"…and it can’t be changed? No return policy or anything? What if I threatened self harm if you didn’t…" Paul’s voice trailed off as he heard a key turn in the lock of the door of Gina’s apartment.
          "Hey hon, who’s on the phone?" Gina mused, sauntering into the living room.
          "And for the ten millionth time this is not a pizza shop," Paul hissed and roughly put the phone back on its cradle. "All day I’ve been getting phone calls from people wanting thick crust, ham and pineapple pizzas."
          "Really? Can’t say that’s ever happened before," Gina shrugged, dropping her bag onto the couch. "In fact the nearest pizza shop is a couple of suburbs away."
          "Which is why it’s been so infuriating," Paul groused. "Probably a printing error on some coupons," he added quickly, wanting to avoid further discussion on the topic. "And how was your day?"
          "Oh you know," Gina shrugged, sitting herself on the couch. "Boring as bat shit aside from the fact that I have a month’s holiday."
          "Wow, a whole month," Paul swallowed and moved her bag to sit down. "I didn’t think you were taking that long off."
          "Well, I wasn’t going to," Gina sighed, stretching her legs out across his lap. "But then I remembered you were taking me up the coast to sit on a beach and I decided more time needed set aside for that."
          "Yeah," Paul laughed weakly. "Bet you’re looking forward to our holiday with you in a bikini."
          "After the year I’ve had?" Gina perked. "I’d be mad to consider anything else."
          "Insane," Paul agreed, biting his lip.
          "Are you ok?" Gina asked curiously. "You’re looking a little agitated."
          "I’m permanently agitated," Paul laughed, patting her knee. "So, what have you got planned for us this evening."
          "Dan talked me into going to the office Christmas party," Gina sighed and pouted. "You’ll come with me right?"
          "Before or after the party?" Paul asked, raising an eyebrow. "Although I could be tempted in a stationary cupboard."
          "Does it have to be still?" Gina asked. "Can’t it be a moving cupboard?"
          "What?" Paul gasped and then smiled. "Dammit, you out witted me."
          "Of course I did," Gina perked. "I’m a woman."
          "Ah yes, the weaker sex," Paul mused whimsically. "If it had been a question about construction I would have pissed it in."
          "No you wouldn’t."
          "Get stuffed."
          Gina sniggered and wrapped her arms around him. "So, you’ll put on your glad rags and attend the party with me."
          "Why do I have to go?" Paul whined, now stroking her knee.
          "To prevent me lobbing party foods at annoying coworkers," Gina replied, getting to her feet.
          "Can I throw party food at your coworkers?" Paul asked with mock seriousness.
          "Of course," Gina smiled cheekily as she headed for the bathroom. "I’ll point out which ones too."
          Paul smiled until he heard the shower turn on and then dropped his now sullen expressioned face into his hands. "She’s going to fucking kill me."

          "Whose idea was it to book out a room at the Hilton?" Paul sighed, feeling just a tad over lavish affairs.
          "One of the ditzy PR chicks," Gina shrugged as they ascended the stairs. "Anyway, it’s not like it’s fully formal."
          "Yeah, I’m not wearing a tie," Paul sarced. "I feel so casual."
          "Oh hush," Gina chided. "On the upside the drinks are free."
          "They are?" Paul gasped, grabbing her hand and hurrying them along. "Why didn’t you say earlier?"
          "Gee I wonder?" Gina groused as she tottered on her heels to keep up with him. "Slow down," she ordered, stopping dead.
          "Sorry," Paul apologised. "I was just over excited at knowing there was in fact a way of coping with the entire evening."
          "These are my friends and colleagues Paul," Gina huffed. "I wouldn’t race off to the nearest chocolate dessert just to cope in a roomful of yours."
          "No, you’d argue with at least three along the way," Paul chided. "And probably attack one with your purse."
          "Are you saying I’m an aggressive person?" Gina asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
          "Well…" Paul flapped about until Danny flew out of the ballroom with two beers. "Look it’s Danny."
          Gina shook her head and then focused her attention on Danny. "Is the party rockin’?"
          "They’re playing the Grease soundtrack," Danny said blankly then averted his attention to Paul. "Here’s a beer, it’ll help you get to the bar where we can indulge in stronger liquor."
          "Aw Dan," Paul cooed and took the beer gratefully. "You can be my honorary girlfriend for the night."
          "Hey?" Gina gasped, looking at them both like they were nuts.
          "What about her?" Danny asked, motioning with his head to Gina.
          "She can go and hang with the other small, angry women in the venue," Paul chided.
          "Cool," Danny grinned. "Let’s go get royally pissed then."
          "Lead away darlin’," Paul perked and slapped Gina on the arse. "Later Genie."
          Gina stood speechless for a moment before spotting some mini chocolate cheesecakes and heading in their direction.

          "You do realise she is going to kill you for abandoning her," Danny mused as both he and Paul got settled on barstools.
          "Believe me Daniel, she’s going to kill me anyway," Paul said seriously, sculling the last of his beer.
          "Why? What have you done?" Danny asked, motioning to the barman. "Bottle of whisky and two glasses mate."
          "Well she doesn’t know it yet but I’m going to the States on holiday," Paul sighed as Danny poured the whisky into the glasses. "Without her."
          "At what point did this seem like a good idea?"
          "When I wasn’t dating her," Paul frowned. "I made the arrangements ages ago and I can’t get out of them now."
          "Not at all?"
          "Nope."
          "So when do you leave?"
          "Tomorrow at 1:30pm."
          "And you plan to tell her?"
          "Do you think I have to tell her directly?" Paul asked. "I mean I could leave a message, a note even or maybe you could…"
          Danny narrowed his eyes. "Don’t even think of finishing that sentence."
          "She’s going to hate me forever," Paul sighed, drinking his whisky and then grabbing the bottle and pouring himself another. "I mean, I’m not even gonna be here for Christmas for fucks sake.."
          "You never know," Danny shrugged. "She might find a way to join you in sunny California."
          "You think?" Paul asked, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
          "Not a hope in hell," Danny laughed and then fell serious. "You’re going to really upset her mate."
          "I know mate," Paul breathed. "There’s a reason I’ve been putting off telling her."
          "Yeah, but leaving it so late probably wasn’t the best move either."
          "I never said I’d thought anything through."
          "Obviously, your balls are gonna be the ones decorating her tree."
          "Thankyou Daniel, I feel much more at ease."
          "It’s what I’m here for mate."
          "Although, now that you know she will hold you responsible for not telling her straight away," Paul smiled wickedly. "You being her close friend and all."
          Danny looked at Paul grouchily. "You really are an evil, vindictive little man aren’t you?"
          "I’ve gotta have some fun before the lovely Gina Coleman destroys my life."
          "And you destroy hers."
          "Yeah, can we avoid putting the blame on me for five seconds."
          "I don’t want to be your girlfriend for the night any more," Danny huffed. "I suddenly know how Gina feels."
          "And if you were Gina what would you do?" Paul asked, looking blankly at Danny.
          "Go home with the barman," Danny mused, winking in the direction of the barman who looked at them both oddly.
          "You’re not helping," Paul wailed and buried his face into a bar mat.

          "Hey, go easy of the cheesecake honey," Amanda gasped, pulling what was the third cheesecake from Gina’s grasp.
          "That little fuck gets me so angry sometimes," Gina huffed, sipping a glass of water.
          "You should be happy your two favourite men are bonding," Amanda soothed, snatching a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.
          "They’re not bonding," Gina groused. "They’re getting drunk which is just Paul’s way of avoiding me."
          "Why would he be avoiding you?"
          "That’s what I’d like to know."
          "Maybe you’re just overreacting."
          "My partner has decided my best male friend is his honorary girlfriend for the evening," Gina scorned. "At what point am I overreacting?"
          "Lucky Dan," Amanda sighed and then looked motherly at Gina. "He’s letting that gorgeous spiky hair down, you should do the same."
          "I don’t have gorgeous spiky hair," Gina chided and Amanda shook her head.
          "Oh no, hide me," she mumbled as Debbie, a bitchy office gossip, scurried over.
          "I’ve got some juicy gossip," she declared with a ‘cat who got the cream’ expression on her face.
          "About?" Amanda sighed. "If it’s about Quentin we already know he’s gay."
          "No, much juicer," Debbie beamed. "It’s about Paul McDermott. Apparently he’s going to the States tomorrow," she added and then smiled. "Oh hi Gina."
          "Go away and leave him alone," Amanda ordered.
          "But he said…"
          "Go before Gina does something unpleasant and possibly fatal to you with a cake fork," Amanda scorned and Debbie slinked away angrily.
          "Tell me she was lying," Gina mumbled as Amanda took the cake fork from her. "I said tell me she was lying."
          "I’m not a mind reader honey," Amanda breathed. "Only one way to find out."
          "You’re right," Gina nodded. "Can I take the cake fork?"
          "No," Amanda scorned as she downed her champagne as she watched Gina make her way through the crowds to the bar.

          "What about a carrier pigeon?" Paul babbled. "I could attach a note to its little leg and…"
          "Paul," Danny cut in.
          "Or a flying monkey…"
          "Paul."
          "I wonder where you’d get a flying monkey?"
          "PAUL!" Danny snapped and Paul’s attention returned.
          "What?"
          "I think you should look next to you."
          "Huh?" Paul said blankly and turned to see Gina standing beside him. "Genie, beautiful, darlin’…"
          "Are you going to the States?" she asked bluntly, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
          Paul went to say something and then stopped. "How did you know?"
          "So it’s true?" Gina asked, her foot beginning to tap anxiously.
          "Yeah but…" Paul began but before he could even begin to explain himself Gina was almost out the door. "Shit."

          Paul dashed out of the ballroom and caught up with Gina in the hall. "Slow down will ya," he panted, grabbing her arm.
          "Don’t touch me," Gina hissed and kept walking.
          "Genie," Paul scorned, grabbing her arm again. He looked briefly around and then dragged her into an open hotel room. "Will you get off your high horse for half a second and let me explain."
          "There’s an explanation?" Gina laughed. "Let me guess, you forgot you’d organised it?"
          "Well, yes, but there’s more," he said quickly as Gina stood there unconvinced. "See, I organised the trip when we’d broken up. Well, when I dumped you in an extraordinary moment of blind stupidity."
          "Oh well that makes it all right then."
          "I tried to cancel it you know."
          "It doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me Paul," Gina groused. "Why you let me go on making arrangements when you knew full well you weren’t even gonna be here."
          "Because I knew you’d be upset."
          "I’m more upset that I had to find out from the office gossip," Gina scowled. "You promised me dammit, you promised me no more secrets."
          "Yeah and big surprise I failed," Paul snapped. "I warned you I was an unreliable bastard didn’t I but no, you wanted to carry on with the relationship…"
          "You want to break up?" Gina asked, starting to feel confused.
          "No," Paul whined. "I just want you to understand that my going to America is in no way related to not wanting to spend Christmas with you or anything…"
          "Wait, you’re to even going to be home for Christmas?"
          "Did I not mention that?
          Gina let out a frustrated growl and marched out of the room. Paul had to hurry to catch up to her again.
          "I thought you realised I wasn’t going to…" Paul began but Gina cut him off.
          "You’ve no idea what you’ve done have you?" Gina scorned as they descended the stairs.
          "Other than make you irate?" Paul asked, trying to be light hearted.
          "I’ve told everyone that I was spending the festive season with you. No one is expecting me for Christmas and if I tried to rearrange things I’d just feel like I was imposing. So thanks to you I’ll be spending Christmas alone watching Carols in the Domain and eating myself into a chocolate coma!"
          "Well I’ll be alone too y’know."
          "You could not go."
          "Genie, its already paid for," Paul sighed. "Besides there’s nothing stopping you coming with me."
          "I don’t want to go to the States."
          "Well I don’t want to stay here."
          "Fine."
          "Sorted."
          They glared at each other a moment before clambering into the backseat of a waiting taxi.

          "What the hell happened to you last night?" Danny asked as Gina let him into her apartment the next day.
          "I left," Gina replied bluntly. "I’m not even gonna ask how you are," she added, noticing Danny’s dark glasses.
          "Did you have a fight with Paul?"
          "Not that it’s any of your business but yes," Gina frowned. "He’s such an idiot."
          "Oh give the guy a break," Danny sighed, getting himself comfortable on the couch. "He wasn’t being malicious he just fucked up."
          "He’s abandoned me for…" Gina paused. "How do you know?"
          "He told me," Danny breathed. "That’s what we were talking about at the bar. He was pretty upset."
          "So he should be."
          "Don’t pretend to be spiteful, it doesn’t suit you."
          "Why are you here?" Gina huffed, sitting grouchily in an armchair.
          "I wanted to know if Debbie was fabricating the fight or not," Danny mused. "And of course stop you destroying your relationship."
          "I’m not destroying anything," Gina huffed, crossing her arms.
          "Spare me," Danny groaned sitting up. "So he was scared about telling you. Is that such a surprise? I mean you’ve turned into a total wench since you’ve found out anyway."
          "I’m hurt…"
          "Oh boohoo, you’re not the only one who’ll be alone on Christmas," Danny groused.
          "I thought you were going to your Dad’s?"
          "No, he’s off with wife number four while mother is in the Cocos Islands. I could share pizza with the maid though."
          "Sorry Dan," Gina sighed. "I just though y’know, Paul and I might spend our first Christmas together."
          "I know," Danny soothed. "If its any consolation you could at least make amends before he gets on the plane."
          "Huh?" Gina said blankly.
          "His flight doesn’t leave for an hour," Danny perked. "Come on," he added getting to his feet.
          "What if he doesn’t want to…"
          "Of course he does," Danny laughed. "I know, I drove him to the airport."

          "Bloody red lights," Gina groused as she hurried into the airport terminal. She glanced everywhere but couldn’t see hide nor hair of Paul. "I’ve missed him, he’ll have got on the plane thinking I hate him."
          "Don’t be so sure of that," Danny grinned and pointed to a familiar figure stepping out of the restrooms.
          "Paul!" Gina called, racing over. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and began babbling. "I’m so, so sorry, please don’t leave thinking I hate you, I could never hate you. I was just being selfish and stupid and…"
          "I…can’t…breathe…" Paul gagged, prying Gina’s arms from around him. "Much better."
          "Do you hate me?" Gina asked quickly. "Are we breaking up?"
          "Not that I know of," Paul mused. "And as if I’d let you off that easily."
          "I don’t even know how long you’re going for," Gina sighed, nervously fiddling with the collar of his shirt.
          "A month," Paul winced. "But I’ll call everyday, well try to and write and e-mail and all that shit."
          "You better," Gina pouted as the boarding call was announced. She wrapped him in another impossibly tight hug. "Please behave yourself."
          "I’ll try," Paul giggled, dipping his head to catch her in a kiss. There was a reluctance between both of them to part but eventually Gina pulled herself away.
          "See you in a month," she breathed as Paul swung his bag over his shoulder.
          "You better," Paul chided and looked at Danny. "Look after her."
          "Aye, aye captain," Danny perked and Paul looked at him strangely.
          "And you say I’m an idiot," he mused as he headed through the doors.
          Gina let out a very audible sigh. "I miss him already."
          "Ah, but at least you’ve patched things up," Danny soothed, putting an arm around her.
          "True," she nodded, leaning against him. "Hey, you can be my honorary boyfriend for the festive season."
          "Does it mean I get to see you naked?" Danny asked with mock seriousness.
          "No, means you get to help put up my Christmas lights," Gina replied as they headed for the door.
          "Maybe I will see if that maid is free…" Danny mumbled and then noticed Gina was frowning. "Joke, it was a joke…Sheesh…"