"Mara?"

She looked up from the accounts book of her boutique as she heard her name being called.

"Yeah, Lisa?" Mara said, putting the pen down.
"There's someone here looking for you…" She said

Mara looked at the calendar on her desk, looking for an appointment but there wasn't any slated for the day.

"Is it an appointment?" Mara asked

Lisa shook her head, "Nope… Unless he likes cross dressing?"

Mara chuckled a little as she stood up from her desk in the back room. She straightened her blazer before following Lisa out. She led Mara towards the back of a guy who was looking at a rack of blouses.

Mara smiled and thanked Lisa before she went to tend to another customer. Mara reached out and just about tapped the guy's shoulder when he turned around.

"Randy?" Mara asked, surprised

He smiled, "Hey, you."

Mara smiled widely just as she hugged her best friend, who returned the hug.

She broke the hug and said, "I didn't know you were in Los Angeles! Why didn't you call me?"

"I had some time off and wanted to come surprise you." Randy said
"Well, it is a surprise. I was beginning to think that you were a cross dressing customer." Mara said

Randy laughed, "Not like you haven't seen me in a girl's get-up before…"

Mara laughed as the memory of a 15 year old Randy in a cheerleader's costume surfaced in her mind.

"I still remember that and I am still traumatized." Mara said

Randy laughed a little before Mara said, "So… What brings you here to visit me?"

"Can't I see my best friend?" Randy said
"Yeah, you can… But there's always a catch." Mara said

She folded her arms across her chest, "So? Which girl is it this time that is going to get a free set of clothes from my boutique?"

"No girl this time… I kinda have a favor to ask of you…" Randy said

He looked around at the slightly crowded boutique before looking back at Mara, "Could we go grab lunch and talk about it?"

Mara shrugged and said, "Sure. Just let me go grab my bag first."

Mara choked on the water she was drinking just as Randy told her the details of the favor he was asking of her.

She put the glass down on the table and said, "You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?"

Randy's shoulders slumped a little, "I know it's a lot to ask of you but you're my best friend and I really need your help."

"Why do you need me to do that?" Mara asked, "Don't you have other girls?"

"None will make Samantha jealous." Randy replied, "Look… I kinda lied to Samantha that I am over her and she has always disliked the fact that you and I are still so close. I need you to help me make her jealous."

Mara felt her heart sink a little but she shrugged that feeling off.

"Don't you think she'd see through us?" Mara said
"Not if we keep it up well…" Randy said

Mara poked her chicken and said, "Don't you think that's a little childish? I mean… Samantha's already moved on… Maybe you should too?"

"I want to. But, I can't. Maybe it's because we've been together for a pretty long time…" Randy said

He sighed, "I want to move on, Mara… But I don't know if I will."

Mara looked at her best friend and sighed softly to herself. Part of her wanted to agree and help him out but another part of her just wanted him to be a man and get over her. But, Mara knew Randy well. She knew that if he could, he would. Randy wasn't the kind of guy who would want to put on a show instead of confronting the problem.

This time, she let out a sigh loudly and looked at Randy.

"Fine. I'll help you." Mara said

Randy's eyes lit up, "You will?"

"Yes. But, only for that one meeting." Mara said
"Uh… About that… It's not just one meeting we will have to deal with…" Randy said

Mara frowned a little, "What do you mean?"

"We're going with my family on a holiday." Randy said
"As a couple?" Mara said
"Yeah… I may have told my parents that we were dating?" Randy said
"What?!" Mara said, loudly

Remembering that she was in a public place, she lowered her voice and said, "You told your parents we were dating even before I agreed to this?!"

"I had to… They were asking me if I was bringing anyone along so I panicked and said that you were coming along." Randy said
"As your girlfriend?" Mara said

"Yeah… Just help me out, please?" Randy said, "We're going to Whistler Mountain for the holiday…"

Mara sighed and said, "Fine. But only because it's Whistler Mountain."

Randy smiled, "I knew I could count on my best friend."

Mara held the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she adjusted the scarf around her neck.

"Just make sure that the stocks get in today, 'kay, Lisa?" Mara said, "If there are any problems, just call me. I'm only a flight away!"

"No problem, boss! Have a safe trip!" Lisa said, on the other end.

Mara smiled and said, "Thanks! I'll see you on Tuesday!"

She ended the call and slipped the iPhone into her bag. She looked around to see if she had left out anything. Seeing that she packed everything, she wheeled her luggage out towards her front door. As she parked her luggage by the door, it opened and a blonde haired girl walked in.

"HI!" She exclaimed

Mara laughed as her house-mate and close girl friend, Maryse, engulfed her in a hug.

"Maryse! You're home!" Mara said
"Oui, oui, I am!" Maryse said
"I see someone's refreshed the French girl in her after her trip to Paris." Mara said
"Yes. And I see someone's going on a holiday." Maryse said

She looked at the luggage by the door before looking back at Mara.

"Yeah… I'm going on a holiday… With Randy…" Mara said

Maryse looked at Mara before pulling her by the hand towards the sofa. She sat her down before sitting next to her.

"What sort of holiday is this?" Maryse asked
"It's his family holiday." Mara replied
"Uh-huh… And?" Maryse said
"That's all." Mara said

Maryse studied Mara's supposed steady expression and cocked an eyebrow, "Really?"

Mara caved under Maryse's scrutiny, "No… I'm posing as Randy's girlfriend…"

"Posing as Randy's girlfriend?! Are you crazy, Mara?!" Maryse said
"No… He's my best friend… I'm just helping him out… He's just trying to show Samantha that he is over her..." Mara said
"What?" Maryse said

She tugged her blonde hair behind her ear and said, "Look, Mara… I'm not trying to tell you what's right and what's wrong but… You were once in love with Randy, remember?"

"Yeah… But I've gotten over that now…" Mara said
"Have you?" Maryse asked
"Yes. I took a whole year to get over it. And, I'm officially over it." Mara replied

Maryse looked at Mara, "I believe you but it's hard to say when you get into a pretend situation like this."

"If anything resurfaces, I'll walk away." Mara said, "Scout's honor."

Maryse had an unsure expression on her face but she merely nodded, "I trust your decisions, Mar."

"Thanks." Mara said

Just then, the doorbell rang and Maryse got up to open the door. She scowled a little when she saw Randy at the door.

"Uh, hey, Maryse. I thought you were in Paris with Mike?" Randy said
"I was. But, I came back a day earlier." Maryse said

Mara joined Maryse at the door and said, "Hey! I'm ready to go."

"Great. I'll take your luggage then." Randy said

Mara nodded and passed the luggage to Randy. He gave a polite nod to Maryse before turning to walk to his rented car. Mara turned to Maryse and gave her a hug.

"I'll be back on Tuesday. Help me to keep an eye on the boutique, okay?" Mara said
"I will. You be careful of Orton's seduction, yeah?" Maryse said

Mara chuckled and nodded as Maryse gave her another hug before she picked up her handbag and waved goodbye to Maryse.

After a 3 hour flight from Los Angeles to Vancouver, Randy and Mara both arrived at the Vancouver airport. Randy rented a car for the journey to Whistler Mountain.

"Okay, shall we run through our story one more time?" Randy asked
"Relax, Randy. I've got this. The more times we rehearse, the more it will seem unnatural." Mara replied
"Alright… I just don't want them to suspect anything." Randy said
"Hey, I'm your best friend, right? I've got your back." Mara said

He looked at her and smiled before turning back to look at the road.

"Thanks Mara… For agreeing to do this… It really means a lot." Randy said
"Don't mention it. Besides, it's been so long since I last went on a vacation with your family." Mara said
"The last one we had was when we were 12?" Randy said
"Yeah… The one where your parents decided that Alaska was an ideal destination for a holiday." Mara said
"Oh yeah! I remembered that one. We ended up ice fishing the whole time!" Randy said

Mara laughed, "That put me off going with your family for vacations…"

"I know. I had to tell my parents that your family decided to take their own vacations." Randy said
"Well, lucky for you, your parents have picked the right place. I've always wanted to visit Whistler Mountain." Mara said

She looked out the window, "How long more till we reach?"

"Another 2 hours." Randy said
"Are you kidding me?!" Mara exclaimed

Randy laughed, "This is the fastest time I can get us there. You're lucky we're not taking a bus. That would take almost 3 hours."

"Fine… I'm going to take a nap then." Mara said
"I'll wake you when we reach." Randy said

Mara nodded and put on her shades to act as her sleeping mask and shield her eyes from the sun. Within a few minutes, Mara fell asleep.

"Mara… Wake up… We're here."

She opened her eyes slowly and blinked a couple of times before she opened them fully. They had pulled into the parking lot of the Whistler Blackcomb resort. She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head as she got out of the car to stretch.

As she lifted her arms above her head in a stretch, she heard someone call Randy. She turned to look and smiled seeing his mother walking towards them from the entrance of the resort with his father.

"Mom!" Randy said

She engulfed Randy in a hug before breaking it to cup his face.

"Oh, you poor thing… You look like you haven't been eating well." His mother said
"I have mom. The company feeds us well." Randy said
"Well, they could do better. I'm going to have to cook at least once for you." His mother said

He chuckled slightly before holding Mara's hand.

"Mom… You remember Mara, right?" Randy said
"Well of course I do! It's not like we don't keep in contact when you're on the road!" His mother said

She turned to Mara, "How are you, dear?"

Mara smiled, "I'm good, Mrs Orton."

"Call me Elaine. Mrs Orton makes me think that you two are back in high school again." She said

Mara smiled and nodded, "I'll try but old habits die hard."

"Nice to see you again, son."
"Hey, dad."

Randy exchanged a handshake and a hug with his father.

"You're getting prettier each time I see you, Mara." His father said
"Thank you, Mr Orton." Mara said
"You can call me Bob. Now that the two of you are dating, I don't want to treat you two like teenagers. So, calling me by my name would prevent that." Bob said

Mara laughed, "Alright."

"Come on, then. Don't want Mara getting cold out here. We've got ourselves a lovely lodge! Becky and Nathan are waiting for us inside." Elaine said

The four of them entered the resort and headed towards the lodge that they had rented. Inside, Becky, her husband, Nathan and his girlfriend were sitting round the fireplace. As soon as they saw the four of them enter, they leapt to their feet.

"You guys are here!" Becky said

She smiled seeing Mara and said, "I'm so happy you're here, Mara!"

"Me too!" Mara said
"Hi Mars." Nathan said
"Hi Nate." She replied

He smiled and introduced his girlfriend to her. After that, they headed upstairs to put their luggages into their rooms.

"And this will be your room." Elaine said, opening the door to the room.
"Lucky you. Your room is huge." Randy said to Mara.

She merely grinned and walked into the room putting her luggage by the side and her handbag on the table.

"It's your room, too, silly." Elaine said to Randy

"What?"
"Come again?"

Randy and Mara both looked at Elaine, who seemed a little confused.

"Well, the two of you are dating so it's obvious you'll be sharing a room." Elaine said
"Oh! Right, yeah, of course…" Mara said, trying to cover up their fumble earlier.
"I'll let you guys get settled and we'll all meet downstairs in 15 minutes for lunch at the restaurant, okay?" Elaine said
"Yup." Randy said

His mother smiled at the both of them before closing their door and heading back to her own room.

Mara turned to Randy, "Uh, are we seriously going to share a room?"

"We don't have a choice, right? If we request for separate rooms, mom's going to think something's up." Randy said

Mara looked at the bed and instantly felt uncomfortable with the situation. It was already difficult to pretend to be Randy's girlfriend. Now she had to share the same room as him? It's going to be even more difficult for Mara to cope. She could slip up at anytime and she'd be putting herself at risk for falling in love with Randy all over again; wasting her year of getting over him.

"You can take the bed. I'll take the floor." Randy said
"Isn't it going to get colder at night?" Mara asked
"I'll be fine. There are some extra blankets in the cabinet here. So, I'll be okay." Randy said

Mara felt a small burden lift off her shoulders upon hearing that she wouldn't have to share a bed with Randy.

The Orton family, Randy and Mara headed over to the restaurant that was situated at the main building of the resort. They were given a table at the corner, near the balcony doors. While the guys sat and waited at the table, the girls went to get the food first.

"So, how long have you and Randy been dating?" Becky asked

Mara's eyes widened a little as she wasn't prepared for the question. She remembered the story that they had prepared beforehand.

"Um… We've been dating for 2 years…" Mara said
"After his split with Samantha, right?" Elaine said

Mara nodded, "Yeah."

"Thank goodness you were always there for him. He wouldn't have been able to get over Samantha if it wasn't for you…" Becky said
"Yeah…" Mara said
"I still can't believe she filed for divorce citing change in priorities when she clearly had fallen in love with someone else when Randy was on the road!" Becky said

Elaine looked at her daughter, "Becky!"

She shrugged, "I'm just saying, mom…"

"Well, don't let your brother hear it." Elaine said
"Wait, you mean Samantha and Randy didn't separate because she felt Randy was putting his job ahead of them?" Mara asked
"Nope. I heard Samantha on the phone with her boyfriend." Becky said
"And I was with her. We both heard it." Elaine said

She sighed as she put the tongs down, "My poor boy…"

"Just don't let him know we told you the real truth." Becky said, "It's going to make him really mad."

Mara nodded, "Don't worry. I won't."

The three of them headed back to the table just as they found the guys talking to a woman, while Randy played with a little girl. When they neared the table, the woman turned and smiled, despite the slightly surprised faces she got in return.

"S-Samantha… What are you doing here?" Elaine said
"I'm on a holiday with Justin and Alanna." Samantha said

She looked at Mara, "Hi Mara. You look great."

"Thanks… You too…" Mara said
"So, how have you been? Any new guy in your life?" Samantha said

Before she could reply, Mara heard Randy reply on her behalf.

"She's been good. And… I'm the new guy in her life." Randy said

Samantha looked from Mara to Randy, "The two of you are dating?"

"Yeah. We have been… Since you and I separated." Randy said, holding onto Mara's hand.

Samantha stepped back a little, surprised before shaking off the look of surprise on her face.

"Congratulations." Samantha said, "You two look good together."

Just then, a tall, dark haired guy walked over and put his arm around Samantha's waist.

"Hey, babe… Shall we go?" He asked
"Yeah… Um, Randy, Mara, this is Justin." Samantha introduced

Mara could feel Randy's hand squeeze hers tightly as he shook Justin's hand.

"Nice to meet you! I'm a huge fan of yours!" Justin said
"Thanks." Randy said, gritting his teeth.
"Well, we should go… Come on, Alanna." Samantha said, looking at her daughter who was playing with Bob.

Alanna looked up, "But I wanna play with grandpa…"

"Grandpa's eating lunch… Maybe we could ask him later." Samantha said
"No, it's okay. She could stay with us." Bob said
"Are you sure? We don't want to impose…" Samantha said
"Don't worry, Samantha. You and Justin go have a good time. We'll take care of Alanna for you." Mara said

Samantha had an unsure expression but said, "Okay. I'll see you guys later at the lobby in 3 hours to pick her up."

After lunch, everyone went out to rent the equipment to ski or snowboard. While waiting in line for the rental, Mara realized that Randy wasn't talking.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Mara asked, "You don't usually sulk for so long…"

"I hate that Justin guy. Did you see the way he held her waist? It's disgusting." Randy said
"Seriously? You're sulking about that?" Mara said

She turned to Randy, "I know I shouldn't be saying this but you're my best friend and I seriously think it's time for you to move on. She's clearly moved on."

"Or is she? Did you see the look on her face when I told her that we are dating?" Randy said, "She looked upset!"

Mara sighed and moved up as one person left the queue.

"About that… Did you know that Samantha was going to be here?" Mara said

She looked at Randy who looked away quickly, the moment their eyes met.

"Randy. Truth." Mara said

He sighed, "Yeah… I knew."

"Well played, Orton. Killing two birds with one stone." Mara said

Randy grinned sheepishly, "What can I say?"

Mara chuckled a little before she looked away. As the two of them queued in silence for a while, Mara couldn't help but feel this strange feeling she had. Her heart felt a little heavy but she didn't know why it was feeling this way. She shook the feeling off just as she heard Randy talk to her.

"You okay?" Randy asked
"Hmm? Yeah… Just looking at the scenery." Mara lied

Randy shrugged as they reached the rental counter and they got what they needed.

That night, while Randy was showering, Mara had settled onto the bed, ready to read a book before bed time. Just as she was about to begin, Randy came out.

"Did you see the way Samantha looked at us at the lobby?" Randy said, "I think she's jealous."

Mara looked at Randy and seeing the small grin on his face made her a little upset. Hearing the real reason for the divorce had made her change her initial impression of Samantha.

"Randy… What's your real plan behind this?" Mara asked
"I don't know… Maybe try to get her back?" Randy replied, settling into his spot on the floor.
"You want to get her back?" Mara said
"I wanna try." Randy said
"Wait, I thought you said that you just wanted to make her jealous." Mara said

"I did. But… Mara… I'm still not over her." Randy said, "Seeing her today just proves it…"

Mara felt the truth on the tip of her tongue but swallowed and kept quiet. Seeing Randy looking pretty hopeful, she didn't want to be the one that bursts his bubble.

"Alright then." Mara said

She put the book on the side table and said, "We should get some sleep now… It's pretty late..."

"Yeah. Good night." Randy said
"Night." Mara said

The next morning, Mara woke up to the sound of knocking on the door. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she slowly sat up to get a better listen.

"Randy? Mara? Are you two awake? I made pancakes for breakfast. They're getting cold."

Mara's eyes widened and realized that at any moment, Randy's mother was going to walk in on them. Worried, she looked at Randy and whispered his name but instead of responding in any way, he merely snuggled closer to his pillow.

"Randy? Mara?"

Mara looked at the door, "Just a second!"

She looked back at Randy and tried calling his name one more time. But, he didn't respond. Desperate, Mara reached behind her to take her pillow and threw it at Randy. Thankfully, it hit him square in the face.

Randy jolted awake from the hit and looked at Mara.

"Your mother is at the door." Mara said, "Get in here, pronto!"

His eyes widened a little before he scrambled to his feet, collecting the blankets and pillows off the floor. He threw them onto the bed just as he got under the covers. They tried several 'couple' positions before they finally settled in on one which had Mara leaning against his chest with his arms around her.

"Come in!" Randy said

Elaine opened the door and looked at the two of them lovingly just as she sat the breakfast tray next to them.

"I prepared my famous pancakes for the two of you." Elaine said
"Thank you, Elaine… But, you didn't have to bring them up here…" Mara said
"Yeah mom… We could have gone downstairs for it." Randy said
"Well, I know how much you two would want some alone time away from us so, I thought what better way then to have breakfast in bed!" Elaine said
"That's really thoughtful of you…" Mara said

Elaine smiled, "Well of course, dear. You're going to be part of the family soon so you better get used to this!"

Mara laughed awkwardly just as Bob came in.

"Hey you two lovebirds!" Bob said, "Mind if I popped in?"

"Nope… What's up, dad?" Randy said
"Well, I was going to go into town to help your mother pick up some supplies for dinner so I was wondering if you'd like to come with me and your brother." Bob said

Randy thought for a while before saying, "I think I have to pass dad… I need to go to the gym today. I still need to train at least once every two days."

"Alright then. We'll have a male bonding session tonight then." Bob said, "With real beers."

Randy smiled, "Sure dad."

Elaine looked at Mara, "What about you, dear? Do you want to accompany me and Becky to the mall?"

Mara shook her head, "I think I am going to check in with the boutique and maybe go walk around the resort."

"Okay then. Let me know if you want to come join us." Elaine said
"Sure." Mara said, with a smile.
"That's it from us. We'll leave you two to enjoy your breakfast." Bob said

Randy and Mara both smiled and nodded as they watched his parents leave. As soon as the door closed behind Bob, they both let out a sigh of relief.

"That was a close one." Mara said
"You can say that again." Randy said

She looked at Randy, "You do know that they are going to find out eventually right?"

"Yeah… But, I could avoid that when I get back with Samantha." Randy said
"What makes you so sure you can win her back?" Mara asked

Randy shrugged, "I don't. But, if I try to show her that I can be there for her, she might come back to me."

As he smiled at her and reached over to grab the plate of pancakes, Mara felt her heart skip. She didn't know what was going on with her. It wasn't the first time that she and Randy were in close proximity but she felt as if it was the first time.

"Hey. Mara?"

She snapped out of her trance and looked at Randy, "Yeah?"

"I was asking you to eat the pancakes quickly. They won't taste nice once they get cold." Randy said
"Oh! Right. Yeah." Mara said, as she took the last plate of pancakes that was on the tray.

"So? How is Whistler Mountain?"
"It's great, Maryse. I'm loving it here."
"Told you it's a must-see destination in Canada. Anyway, how's the ridiculous sham you two are pulling?"
"It is not a ridiculous sham and it's going great. But… I'm not so sure if I want to carry on doing it…"
"What do you mean?"
"Remember the reason that led to Randy and Samantha divorcing?"
"Yeah… Something about change in priorities right?"
"Yes… What if I told you that wasn't the truth?"
"What do you mean it isn't the truth? Is there another reason?"
"Yeah… There's one. Apparently, Becky and his mom is saying that's the real reason for the divorce."

Mara sighed into the phone.

"Apparently, Samantha had been in love with some other guy when Randy was on the road."
"Are you serious?! Does Randy know?"
"Are you crazy?! I can't tell Randy!"
"Why not? This would get him to give up on winning Samantha back! And the two of you can stop pretending!"
"I-I can't."
"And why is that?"
"I would hate to see him upset."
"So now you're caring about how he feels for Samantha? Mara… I hate to tell you this but I think you're starting to fall for your best friend again."
"I-I am not!"
"There's that high-pitched denial voice. You are, Mara. From the moment you agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend, you have already started falling for him again."
"No! That's not true. Look, I love you, Maryse but what you're saying isn't true. I just don't want him to lose hope with Samantha."
"Really? It sounds to me like you want to be the good person that sacrifices her own happiness for the person she loves."
"I am not! Look, I'm going to find Samantha and ask her straight about it."
"Like she's going to tell you the truth. Mara, stop thinking for Randy and think about yourself. It's about time that you find real closure from this 'in love with my best friend' thing. To be honest… You're not helping Randy or yourself."

Mara sighed again, taking in Maryse's words and finding them to be true.

"Fine. I'll try to find a way to persuade Randy to either come clean with his parents about his inability to move on or completely give up all sorts of hope for him and Samantha."
"Good. I'll call you to check in later."
"Yes, ma'am."

Mara ended the call with Maryse and looked around. She had walked from the lobby towards the spa area where she bumped into Samantha, who was on her way out.

"Oops! Sorry- M-Mara?"
"Samantha?"

She smiled before saying, "Are you here for a spa session?"

Mara looked at the sign before looking at Samantha, "Oh! No… No… I-I was on the phone and I just walked and talked so I ended up here… You just finished a spa session?"

"Yeah. Justin insisted on taking Alanna out so he sent me here for a spa session." Samantha said
"Justin treats you really well, huh?" Mara said
"Yes…" Samantha said

Mara sighed and said, "I'm sorry if this sounds rude… But I need you to be honest with me. Did you file for a divorce from Randy because you no longer love him?"

Samantha looked away and Mara knew that instantly, she was going to bail if Mara didn't act quick.

"This is going to only be between you and me." Mara said

Samantha looked at Mara and sighed, "Yes. It's just that Randy's always on the road and I started going to Alanna's school to help out. It was there that I met Justin."

"He's a teacher?" Mara asked
"Yeah. And he was just so great. I guess all the love I had left for Randy slowly disappeared. It was then that I realized that I fell out of love with him already." Samantha replied
"You never thought of giving it another shot?" Mara said

Samantha shook her head, "No… I thought I'd try to make it work between me and Randy for Alanna… But, I just couldn't bring myself to."

"So… You're not jealous or anything about me and Randy?" Mara asked

Samantha chuckled, "Of course not. I am actually happy for you. Mara, you know Randy best and to be honest, I always felt as if I was the third wheel between you two. The both of you have an understanding that Randy and I can never have."

She pat Mara's hand, "And I sincerely wish you two an everlasting relationship."

Samantha adjusted the strap of her shoulder bag before saying, "I'll see you around!"

Mara merely nodded and waved at Samantha, who left the area.

"Okay, Mara… You'll have to decide whether or not you should tell Randy about Samantha."

Mara nodded at her reflection in the mirror before putting her hand out to reach for a towel. Unfortunately for her, she had forgotten to bring in a towel and the rack was empty.

"Ugh. Darn it." Mara said

Since Randy was still at the gym and she was alone in the room, Mara opened the bathroom door and turned to close it. Just as she turned to make her way to the closet to get a new piece of towel, she collided into a naked frame and together, they fell onto the floor.

Mara looked at the person and said, "OH MY GOSH! RANDY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Where did you come from!?" Randy said
"I should ask you the same thing!" Mara exclaimed

She scrambled to her feet while covering her body and quickly reached for a bathrobe lying in the corner. She put it on quickly while Randy grabbed the bed rug from the side to cover himself.

Mara sat on the floor by the bed and said, "Just go take a shower, please!"

As soon as the door closed, Mara turned to the bed and fell forward, burying her face in the pillow. To avoid awkwardness, she quickly changed into her clothes and headed out to take a walk.

She headed to the cafe down at the lobby and bought a cup of hot coffee before heading towards a quiet spot by the corner. Sitting down, she pondered over the situation she was in. Mara knew that she was treading on thin ice. Any moment, she could cave and fall back in love with Randy. And, seeing that he is still hung up on Samantha, it wasn't going to be possible to avoid heartache again.

Just as she sipped her coffee, she felt someone stand next to the empty chair opposite her.

"Is this seat taken?"

Mara looked up and seeing Elaine there, she smiled and shook her head, "Nope… It's all yours."

Elaine smiled back and sat down, "So, where's Randy?"

"Uh… He's uh… He's getting ready for skiing with Alanna." Mara said
"Really? I thought I saw him in your room earlier… He doesn't look like he's getting ready." Elaine said
"Oh! Maybe he's tired from the gym session he had earlier." Mara said

She gave a quick smile before turning to look out the window.

"I know the two of you aren't dating." Elaine said

Mara looked back at Elaine, "How did you…"

"It's pretty obvious, dear. I haven't seen you two kiss." Elaine said
"Um, we did!" Mara said
"On the cheek?" Elaine said

Mara did an awkward laugh and said, "Oh, right."

"What's up with this pretence?" Elaine said

Mara looked at Elaine and sighed, "Randy hasn't gotten over Samantha. And, he wants to make her jealous by showing that he has moved on."

"That stubborn boy." Elaine said
"Yeah… So, that's why I'm here." Mara said

Elaine shook her head, "He's always had this bad trait of his. When something doesn't work out for him, he would always try to either get it back or destroy it. So, which is this for him?"

"Both? He plans to get Samantha back and in that process, he destroys a relationship." Mara said
"Why can't he just move on when she clearly has?" Elaine said
"Samantha is his high school sweetheart. It takes time to get over someone like that." Mara said

Elaine reached over and put her hand on top of Mara's hand on the table.

"I'm sorry, dear." Elaine said
"What for?" Mara asked
"You've been in love with Randy since the two of you started elementary school. But, he has never seen you as a beautiful, intelligent girl. He only saw you as his wing woman." Elaine said

She pat Mara's hand, "It must have been hard for you."

Mara looked down, trying to suppress the memories of her always standing by the side while Randy tries to pick up a chick. Be it at parties, proms or just normal days where they hung out, Mara had always been there in the sidelines.

"I got over it." Mara said
"I know. But I've been in your place before. It's never easy to get over that first person you love and still do, in your case." Elaine said
"Yeah… But, Randy's my best friend. I'll always be there for him when he needs me." Mara said

Elaine nodded, "But, not in this situation. It's time he opened his eyes to see who really loves and cares for him."

Mara looked at Elaine who merely gave her a warm smile.

That night after dinner, Mara found Randy on the front steps of the lodge, sipping from a beer bottle.

"Hey." Mara said, sitting down next to him.

He looked at her and smiled, "Hey, you."

"About this afternoon… I didn't know you were in the room." Mara said
"Neither did I. But, I swear, I did not see any part of you." Randy said
"Yeah, I didn't either." Mara said

She took in a deep breath and said, "Randy… Listen… I-"

Before she could finish her sentence, he cut her off.

"You know what, Mara? I think I might have a good chance of getting Samantha back! She is starting to warm up to me like when we were dating again!" Randy said

He smiled to himself, "This is really great! I was waiting-"

"ENOUGH!"

Randy looked at Mara, shocked by her sudden outburst.

"Enough. Randy, you're reading her wrong. She doesn't want to get back with you." Mara said

Randy frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"You're always like this, Randy. You only see what you want to see. You never stop to think if that is really it! Samantha doesn't want to get back with you! In fact, it's far from it! Do you know why she filed for a divorce, Randy?" Mara said, standing back up.

Just as Randy was about to answer her, she cut him off.

"No, Randy! It's not because you put your job before her. It's because she fell in love with Alanna's teacher when you were not around, Randy! She fell out of love with you!" Mara said

Randy stood up, "What are you talking about? That's not true."

"Yes it is, Randy! She told me when I bumped into her this morning!" Mara said
"You're lying." Randy said
"Why would I lie to you, Randy?! I'm not the only one who knows the truth. Your sister and your mother heard her talk about it on the phone a few days after she filed for the divorce, Randy!" Mara said
"I don't believe you." Randy said

Mara held back the tears that were threatening to leave her eyes.

"Randy, we've been best friends since we were kids. Would I lie to you?" Mara said

She shook her head and said, "Your mom was right. I shouldn't have agreed to help you. You're far too blind to see who really loves and cares for you."

She looked at Randy for a while before she walked in the direction towards the main building.

"Where are you going?" Randy asked, looking at Mara's back.

Not bothering to turn back, Mara replied, "Away from here. Just send my stuff back to my house."

"There are no flights back to Los Angeles so late at night." Randy said, "Just come back in and we'll talk."

Mara turned around, "No! We won't 'talk', Randy! Do you even see me?"

"Of course I do. You are my best friend and you are here, in front of me." Randy said
"And that's it, right? I've always been that girl you could count on. You need someone to get close to the girl you have your eyes on; go ask Mara. She's a real guys' girl." Mara said

She cleaned her tears away and said, "You never saw me, Randy. You only saw the girl who was willing to help her best friend whenever he needed her and not the girl who was in love with you."

Randy's face fell and he realized that Mara had always been the one who loved and cared for him. She was the only one who understood him and stood by him when he needed someone to. How could he not have seen that?

By this time, Randy's family had gathered at the front door, upon hearing the exchange between the two of them.

Mara sniffed and cleaned her tears away before looking at them, "I'm sorry. Something cropped up at home so I'm going to take the first flight out."

"Do you want me to send you to the airport?" Nathan said
"No, but thanks, Nate." Mara said
"Your things…" Becky said
"Could I trouble you guys to send it to my house when you guys come back?" Mara asked
"We'll do that." Elaine said

Mara gave a small smile to Elaine before she turned back to continue her path towards the main building. Bob shot his son an angry glare before he took Mara's trench coat from the closet by the door. Randy thought that Bob was going to help him by creating a chance for him to talk to Mara some more. But, Bob held the coat in his arm and walked pass him, following Mara.

Randy looked at his family and Becky shot him an evil look before going back into the lodge. Nathan looked away and held his girlfriend's hand as they entered the lodge after them. The only person left standing at the front door was Elaine.

"Mom… I…" Randy said

Elaine walked up to her son and said, "There are situations where I can help you figure things out but only you can figure this one out."

She squeezed his hand a little before walking back into the lodge.

Two weeks later

Mara had been keeping herself busy ever since she returned from Vancouver. She would always go to the boutique early and come back late. When Elaine sent her stuff over, she wasn't at home so Maryse took it back on her behalf.

Some would think that she was just busy since it was the Christmas season but people closer to her knew that she was using this to avoid meeting Randy. He had tried to call her and text her but she didn't answer or reply.

On Christmas Eve, Maryse decided to throw a party and Mara had no choice but to help out.

"Stop pulling such a long face!" Maryse said, "It's Christmas time!"

"I know. And I should be at the store, open for last minute shoppers." Mara said
"Nonsense! You are supposed to be here spending Christmas Eve with your house mate and not moping around in that store thinking about Randy." Maryse said
"I don't think about him!" Mara said
"You do." Maryse said

She stopped Mara from eating a snack and said, "I know how much Randy means to you. But you chose to stop talking to him and if he understood why you left, he would have come running to you by now. So, maybe it's time you moved on?"

Mara looked at Maryse and nodded reluctantly, "You're right. It's time I moved on."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Must be more guests!" Maryse said

She was about to walk to the door when Mara stopped her.

"I'll do it." Mara said

Maryse smiled and nodded before she went back to entertain guests at the party while Mara went to the door.

She opened it and said, "Merry Christmas! Welcome to the par-"

Standing in front of her was Randy, with a paper bag in his hand.

"R-Randy? What are you doing here?" Mara asked, "Did Maryse invite you?"

"No… I came here after going to your boutique. It wasn't open." Randy said
"Yeah… Maryse threw a Christmas party so she made me stay behind." Mara said
"I should have called before dropping in like this but you didn't answer…" Randy said

Mara shifted her weight to her other leg and said, "Yeah… My phone's not with me… It's in my room."

"Uh, anyway, I thought I'd come by to give you your Christmas present." Randy said

"Thanks." Mara said, "But, I didn't prepare your present."

Randy shook his head, "That's okay."

He passed the present to Mara and said, "So… I'll see you around, yeah?"

Mara merely nodded and Randy gave her a small smile before turning around. She watched Randy walk away before closing the door. By this time, Maryse was by her side.

"What did he want?" Maryse asked
"He came to pass me a present." Mara replied

Opening the top of the paper bag, Mara saw a scrapbook sitting inside.

"Can I be excused for a while?" Mara said
"Well, of course! I'll be 2 guest hosts for a while." Maryse said

Mara smiled and thanked her friend before walking towards her room. She sat on her bed and took out the scrapbook from the paper bag. She flipped it open and the first page had a picture of Randy in the cheerleader outfit. There was a speech bubble and in it wrote, 'There was this stupid guy named Randy who had been so dumb and blind, that he always saw other girls but never the prettiest one that was always with him.'

The scrapbook went on to show pictures of Randy and Mara together with different messages underneath them. Seeing them made her laugh and tear up at the same time. She finally came to the end of the scrapbook where a recent picture of her and him sat.

It was a candid shot of the both of them laughing at Whistler that Randy's family took.

The message below said, 'I was too blind to realize that what I should have wanted was with me all along. I didn't know what I already had until I lost it. I guess… What I am trying to say is that I love you, Mara, more than a best friend. I knew it all along but I was afraid to admit it. But, that's the price I'll have to pay for being so stupid and making all the dumb choices.'

Mara immediately closed the book shut and threw it on her bed before running out of her room and pass Maryse, who had a knowing look on her face.

"Where's she going?" Mike, her boyfriend asked
"She's going to find happiness." Maryse replied

Mara ran out the door looking to her left and right, not sure of where she should go to find Randy. She didn't know which way he went after he left her house.

She looked to her right and said, "I hope this is right!"

She jogged down the street past buildings and round the corner, but there wasn't any sight of him. She stopped by the cafe that she usually went to and looked inside.

Standing in line to get his coffee was none other than Randy. Mara opened the door to the cafe and walked straight up to Randy. Before he could order his drink, Mara pulled him by his shirt collar and kissed him on the lips.

They broke apart after a few seconds and Randy said, "I'm guessing you opened your Christmas present early?"

"Couldn't resist." Mara said
"So, I take it you read the last page?" Randy said
"I had to finish the whole thing right?" Mara said
"So… What was that kiss all about?" Randy asked

Before Mara could answer, an old lady behind Randy spoke.

"It means she accepted you, silly!" She said

Randy smiled and looked at Mara, "Is that true?"

Mara merely smiled and said to the cashier, "I'll have a latte and my boyfriend's having a cappuccino."

THE END