The Complete #LoveLondon Collection

'Here you go.' Holly's mum bustled in, holding out two sugar-coated tablets and a glass of iced water to Noel.

He stared at her.

'She seems to listen to you, so you can do the honours,' she bossed, dropping the tablets into his hand.

He studied them, then looked at the dog, who was watching him expectantly. Okay then. 'All right. But I'm going to give her a few more minutes like this first.'

Holly's mum nodded and sat down on the edge of the sofa cushion beside her daughter, lifting her long hair off her neck to help cool her down.

'I'm Tina by the way,' she said. 'She always reacts to bad pain like this, ever since she was small.'

'I see. I'm Noel. Pleased to meet you.'

'How do you know our Holly?' she asked, flicking a glance at her husband, who was standing in the open doorway with his face lifted to the falling snow.

Noel fidgeted under Tina's scrutiny, then the dog's, who was next to his knee, practically sat on his feet. Honestly, who'd have thought an animal's face could be so expressive.

'Customer. Friend. I-' he shifted in his seat, 'I'm not sure yet,' he said honestly.

She nodded, looking entirely comfortable with his non-answer.

He cast his eyes around the room, hoping for a change of topic. 'I'm sorry, but can I just ask … what's with all the-?' Pointing at ruined wooden table legs, holes in the arms of the suite, upholstery hanging out, a large chunk of plaster missing from the far wall, like a little dip. 'Did you get burgled or something?'

Tina let out a long, pealing laugh, joined by a deep guffaw from her husband. 'No. That's all Pudding's doing. Labs eat a lot, and some of them eat everything. He's one of those, or he was when he was a puppy. He should know better by now.' She remarked disapprovingly, looking at the dog.

Pudding at least had the grace to look shamefaced, getting up and leaving the room but, Noel noticed, still with a slight air of disdain and a dainty picking up of the front legs.

'Holly.' He turned back to her. 'Holly.' She lifted her head and clear blue eyes met his. 'Feeling a bit better?'

She nodded, 'Leg still hurts like a bugger though.' But normal colour was starting to seep into her face. 'Tablets please,' she said, hand held out.

Within twenty minutes of taking the meds, and sitting quietly whilst sipping the water, Holly was feeling almost human, or so she said. 'I don't feel sick or dizzy any more. My knee is much better,' she assured him, 'a dull throb rather than shrieking agony.'

Her eyes widened when he stood up.

'Good.' He stated, 'Then I should go.'

'Why?' her bottom lip stuck out sexily. Did she want him to stay?

'It's after eleven,' Noel said, 'getting on for midnight.' He started along the hallway and they all followed him, Holly with her arm around her dad's shoulder at her insistence. 'It's almost Christmas.' He continued. 'I can't intrude.'

'You can't go back out in this weather on Christmas Eve after bringing our girl home. Stay with us, have some fun.' Tina grabbed his hand, smiling up at him.

'Come on Noel,' Tom said, 'I think you'll enjoy it. Our way of saying thanks.'

'What kind of fun?'

Holly, standing beside him, looked awkward.

He groaned inside, having reached the front room, overwhelmed by the sheer Christmassyness (was that a word?) of it all, including a pine tree rammed with a clashing assortment of baubles and miles of gold tinsel, shiny foil and paper chains hanging down the walls, a nativity scene, candles lit around the room, letting off the scent of berries. Festive cards were strung across the ceiling on coloured threads, making him feel like he was enmeshed in a giant spider's web. Panic kindled and began to catch fire. His breath twisted in his throat, hands clenching. Could he do this? He wasn't the family Christmas type.

'Christmas themed games?' he asked shakily.

'No!' Holly's mum gave him an appalled expression. 'Sod that. Drinking games!' Shuffling over to a cupboard, she pulled open a door to reveal shelves packed with no end of snacks, bottles, packs of cards and tea towels, like an overstuffed sock draw, and yanked out a garment covered in turquoise sequins.

'This is the drinking jacket. Put it on love,' she didn't give him much of a choice, shoving his arms into it. She ran her hands over his broad shoulders. 'Nice fit,' she said approvingly.

Holly clutched her head with her hands. 'Oh, Mum!'

Noel hid a smile. Holly looked adorable. Exasperated, but adorable.

'Don't worry, handsome,' Tina put her hands on her hips, 'if you drink too much we'll stuff you in a cab. Or there's a spare room you can stop in.'

'That's really kind but like I said, I can't intrude on you, with tomorrow being what it is.'

'Nonsense, we have guests all the time,' she marched over to a table and picked up a bottle of whiskey.

Sorry, Holly mouthed at him. 'Mum, Noel probably has other plans.'

As she said it, giving him an out, something strange happened. The panic started receding.

'Pffttt, if that was the case he'd be there already. You listen to your old mum. He wants to stay. You're going to have to be careful though love,' she told Holly, 'after taking those tablets. Don't go trying to be drinking champion like you usually do.'

Holly rolled her eyes. Great, now Noel was probably going to think she had a problem with alcohol.

'Are you staying, Noel?' Tina peered up at him. 'It'll give you a chance to relax. You look too uptight for a youngster.' She pinched his cheek and patted it, turning away, assuming she'd convinced him. 'Right everyone,' clapping her hands to get people's attention, 'let's get started. Form the circle.' Obediently, people stopped their conversations. Someone switched off the TV, and they all lowered themselves to sit down cross-legged on the floor, even an old lady with pink tinted hair who looked about a hundred, who rubbed her hands gleefully. 'Bring out the port!'

Holly signalled frantically behind her Mum's back, 'Go now, quickly,' she whispered, 'escape while you can.'

'I don't know,' he drawled, 'it kind of sounds like fun.' It did. Plus there was still the matter of the sheer black tights and flirty black dress. He wasn't ready to give that up yet. And Matt probably wasn't expecting him to come back now anyway, it was too late, but he could easily text his friend to let him know where he was.

'But…I really didn't think it would be your thing. You don't like Christmas.'

'It's not Christmas yet, and it's just a drinking game. It would also be rude to leave when your Mum is so obviously keen for me to stay.'

'Huh, if you're not careful she'll have us married off by New Year,' she muttered.

'What?' he dipped his head toward her.

'What?' she echoed innocently.

'Come on you two,' Tina called across the room, 'I've made space for you to sit together,' Holly let out an audible groan at her mum's match-making, 'and we need Noel to start it off. He's wearing the drinking jacket.'

'Okay, stay.' She looked up at him, and he fought a mad urge to stroke her hair. 'I'm warning you though,' she said, looking serious, blue eyes wide, 'about my Aunt, the one in the dark blue twin set. She uses the mistletoe.' She pointed to a sprig above the kitchen door. 'Don't let her catch you under it.'

'I'll be careful,' he said solemnly, taking her hand and leading her across the room. Tensing, she looked down at their joined hands. He let go quickly. Maybe he had it wrong, perhaps she didn't want him there and she'd only stopped him leaving out of gratitude for helping her. Settling on the floor, Noel ignored the thought, slowly relaxing as Tina explained the rules of the game, a version of Fizz Buzz, where any number divisible by three was replaced by fizz and any number divisible by five replaced by buzz, and players took it in turns round the circle to say a number, fizz or buzz, counting upwards from one to a hundred.

At the beginning of each round everyone had one drink. Players only had three seconds per turn.