step closer. "Because I barely slept last night. And when you almost fell this morning and I caught you, all I could think about was how right it felt."

My mouth went dry. "Derek..."

"I know this is wrong. You're Sophie's best friend. You're twenty-six. There are about a hundred reasons why I should stay away from you." Another step closer. We were inches apart now. "But I can't stop thinking about you. Haven't been able to for three years."

"We can't do this."

"I know."

"Sophie would be devastated."

"I know."

"So we agree. We stay away from each other. Act like adults."

"Absolutely." He was looking at my mouth now. "Very adult. Very appropriate."

Neither of us moved. Neither looked away.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs broke the spell. We jumped apart just as Sophie's head popped through the opening.

"There you guys are! Sorry that took forever. Did you find the boxes?"

"Yeah, got them," I said, voice only slightly unsteady.

We carried the boxes downstairs and spent the rest of the afternoon decorating. Sophie put on Christmas music. Jason made hot chocolate. It was exactly what Christmas should feel like.

But I couldn't stop thinking about the attic. Derek's words echoing. I can't stop thinking about you. Haven't been able to for three years.

Every time I looked at him, he was looking back.

When Sophie sent us both to the kitchen to refill the cookie plate, we stood at the counter not speaking. The tension was so thick I could barely breathe.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," Derek finally said.

"Yeah."

"Two weeks."

"We can do this. We have to."

He nodded, but neither of us sounded convinced.

That night after everyone went to bed, I stood at my window. The workshop light was on again. Derek's shadow moving inside.

My phone buzzed.

Derek: "I keep replaying this morning. When I caught you. The way you felt."

My hands shook as I typed back: "We said we weren't going to do this."

Derek: "I know. I'm sorry. Deleting your number right now."

I watched the three dots appear and disappear. Then:

Derek: "Okay I lied. I can't delete it. But I'll stop texting. I promise."

I should have agreed. Should have said goodnight.

Instead I typed: "What were you going to say in the attic? Before Sophie interrupted?"

The three dots appeared immediately.

Derek: "I was going to say that I've dated since my divorce. Tried to find someone who made me feel even a fraction of what I felt in one afternoon with you three years ago. No one came close. And now you're here, in my house, and it's taking everything I have not to knock on your door."

I stared at the message until my vision blurred.

Maya: "Don't knock on my door."

Derek: "I won't."

Maya: "Promise."

Derek: "I promise. Goodnight, Maya."

I set the phone down and climbed into bed, knowing I wouldn't sleep.

Knowing that everything had just gotten a lot more complicated.

Knowing that we were both fighting a battle we'd already lost.