Throwing Away What He Had

After my best friend, Tricia Lambert, had a breakup, she dragged me along with her to spend Christmas together. She aptly called it having a "single women's night out", and we went to see the fireworks show that was being put on for the festivities.

However, the truth was that I had been secretly dating someone for six months without telling her.

Thus, I went out with her with a guilty conscience.

In the midst of the crowd, Tricia suddenly pointed ahead and exclaimed in surprise, "Damn! Isn't that my brother?"

I followed her gaze and saw a tall, eye-catching figure in the crowd.

I knew that figure very well—it was Chris Lambert, Tricia's older brother. He was even wearing the black puffer jacket that I'd given him.

Since he couldn't spend Christmas with me, I had given him his gift in advance.

Indeed, the boyfriend I had been hiding from everyone was my best friend's brother.

But why was he here?

Just as I was wondering, I heard the sound of fireworks exploding.

The sparks streamed across the night sky like scattered stars. Couples around us hugged and kissed each other, seemingly trying to freeze time in this fleeting, romantic moment.

Chris was no exception. He turned to the woman beside him, gently cupped her face like she was a treasure, and kissed her.

It felt like a jolt of electricity ran through my whole body.

So, he hadn't come alone.

He had turned down my Christmas invite, claiming to work overtime, just so he could watch fireworks with another woman.

It truly felt like the moment had been frozen in time. I couldn't hear the surrounding noise or see the fireworks.

The cold wind stung my eyes as the sight of the sweetly kissing couple slowly blurred before me.

Tricia pounded on me excitedly. "Oh my gosh! That's Yvonne! Chris finally got the school belle! Can you believe him?"

I looked up at the dazzling scene, trying hard not to let the tears in my eyes fall. I just wanted to run away.

However, Tricia grabbed my arm and dragged me forward through the crowd.

"No can do! We already ran into him, so now he owes us a late-night snack!" she said excitedly.

By the time we got to Chris, the fireworks had just ended. The night sky returned to silence, and the two pulled apart, but their hands remained tightly clasped.

Tricia suddenly slapped his shoulder. "Caught you red-handed! Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Chris turned around and froze when he saw me. He rubbed his nose awkwardly and blurted out, "What are you two doing here?"

Tricia shouted at him, "What, are single people not allowed to see fireworks on Christmas? Quit dodging the question and fess up!"

Chris pulled his gaze away from me and looked gently at the blushing woman beside him, saying, "This is my… girlfriend."

Then, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and softly added, "That's my sister, and the one beside her…"

Both of them focused their gazes on me, and I felt my eyes sting. I immediately lowered my head.

I heard Chris introducing me, "She's my sister's friend, so she's kind of like a sister to me."

Yvonne shyly greeted us. "Hello. My name is Yvonne Simmons."

Tricia snickered and said, "I knew it! Chris has liked you for ages. He even showed me your picture and couldn't stop talking about you."

To avoid exposing our relationship, I almost never appeared when both siblings were present together. Even when chatting with Tricia, I tried to steer clear of any topic about Chris.

It turned out Chris had secretly liked Yvonne for a long time, huh?

Then what was the point of carefully hiding what we had for the past six months?

I took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Chris and… Yvonne, Merry Christmas to you both."

As soon as I spoke, I realized my voice was trembling.

Ten minutes ago, I had received a message from Chris.

He said, "Sorry, babe. I'm really busy this year and don't have time to be with you. I'm still buried in work right now. Hope you have a happy and unforgettable holiday."

He really did give me an unforgettable Christmas, relegating me as his "sister" in such an awkward moment.