‘Tis the season of Wicked Deeds (A Holiday romance Book 1)
‘Tis the season of Wicked Deeds: Chapter 1

“Let me get this straight,” I speak, disbelief evident in my tone. “You want me to impersonate you on a date and reject the guy your mother is trying to set you up to marry?”

“Potentially marry,” says my best friend, Tina.

“Potato, potahto.”

“Oh, come on, you love saying no,” she replies playfully. “It’s your favorite word.”

I roll my eyes at her silly attempt to convince me to play along with the absurd plan she’s concocting. Sure, I won’t deny I’m good at saying no to things I would never do instead of giving in to peer pressure. I’m the girl in the group who is reserved, cautious, and self-assured. I don’t feel the need to prove I’m daring, reckless, and crazy.

Don’t take that to mean I’m some lame goody-two-shoes, girl next door kinda girl.

Quite the opposite.

But my streak for outrageousness comes and goes.

Like waves in an ocean.

“Please do this for me, Twinkle,” she begs. I can imagine her pouting on the other side of the line. “I’ll owe you big time. I’m just so tired of these matchmaking dates.”

“Why don’t you just tell your parents you aren’t ready to marry yet?”

“Umm… you’ve met my mom, right?”

I sigh. “Yeah, the woman won’t rest until you give her a million grandbabies.”

“Exactly.”

Seriously, nothing can beat and no one can compete when it comes to an Indian mom hell-bent on seeing their child settle down. It’s like they become possessed, and no amount of holy water can cure them of the marriage-fevered demon.

It’s the only perk of having parents who barely acknowledge your existence.

I push the sad thought away and focus on Tina. “Let’s say I agree. How will it work, exactly? Don’t those matchmakers send photos to respective parties? We look nothing alike, Tina.”

While my bestie is tall and slim with exotic model features, I’m shorter with an hourglass figure. I have big, round eyes, full cheeks, and pouty lips, the top slightly thicker than the bottom, and sleek brown hair that falls to the middle of my back.

I’m pretty, but Tina is gorgeous. It’s why she’s always the center of attention while I would easily blend into the crowd if it wasn’t for my ambivert nature and sharp tongue. The latter is often told by my close friends.

“No one ever looks like those pictures in person. The one my mom sent of me is so grainy and old, you could never tell it was me. And in the biodata that they share, it’s the size of a passport photo. Next argument?”

“What if your plan backfires and he wants another date? Some like it when the girl is playing hard to get,” I say smugly. “I’m not going on two dates, I’ll tell you that.”

“Then be extra rude or something,” she retorts. “You’re the queen of never giving in under pressure. Just say no in typical Twinkle fashion so he knows it’s the first and last date.”

“You’re putting a lot of faith in my abilities.”

“Only ’cause I’ve seen firsthand how easily you turn down guys.” I refrain from rolling my eyes as she says it as though I have a string of men vying for my attention. “If anything, I’m jealous. My life would be so much easier if I was capable of the same. Remember when I dated Rohan?”

Oh yes. How can I forget?

As I recall the incident, I smother a laugh. If I’m terrible at saying yes, then Tina is horrible at saying no. So much so that even though she wanted to break up with Rohan, she ended up moving in with him. Her people-pleasing nature lands her in a pickle more often than not.

“Don’t laugh, Twinkle,” she grumbles. It only makes me laugh harder. “It was so embarrassing.”

“I can’t believe you pulled a Phoebe.”

“Shut up.”

Pulling a Phoebe—from Friends—is a secret running joke between us, especially after Tina sneakily tried to move out the same way Phoebe did from Monica’s apartment while head-over-heels Rohan remained clueless to his girlfriend’s sneakiness.

Tina took being a fan of the show to a whole new level.

Thus, proving that men have an attention span for two things—food and sex.

Of course, it was sad and a big disaster when he finally noticed her lack of stuff. That led to a very ugly confrontation. But two years later, I can’t get over the hilarity behind it all. Seriously, I commend my best friend’s determination to avoid rejecting or ending things.

I wipe a wayward tear away from my eye as my laughter dies down.

“Phoebe is my role model; I won’t hear a word against her,” utters Tina in a mock no-nonsense tone. “Now please, tell me you’ll go on the date.”

“Fine.” I hear her clapping excitedly and hooting, making me chuckle. “When is the date?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Nope,” she answers with a pop.

Of course, she’ll spring it up at the last minute. “I could be busy, you know.”

“Are you?”

I begrudgingly mumble, “No.”

After working nonstop for three years as a senior consultant for a multinational IT company, which I joined after my graduation, I decided to quit three months ago. Everything was good. I was a part of an amazing team, working under a cooperative manager, but my heart wasn’t into it. Like most millennials, I followed the crowd on the boring path, aiming for a stable nine-to-five job. But a year into the job, I knew it wasn’t for me.

Baking was the only thing that brought me any semblance of excitement, peace, and joy. A hobby I was amazing at. I never thought of turning it into a full-time career until COVID hit and I found myself with a lot of free time on my hands. I began learning, improving, and trying new recipes. Cakes, waffles, pastries and whatnot.

Soon after the lockdown was lifted, I tried selling my baked goods to my friends and the families in my neighborhood. Their response was nothing short of shocking and spectacular. It hit me then that I could make a living and, maybe one day, open my very own small café.

Determined, I began saving money from my day job. I was working from home, which was a blessing, as it allowed me to focus on setting all my ducks in a row before I gave my boss my three months’ notice. The day I clicked ‘send’ was so exhilarating and freeing.

Of course, I celebrated it with Tina, who couldn’t be more excited for me.

She stood by me and encouraged me when I doubted myself.

So even though I’m making a fuss about her insane request, I will never say no to her. Because with her, I’ve never been able to refuse. She and her parents are my real family.

“I swear I was going to tell you sooner but my editor is on my ass to submit the article I’m writing,” Tina explains apologetically. The stress is visible in her voice.

“It’s okay. I don’t have any deliveries tomorrow, so my schedule is free.”

“Thank God!” Tina exhales over the phone, her voice brimming with relief and excitement. I could imagine the weight lifting off her shoulders a little. “You’re the best, Tink.”

Just hearing the immediate pep in her tone puts me at ease. “Now tell me all about this eligible bachelor I’m meeting.”