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It was two days before Christmas. Riya was busy preparing her house for the Christmas party and gift exchange. The house looked like a winter wonderland with the various lights and decorations.
But despite the cheerful atmosphere, she was nervous. After all, there were people she invited that were not too happy at her…
Tom and Jake had not fully forgiven her for the way she behaved during All-Stars. Riya knew that it would be difficult to convince them that she's changed, but she was determined to try her best.
Riya was in the midst of decorating the Christmas tree when the front doorbell rang. She set the ornament in her hand down and walked over to answer. She opened the door and a smile immediately lit up on her face when she saw who was standing on the porch.
"Eesha!" She exclaimed, extending her arms out to her younger sister. "You're here!"
"Of course I am! I wouldn't miss out on your Christmas party!" Eesha said, accepting her sister's embrace.
"I'm so glad you could come!" Riya is the first to pull away. "Come in, come in!"
The younger woman walked into the house, taking in the festive atmosphere. "Wow! The place looks amazing! You really outdid yourself this time!"
"Thanks!" Her older sister says. "I had a little help from Connor, too."
As if on cue, Connor appeared from the kitchen with charcuterie board and a few empty glasses that were reserved specifically for alcoholic beverages. The under 21 group got either water or sodas.
"Hey, Eesha!" He greeted her with a smile. "Good to see you!"
"It's good to see you, too!" She replied. "Need any help with anything?"
"No need, kiddo. But thanks for offering." He told her, setting everything down on the coffee table.
Eesha sat down on the couch. "Is anyone else here yet?"
"Not yet, but they should be arriving soon." Connor says, taking a seat next to her.
She frowned a little. "Awww, that sucks. I really miss my Tony-boo."
He chuckled at the nickname. "Missing your boyfriend already?"
"Of course! It's been a whole hour since I last saw him!" Eesha said, placing her hand on her forehead as if she was going to faint.
"You young folks and your love lives." He teases.
Riya watched the interaction with fond amusement. It warmed her heart to see her younger sister getting along so well with her boyfriend.
The doorbell ringing pulled her out of the moment.
"I'll get it!" She called out before making her way towards the front door again.
She opened it and was greeted by the sight of Tom standing on the porch, carrying a gift bag in his hand. Jake was beside him, holding his fiancé's hand and Tony was behind the couple, a large present in hands.
"Hey, Riya." Tom said, a slightly strained smile on his face. "Merry Christmas."
"Hey, Tom. Merry Christmas to you, too." She replied, trying to put on a cheerful demeanor. She then turned her gaze to the others. "Hi, Jake and Tony. Glad you could all come."
"Thanks for inviting us." Jake said politely, though there was a hint of wariness in his voice.
The three men entered the house. Jake seemed to relax a bit, his eyes softening slightly. Tom, on the other hand, still maintained a guarded expression.
The moment Tony set his present down by the tree, a loud sqeual could be heard. "TONY!!!"
He barely had any time to react before he was tackled into a hug by a giggling Eesha.
"OOF! H-hey, Eesha!" Tony said, hugging her back as she immediately started peppering his cheeks with kisses. "Missed you too!"
Both Tom and Riya watched with affection in their eyes. Seeing their two siblings so lovey dovey together made them happy for them. But the Bollywood actress didn't miss the slight tensing of his shoulders when he briefly met her gaze before quickly looking away.
"Make yourselves at home, everyone." She said, trying to keep her tone cheerful. "Refreshments are on the coffee table."
Tom gave a curt nod, still avoiding eye contact. Jake gave her a polite smile. "Thank you."
She forced another smile, feeling slightly awkward. She couldn't help but feel hurt at Tom's coldness towards her.
She knew she deserved it considering what she did, but she was hoping that they could put it aside for tonight and maybe even begin to build some form of a bond.
Unfortunately, it seemed like that would prove to more difficult than she originally thought.
Christmas music played softly in the background as the group sat in the living room around the coffee table, participating in the White Elephant Gift Exchange.
Connor handed a gift to Eesha. "Alright kiddo, you're up first."
The younger woman grinned and took the present from him. She began to tear open the wrapping paper. Tony's arm was around her shoulder as he watched. She gasped in delight as she saw what was inside.
"A new phone case!" She held it up, admiring the intricate design on it.
"That one would be from me." Said Jake, a glass of wine in hands. "Miriam helped me pick it out."
"It's perfect! Thanks, Jake!" Eesha said, leaning back into Tony's embrace.
Meanwhile, Riya noticed how Tom was still avoiding looking in her direction. She sighed but pushed the hurt down for now. She knew she had to prove that she's changed, and doing so would take time. But she was determined to make things right.
Connor, who was sitting next to her, gently nudged her side with his elbow. "You okay?"
She gave him a small smile, nodding. "Yeah, I'm fine."
He could tell she was lying. He knew her well enough to know something was bothering her. But he also knew that now was not the time or place to bring it up. Instead, he just gave her a small squeeze on the thigh in support.
"Tom, you're up!"
He nodded and reached for a gift. It was a white envelope with something hefty inside of it. Riya knew what this one was.
He then began tearing the envelope open carefully. Inside was a large stack of cash, about $100,000 in total. It was a small portion of the prize money that Riya had won.
Tom froze, looking up at her for the first time that night since he, Jake and Tony got here. "What is this?"
"It's some of the prize money I won from All-Stars. I wanted you and Jake to have some of it. You can use it however you please."
Connor placed a hand on her shoulder. "Aw, Riya. That's really-"
He was cut off by a scoff from Tom. "What? You're trying to bribe me and Jake into forgiving you or something?"
"Tom." Jake tried to interject, but it didn't seem to be helping much.
"N-no, it's not like that. I just-"
"Then what?" He snapped, tossing the envelope aside. "You spent the entirety of the show manipulating everyone for your own benefit and won when you know damn well Jake deserved it more. And now you think throwing money at us will make everything okay?!"
Riya clenched her fists, fighting back tears. "I know what I did was wrong-"
"And you didn't care who got hurt along the way." He cut her off. "You nearly KILLED my fiancé! With a GODDAMN metal sword! You don't just forget something like that, especially since I along with his friends were the ones worrying about him while you did nothing!"
The room fell silent. Riya felt her breath hitch. Tom wasn't wrong. Everything he'd just said was the truth.
"I..."
"You may have earned Connor's forgiveness, but you will never earn mine. Or Jake's."
Riya felt her heart break. Maybe he was right. Maybe he and Jake will never forgive her. Maybe she is a selfish monster. Tears sprung into her eyes.
"I-I need a minute." She said before shooting up and existing the room, her heels clicking with each step as she headed up the stairs.
"Riya, wait!" Connor quickly got up and followed after his girlfriend.
He found her sitting on their bed, head in her hands. The older man approached her, sitting down next to her and gently placing a hand on her back. She looked up at him, tears falling from her eyes.
"He's right! I'm a monster!" She sobbed.
"Riya, no. Don't say that." Connor said, pulling her close. "You've made mistakes, but you're trying to make things right."
"Why can't they see that?! They won't even give me a chance!"
"They're hurting too, babe. They just need some time." He told her, stroking her hair soothingly.
"It hurts!" She buries her face into the crook of his neck. "I'm trying so hard to fix things! With everyone! You, Tom, Jake, Aiden, James, Rosa. Everyone! And it's still never enough!"
Connor held her close, letting her cry it out. "I know, babe. I know."
Unbeknownst to them, Tony and Eesha were standing in the hallway by the doorway. The plan originally was to check up on Riya to see how she was doing, but they both ended up overhearing the entire conversation.
Eesha's heart sank as she heard Riya's distressed. She'd never seen her sister this vulnerable before and it hurt her heart. Her eyes were wet with tears as she brought a hand up to her mouth. Meanwhile, Tony's expression was unreadable as he silently listened in, his jaw clenched. He then felt his girlfriend's hand on his shoulder.
"She... She sounds so hurt." She whispered.
He nodded in agreement, his expression softening. He looks her in the eyes. "I think we need to help her out."
Eesha gave him a nod, a sparkle of determination in her eyes. Tony then gave his girlfriend a small smile and gently grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together. She smiled back, giving his hand a slight squeeze before letting him lead her downstairs towards the living room.
The two walked into the living room, finding Tom and Jake still in the living room in awkward silence. The two men's attention turned to them once they entered the room.
"We need to talk." Eesha said, her voice firm but also trying to stay calm. "You just humiliated my sister! She was trying to make amends! Giving you her money wasn't some power move, it was her way of saying she’s sorry!"
Both of the men's expression softened slightly at her words. Jake was the first to speak up.
"She really gave us that money cause she thought we deserved it?" He asked.
Eesha nodded. "She was just trying to be nice and you yelled at her for it. You basically called her a monster. Do you know how upset she is now? Crying her eyes out upstairs cause you couldn't see that she was genuinely trying to make amends?"
Tom's expression faltered, guilt immediately hitting him. Jake's gaze was downcast, his fingers fiddling with the hem of his shirt.
"I... I didn't know she meant it like that." The older man admitted quietly. "I was just... upset and angry about what she did... What she could've done Jake..."
Eesha's voice softened. "I get that, and you have every right to feel that way, but she's trying to make things right now. And yelling at her like that in front of everyone was harsh. She's hurting too, y'know. She feels horrible about what she did to all of you. Really horrible."
Tom's gaze went down to the floor, guilt eating at him. Jake looked pained. He remembered back to when he got his second chance and not letting his insecurities get in the way of making true and everlasting friendships.
If he could change for the better, then maybe she could, too.
"We... should talk to her." He says to his fiancé.
Tom nodded in agreement. "Yeah... we should."
"You don't need to."
The group turned their heads to the doorway, where Riya was standing with Connor's hands placed securely on her shoulders. Her eyes were a little puffy, but she held her chin high.
"I overheard everything." She approaches the two men. "I know I've hurt so many people in the past and you don't need to forgive me right away... I understand that it'll take time, but I want you both to know, I am working on bettering myself."
Tom and Jake stood silently, listening to her and taking in her words. They were both still pretty frustrated with her, but there was something in her expression that made their anger dwindle. It was so sincere and genuine.
Maybe Tom had been too harsh on her earlier. Yes, she had done horrible stuff before. But it was in the past. Wasn't the least anyone could do was give her the benefit of the doubt?
It was Jake who spoke first this time. "We... appreciate the apology, really."
Riya's gaze moved to him, her eyes hopeful. He wasn't rejecting the apology, but neither was he accepting it. But maybe this was a start. Maybe this was an opportunity for her to finally fix things.
"Yeah..." Tom chimed in suddenly, his voice low. "And... I'm sorry for snapping at you. That was... too far. I can't forget what you did. But... I can see you're trying to make amends. So I'm willing to try and give you a chance."
Riya felt her heart swell. It wasn't full on forgiveness, not yet at least. But it was a start. And that's all she could really ask for right now.
Tom then extended his hand out to her, the smallest hint of a smile on his face. Her lips curled into a smile and she took his hand, shaking it.
Everyone in the room watched the scene unfold. Jake could feel the weight on his shoulders being lifted. Eesha's heart warmed as leaned against her boyfriend, who wrapped his arm her with a smile of his own. Even Connor couldn't help the smile on his face.
"And thanks for the cash again." Jake said, picking up the discarded envelope on the ground. "I'm sure Tom and I will put a lot of this towards our wedding."
Riya smiled softly. "It wasn't a problem."
Eesha giggled and runs up to her sister, hugging her. "I'm so happy for you, Riya!"
Connor placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I'm proud of you, babe."
She looked up at him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Connor. For always supporting me."
He hugged her back, pressing kisses to the top of her head. "Of course, babe."
Riya closed her eyes, relishing in the comfort and support of her boyfriend, the forgiveness of Tom and Jake, and the spirit of Christmas. She wasn't perfect, but she was trying to be better.
And that's what mattered most.