Inside the restaurant,
Katie stepped out with her phone in hand.
"God bless!" Robin clasped her hands together, praying to the heavens.
She wasn't kidding around. Having nearly fallen into a rough life herself back in the day, she was dead-set against her little sister going down the same path—and it worried her sick.
"Don't stress," Adam said with a reassuring grin. "They've probably had this planned out for ages. Now Katie's testing him, pushing things off, and a hormonal high school guy like that? No way he's gonna handle it. Bet you he'll dump her in a huff."
"Really?!" Robin's face lit up.
"Totally," Adam laughed. "Ask Matthew if you don't believe me."
"Yup," Matthew nodded, relating all too well. "When Lily and I first got together, I wanted to wait too, but I just couldn't. And, uh, I might've told a few white lies to make it happen."
"Like the olive theory," Lily chimed in, rolling her eyes. "I actually bought it back then."
Girls love pulling this move—saying they don't want something at first. But once their boyfriend orders it, they're all over it, eating from their bowl and eyeing his plate, chowing down like it's a competition. The boyfriend might be annoyed about getting shortchanged, but what's he gonna say? After all, he's still hoping for a happy night ahead! 😉
Lily got lucky with a nice guy like Matthew, who just grinned through it and even accidentally stumbled into "creating" a love theory: the olive theory. You know, opposites attract—one doesn't like it, the other does, no fighting over food.
Now, if she'd been with a food-obsessed guy like Joey? That stunt would've ended in a breakup on the spot.
"See?" Adam smirked. "Even a sweetheart like Matthew couldn't resist. That spiky-haired, slimy-tongued Carl? He's flipping out for sure."
"Fingers crossed!" Robin said, practically glowing with hope.
Back at the airport, when she saw that creep stick his tongue out at her little sister, she'd barely stopped herself from charging over and beating him senseless.
"Adam, you're such a jerk," Lily teased. "At least in high school, you totally were!"
"Oh, come on!" Adam huffed. "You're taking it seriously? I told you, I made all that up!"
"Oh, sure," Lily said with a sly grin. "Made-up stories don't feel that real and relatable."
Her outburst earlier wasn't fake—she'd gotten so caught up in Adam's vivid storytelling that her sense of justice kicked in, and she let him have it for real. That's why it hit so hard!
"Exactly," Adam said, shrugging like it was obvious. "You forgetting I'm a famous writer or what?"
"No way," Lily shook her head. "Your Lord of Mysteries stuff is all wild imagination. This? Totally different. Those details you threw in? You don't come up with that unless you've lived it."
"That's just prejudice," Adam laughed. "Never eaten pork, but I've seen pigs run. I've read tons of books on this stuff—no need to live it to spin a good tale with juicy details."
"Quit pretending," Robin cut in. "I don't buy it either. You're a top-tier jerk—just the kind who owns it loud and proud."
"Ahem," Adam coughed, steering them back. "Tonight's about Katie, okay? Let's not derail this. The past is the past—digging up what's true or fake is pointless. I'd rather spend that time saving lives at the hospital."
"…"
Robin, Lily, and Matthew had nothing to say to that.
No matter how much they might scoff at Adam's possible jerk phase, his current rep as a hardworking life-saver was rock solid. Even Ted and Barney, who had their gripes with him, couldn't argue.
If they had Adam's setup, they'd be a million times wilder. No chasing random pretty girls at the airport, buying last-minute tickets to follow them onto planes, only to find out they're visiting their boyfriends—and then bailing because those guys are too tough to mess with.
If they were Adam? Even if those boyfriends were jacked-up football players, they'd not only go after the girls—they'd take on the whole team and leave them crying!
Owen Lee would call that a pro move. Back in high school, he'd left his school's entire football team green with envy.
"Alright, Katie's back," Adam said, snapping them out of it.
Everyone's eyes shot over to her.
Katie walked up, phone in hand, looking like her whole world just flipped upside down.
"Katie, what happened?" Robin asked, barely holding back a cheer. She forced a neutral face, playing it cool and concerned.
"I told Carl I wanted to wait, and he dumped me. Waaah!" Katie sobbed.
"Oh, that's too bad," Robin said, rushing over to hug her. Her mouth was full of comforting words, but her face—turned toward Adam, Lily, and Matthew—was pure glee, grinning ear to ear and pumping her fist.
"Everything's gonna be okay. You came here to spend Christmas with me, right?"
"Yeah," Katie sniffled, wiping her tears. She glanced at Adam, then back at Robin. "Am I still crashing at your place tonight?"
"Of course!" Robin practically shouted. "We'll sleep over, drink juice, watch The Little Mermaid!"
"What about him?" Katie nodded toward Adam. "Don't tell me you're just friends."
"Let him go to heck!" Robin waved him off.
"Heh," Katie giggled through her tears. "Then you've gotta put a big scoop of sugar in my juice."
"Deal," Robin nodded, reluctantly agreeing. "Just tonight, though—and don't tell Mom."
Westerners love their sweets, especially girls. But sugar's the enemy of a good figure, and any decent mom keeps a tight lid on it.
The vibe lightened up after that.
Katie kept hinting that Adam and Robin shouldn't cancel their plans for her sake, but Adam took the hint and bailed.
Who knows what'd happen tonight? He wasn't about to face Robin's gun for real!
Life's too short—keep learning, keep growing.
On this Christmas Eve, he decided to head to New Jersey to hang with Peggy, brushing up on math and diving into the universe's deepest mysteries. Nothing beats the joy of expanding your mind! 😊
When Adam got there, Peggy's apartment was already decked out festive-style, thanks to Lisa.
"Boss, everything's set," Lisa said, her expression a little odd.
She'd been with Adam long enough to see his quirky side—heck, she'd arranged half of it herself—but she still couldn't help thinking, "This guy knows how to have fun!"
Adam ignored the look.
It's just a little life spice, no big deal.
At Lisa's nudge, he found the gift, unwrapped it, and pulled out a red Santa outfit. Unlike the usual bulky ones, this was sleek and tailored—custom-made to Peggy's measurements, per Adam's orders.
Hmm…
White's got its charm. Red's got its perks.
Grown-up Adam wasn't a kid anymore—he wanted it all!
This little red Santa dress? Straight out of an artsy film from his past life that stuck with him.
After shooing Lisa out with a glance, he handed it to Peggy, helped her into it, and they kicked off a merry Christmas Eve and Christmas Day together.
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