Gavin walked in holding hands with a stunning young woman.
The girl looked to be around twenty-five. She wore a ck coat with her long hair falling loosely over her shoulders. Her features were delicate, but her eyes held a distant, almost vacant look.
Her sudden appearance cut Levi''s scolding words short, leaving them stuck in his throat.
Everyone in the room turned to stare at the stranger, their faces filled with surprise and curiosity.
"Gavin, who is this?" Jacqueline stepped forward with a polite inquiry.
Gavin turned to the girl beside him. "What''s your name?"
The room fell silent. Everyone stared in disbelief. Gavin had brought someone home and didn''t even know her name yet he was holding her hand.
Levi and Jacqueline exchanged looks of pure bewilderment. The girl said calmly, "Hello, I''m Britney
Watson."
"Mom, her name is Britney," Gavin announced.
Jacqueline said nothing, clearly at a loss for words.
Lance leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed. "Well, Gavin. That was fast- bringing someone home after just a few days."
Gavin shot him a sharp look.
Amelia stood up and waved cheerfully at Britney. "Hi, I''m Amelia."
Britney nced at Amelia and nodded coolly. "Hello."
"Britney,e in,e sit down." Jacqueline hurried over and took Britney''s hand, then gasped. "Oh my! Your hands are freezing!"
She looked disapprovingly at Gavin and asked Edwin to fetch a hot water bottle.
"Thank you." Britney clutched the warm bottle against her chest.
Levi looked at Gavin. "So this is your new girlfriend?"
"No." Gavin shook his head immediately.
A few days ago, Jacqueline had dragged him to a blind date setup. After meeting two girls, he''d fled.
Since then, Gavin had been wandering the streets. With Christmas approaching, the city felt emptier than
438)
usual.
Viremont was a major metropolis, but most people went home to their families during the holidays. Christmas actually brought a strange quiet to the bustling city.
Everyone was rushing home while he drifted aimlessly through the streets. Gavin wanted to go home too,
but facing Levi and Jacqueline''s nagging made his head throb.
Then again, Cameron and Lance had all settled down while he remained single. Jacqueline and Levi sy have a point.
Gavin had spent the day by the river, thinking that even if he got lectured, he should at least go h
Christmas dinner.
The riverbank was nearly deserted. That was when he noticed Britney.
He''d been there all day, and so had she. They''d be aware of each other''s presence.
Before leaving, Gavin couldn''t help but approach her. "Why aren''t you heading home? It''s getting dark, and it''s not safe for a girl to be out here alone."
"I don''t have a home anymore." Britney''s voice was steady, matter-of-fact.
Something came over Gavin, and he blurted out, "Then why don''t youe home with me?" The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.
Britney looked at him, staring for what felt like forever, then nodded. "Okay."
Gavin had nothing to say to that. So Gavin ended up bringing her home.
When Britney saw Gavin shake his head, she lowered her eyes.
Confusion flickered across everyone''s faces. They couldn''t understand why he''d brought her home for Christmas if Britney wasn''t Gavin''s girlfriend.
Still, since she was already there, the Yates family weed Britney warmly enough.
Cameron politely greeted her, though her phone kept buzzing with messages from Bradley.
Bradley had sent Cameron dozens of photos from the Saunders family Christmas dinner-an borate spread that looked absolutely delicious.
The Yates family had just started their Christmas meal, so Cameron returned the favor by snapping some photos to send back.
ear we
Bradley: [Cam, next year we''ll be spending Christmas together.]
U.15 Mon, 4 Aug
Cameron replied briefly before focusing on dinner.
82%會
+38
"Merry Christmas!" Everyone raised their sses, and the atmosphere grew lively
and warm. But Britney''s expression remained distant throughout, entirely out of sync with the festive mood around her.
AD