Christmas eve comes around quicker than I can even comprehend. The temperature drops and the snow falls and contrary to popular belief, it doesn't dampen my mood in the slightest. In fact, I'm still quite exuberant, and I reckon I have every reason to be. My brothers are home, Aria is healthy, my parents are brilliant, my friends are happy, and Hendrix is quite frankly the best not-yet-boyfriend I could ask for.

Considering the fact my Christmas will be a day of complete chaos what with the full family and Hendrix's too, he and I decide to spend today in the calmness of his house rather than mine.

As always, we're laid out on his bed, me between Hendrix's legs, back against his chest as he runs his hands languidly through my hair, twirling strands between his fingers. Both our eyes on the TV in front which displays Friends as it so often does, though today, I'm scrolling through social media with a frown on my face. Even Chandler and his sarcasm couldn't crack a smile out of me today.

"Look;" I say, lifting my phone slightly so that he can see the picture I'm showing him. "Collins and Lena are spending today together. She's going to his tomorrow for Christmas too. As his girlfriend."

Hendrix simply hums and I can practically sense his attention being diverted back to the television. I huff and angrily like the picture before continuing to scroll.

"Look Hendrix." I say again, turning my body and showing him the phone again. He looks at me with a patient expression – he never likes it when I interrupt his daily dose of Jennifer Anniston – and then at the phone. "Nat is celebrating today with Addie, her girlfriend. With her being Polish, she does her Christmas day on the eve. How nice that she's met the family as her official girlfriend."

He smiles at me and once more, I lose his attention. "I just think it's nice, you know. Spending the holidays with your other half. And to think, Nat with her commitment issues has a girlfriend and Lena, crushing on the boy for a whole year and now he's finally her boyfriend." I continue through gritted teeth.

Elijah pats me twice on the head, like a fucking dog or something. "Baby, shush, we're about to see if Phoebe says yes to Mike's proposal." He says softly.

I pull myself from his grasp, entirely livid. "You've seen this show a thousand times Hendrix!" I snap at him, smacking him with a pillow to which he flinches in shock. "She bloody says yes and for the record, I'd say the same to you!" I practically yell.

He scrunches his face up at me and watches me carefully as I scowl and try to calm my heaving chest. "Are you wanting me to ask you to marry me?" He says slowly.

I groan and wave my hands about in exasperation. "No Hendrix, I don't want you to propose." I speak the words as if they're venomous. "Besides, we're still yet to mark off the first milestone." I snap.

"Okay," he says in a drawl, shuffling himself so he's sat upright. "Have you had a conversation with me while I was asleep again because I really don't know what you're talking about." He tells me plainly.

I groan again and smack him once more with the pillow for good measure. "Why haven't you asked me to be your girlfriend?" I inquire with intended bitterness. "I mean, we've only been dating for months, our families know about us, so do our friends and even the bloody principle who I had to talk out of getting us a congratulations card –" I groan again in frustration, more so at the uncomfortable memory, "I've been really patient Hendrix and I don't want to be pushy but I mean, come on, I feel more like a sex toy at the minute!"

His lips twitch and just the simple reaction nearly makes me combust into flames as anger consumes me. "Well, two things." He begins. "I don't cuddle with my sex toys." I lift my fist to sock him a punch, but he grabs a hold of my hand and grins. "Punch me in a second. Let me just get the second reason."

I furrow my brows and drop my arm, watching as he stands from the bed and makes his way to his drawers across the room, rifling in the bottom one before turning back around.

In his hand, a to-go smoothie cup. "Is this meant to make you look all cute and sentimental?" I ask him bluntly. "Because all it's doing is reminding me how you drenched me in smoothie like a complete dickwad."

He laughs and sits opposite me, tossing the cup gently back and forth from one hand to another. "Well, I'd hoped you could look past that for a minute and just remember how much you think I'm attractive and give you the good loving." He says with a charming grin.

"You're really not helping my current mood." I deadpan.

He sighs and looks at the cup in his hand. "Right. Well, I'm actually just a little bit nervous so if you could be nice please Charlotte." He glances at me almost pleadingly and I can't help but smirk.

"Alright. I'll be nice. What's the purpose of the smoothie Elijah?" I ask.

"Well, I was thinking about how to ask you out for ages, you know, to go on a date with me some time, but then you kissed me and sort of helped me out of that front." He throws me a flitting smile. "But I was gonna ask you with a smoothie, because I heard somewhere that women like it when men remember the little things.

"And I know that the smoothie doesn't have all that good memories for you, but to me, I just remember thinking that day how much I love winding you up." I scowl at him. "No, honestly! I love it. But it's not because I hate you, it's because I enjoy watching you bubble. And even the locker fish didn't wind you up as much as the flying smoothie did.

"But that day, particularly that day, when we were fighting over the jumper and I caught a glimpse at your nipple piercing, I realised that it wasn't so much the annoying you I liked, but the interaction that followed. And I'm not saying I've liked you for years because honestly, I really did hate you for most of them, but I started looking at you differently after this smoothie Charlotte." My frown softens and I chew on my inner cheek, merely at how sincere he looks.

"And if it weren't for that smoothie, we'd have never been paired on the project and I know we'd have never been where we are now, so –" he thrusts the cup at me. "Have a smoothie on me, for old times' sake."

I take the cup out of his hand only to realise that its weight is practically non-existent. It's empty. "Hendrix I never pictured you as a sap." I tell him through a grin.

"No, neither," he mumbles. "I'm so glad we don't have an audience; this belongs in a teen rom-com or something." I laugh and hold the cup in both hands. "Open it then." He urges.

"It's a gift?" I ask him as I start to slowly peel away the plastic top.

"More a prop." He corrects, just as the lid pops off. At the bottom of this cup, like a true romantic, he's some how managed to sharpie the word 'G-friend?' I look at him, completely gleaming. "So, is that romantic enough for you to say yes and give me a kiss?"

"I don't understand." I say innocently, batting my lashes.

"Osborne, will you be my girlfriend? Please."

I toss aside the cup and pull myself on to his lap, lacing my arms around his neck and holding my face an inch from him. "My boyfriend is such a loser." I mutter before crashing my lips on his, feeling his grin as I do so. "Who'd have thought? My long time nemesis just asked me to be his girlfriend." I muse.

"I know. I like it. What'd Lena call us, Mr and Mrs Nemesis?"

"Slow down, Hoss." I mutter, pulling him in for another kiss.

I'm kissing my boyfriend.

I have a boyfriend!

~

"Aria!" I coo, looking down at my niece that's laid on my knees, her head supported by my hand. "Hey, little pea." I bounce her slightly, my grin skin splitting as she starts to smile slightly, that beautiful, gummy smile. "God I just love her so much." I mumble.

Elijah grins from beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist. "More than you loved our Ellie?"

I hum as I ponder. "I'll always have a place in my heart for our Ellie, but little pea is real. It's hard not to love her more. Especially since she doesn't cry nearly half as much."

He squeezes me slightly and rests his chin on my shoulder. "We can always have a real little Ellie of our own." He suggests.

I look at him as if he's gone positively insane. "Listen chief, as thrilling as the experience was, I'm not about to let a real one grow inside me for nine months to tear me apart like this kid did to my sister." He snorts a laugh and rests his head against mine.

"I was just kidding." He mutters. "I don't want the baby, just the enjoyment of making them." I scoff and nudge him away.

As if prompted, my family begin to funnel into the living room. We've already eaten and somehow, Hendrix and I managed to escape cleaning duties under the pretence of childminding. Ferne was happy to hand over Aria to me, claiming she's deserving of a break, and Mason is currently sat on the floor surrounded in the toys he's brought over for the day. His favourite are the wrestler toys I bought for him. All in aid of the inside joke of course.

Oli sits beside me, taking a single finger to Aria's hand which she grasps on instantly. Ben sits beside Hendrix, wedging us in. The pair of them get on like a house on fire. It's quite infuriating actually; my older brother is totally stealing my boyfriend from me. On the other sofa, Roman and a very tired looking Ferne, and Tanya and my mother. Ezra and my dad sit on the floor, quite happy to play figurines with Mason.

I haven't stopped smiling all day. This Christmas, above all others, is one I'll never forget. Every one of my siblings home, my niece in my arms, my boyfriend beside me with his family here too.

Hendrix and I have arranged to leave soon to visit his mum. It's something he does every year and I want to be apart of it. Just the two of us when Tan and Mason go home, to wish Ellie a happy Christmas too.

And a happy one it is.

~~~

And finish.

I'm genuinely so emotional right now. Writing this has been an entire journey and I'll miss these guys so much.

I just want to take one final opportunity to thank every single person that has read this book. When I published to Wattpad, I never had expectations, but knowing people are actually reading and enjoying my work is just surreal.

You the real MVP's.

There is an epilogue and a bonus chapter too! Then, we're complete. I'm so happy to say, in the most bittersweet way, Thankyou for reading Mr and Mrs Nemesis.

Aimee 💕

Ps. I have a couple works in progress (including a spin off including Oli and others), come say hello again soon!