PART 2 OF CHAPTER 62

. . . . . .

A knock that sounded from the door was what brought Naomi out from her semi-slumber. When the pain washed over her a few hours ago, she'd stumbled her way to her couch and flopped down on it with her hand over her lower abdomen.

She should have known this was going to happen sooner or later but because of the events that happened these past few days, she'd completely forgotten that her best friend was coming to visit.

Another knock sounded from her front door again and this time, Naomi moved to push herself up slowly, determined to get herself up to get the door despite not knowing who might be on the other side of it.

"Naomi?"

Her breath instantly hitched in her throat as she froze in her spot. I must be dreaming, she thought to herself. Why on Earth would he even be here after what I told him three nights ago?

"Naomi, are you home? It's me. . . Chris."

She screwed her eyes shut and released a steady breath. "Oh, Chris. . . " she muttered under her breath before pushing herself off of the couch completely to get the door.

As soon as she pulled the door open, she was met with a rather soft-looking Chris who was bundled in a thick jacket, a scarf around his neck with his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and pull him close to her while his hands carded through her hair but she couldn't, especially not after their exchange just three nights ago.

And that's when realization dawned upon her; it's Christmas. Today was Christmas and she'd told him that he couldn't love her three nights ago.

"You're not protecting him by doing this, you're only hurting him more."

Jen's words rang in her ears, the shrill and piercing sound of it hurting her eardrums as she mentally scolded herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Jen was right; she was only hurting him more, and of all the days she chose to do so, it had to be the last three days before Christmas.

"Hi," Chris murmured, his voice as soft as the snow that was drizzling outside.

"Hi," Naomi replied, offering him a small smile while she tried to ignore the swirling feeling in her lower abdomen and the sourish feeling in her lower back.

Chris returned the smile, although his was a lot sadder than she'd imagined it to be because the word itself would have been a complete understatement if you noticed the look he had in his eyes. "How are you?"

Naomi nodded lightly, pursing her lips as she averted her gaze from his eyes to the floor. "I'm good. You?"

"Okay," Chris said, his voice laced with so much desolation that Naomi was sure it wasn't the cold that sent a shiver down her spine. He looked like he was about to say something more but decided against it when Naomi's eyes were back on his. Truthfully, he did have something to say and it was something along the lines of loving her.

Just as Chris was about to ask her if she'd like to spend Christmas with him and his family at his place, Naomi's face scrunched up in discomfort, this wave of pain being greater than the last one she had just a little over an hour ago.

"Naomi?" Chris was by her side in a flash, his left hand snaking itself around her petite frame as he supported her by her forearm. "Naomi? What's wrong? Are you in---"

"My best friend is here," she said in a feeble voice.

"Best friend---?"

"That time of the month," Naomi rephrased, peering up at him as she watched the confused look in his eyes dissipate. When he muttered an "oh" in response, a small smile grazed her lips as she nodded weakly in response. "Yes, it's that time of the month."

Chris---knowing that she might need to lie down---swept her off of her feet in an instant, eliciting a small squeal from her, and carried her into her bedroom to lay her down. "Do you have those painkillers for it? My sisters always take them when it gets unbearable---"

"I ran out of them," she sheepishly interrupted him, turning away from him as she reached for her bolster, pressing it against her as though it might relieve of some of the pain.

Chris' eyes darted from her scrunched up eyebrows to her bedside table, noticing an empty glass perching on it before reaching to grab it. Telling Naomi he'll be right back, he padded out of her room and pulled his phone out to call his sister, Carly.

As soon as she picked up his call, he went on to tell her that Naomi was having that time of the month and asked if she could run down to the nearest pharmacy to get something to help her with the pain but that was until Carly mentioned softly that it was Christmas, and that basically meant that no stores or pharmacies were open.

Carly reassured her brother by telling him that she has some painkillers with her and that she'd be there in fifteen to twenty minutes, along with the entire Evans family.

Pocketing his phone, Chris proceeded to her kitchen, rummaging through her cabinets to see if there was anything he could make to help ease the pain. Though he didn't find much in her cabinets, remembering that she usually ordered takeouts, he did manage to find the ingredients he needed to make a good cup of hot ginger tea.

Sneaking a glance at the wall clock in Naomi's living room, he mentally noted that his entire family would be here in approximately ten minutes before padding into Naomi's bedroom.

Naomi felt the bed dip down a little, causing her to turn around and meet Chris face-to-face. He set the cup down on the bedside table and helped her sit up, reaching for an extra pillow to support the back of her neck.

"Here, have some of this," Chris said, bringing the brim of the cup to her lips.

Instinctively, Naomi placed her hands on the cup---technically, she placed her hands on Chris' since he was the one holding the cup---and took a careful sip of the drink he made.

Wincing at how hot it was, she pursed her lips a little, feeling the burn of the ginger in the back of her throat before taking another bold sip. She recognized the drink because her father used to make this for her whenever she had her period.

She remembered how her father came home one day and started on the concoction before bringing it to her. He said that he went around the neighbourhood, asking the elderly ladies if there was anything that could help with his daughter's monthly cramps. She loved how her father, despite everything he'd been through, took such good care of her all on his own.

Her mother was right; he could do it. He could take care of her on his own, and he did.

"How did you know about this?" Naomi quizzed, taking another sip of it.

Chris simpered a little at her question, letting her have the cup. "I picked this up from my mom. You'd always find her making this," he gestured towards the cup in her hands, "in the kitchen whenever my sisters were having really bad cramps. Apparently, it helps with the pain."

"It does," she replied softly, her eyes now boring into his. The sadness in them was apparent and almost damn near palpable, and it pained her, knowing that she was the cause of it. "My dad used to make this for me whenever my cramps got really bad," she admitted absentmindedly, swirling the drink in her cup that was now half-full.

Just as Chris was about to say something else, multiple voices could be heard from the hallway and Naomi's eyes flickered to her bedroom door instantly. Chris gave her reassuring smile, patting the back of her hand before moving to crack her door open a little wider. Within an instant, a not-so little pup came dashing into her bedroom, hopping right on to her bed before tackling her.

Naomi erupted into a fit of giggles as Chris stood by the door and watched as Dodger began rolling around in her sheets. His laugh resonated across the entire room, colliding with the softness of Naomi's silvery giggles, as he tried his very best to carve this moment right in the very back of his head.

He loved her.

My God, he was so incredibly in love with her.

When Dodger finally decided to settle down and curl up next to Naomi, Chris' siblings, Carly, Shanna and Scott, came bursting into her bedroom and tackled her into a huge group hug. Whilst Carly and Shanna exchanged 'I miss you's' with Naomi, Scott beckoned Chris over but the latter merely shook his head in response and excused himself to the kitchen, where he knew his parents would be.

"How is she feeling?" Chris' mom asked as she continued to unpack some of the things she brought over from Chris' condo.

"Better now that Dodger's here," Chris jested, chuckling to himself as he moved around the kitchen to get himself a glass of water. "I hope you're okay with this sudden---"

"Son," his father interjected with a soft look in his eyes. "You know we've loved Naomi ever since she stepped foot into our house back in Boston. So, yes, we're definitely okay with spending Christmas with her. Besides, no one should be alone on Christmas."

Chris threw his parents a grateful smile and tackled them in a hug, causing them both to stumble backwards as they returned the embrace.

. . . . . .

While spending Christmas with the Evans family was something Naomi would have never expected, especially since her and Chris were technically going through a rough patch at the moment, she couldn't even begin to express just how grateful she felt.

Despite the swirling feeling in her lower abdomen and the sourish feeling in her lower back vexing her every so often, her heart felt so much lighter, so much fuller than it had this morning.

Even though the memories of the first Christmas she had without her mother taunted her throughout most of the day, she managed to ward them off a couple times, refusing to succumb to the darkness that came with it.

At the start of the day, she was already prepared to battle her demons, the echoes of her mother leaving and the memories of her first Christmas without the woman she looked up to for twelve years.

Hurt was an understatement, and so was pain and desolation. In all honesty, she didn't have a clue as to what she was feeling this morning because it all seemed like it was some badly mixed concoction, with every negative feeling being thrown into the mix. This melancholic mix was definitely expected, considering how it's been tormenting her for the past seventeen years.

But what she didn't expect was for Chris and his family to come over to spend Christmas with her. His parents knew they weren't dating, and his siblings definitely knew they weren't together and she was a hundred percent sure that they knew there was something going on between the two of them.

She was sure they'd managed to see the sadness encircling Chris' baby blue irises and she wouldn't blame them if they secretly disliked her because they had every right to do so.

She hurt him.

The one person she thought she'd never hurt was now in so much pain that she could almost always see right through the smile that grazed his lips every so often.

Halfway through Jude Law's The Holiday, Chris snuck a glance at Naomi who was lying on the couch next to him. His gaze lingered on her long enough for his siblings to notice---though, they chose to remain silent about it---and just as he moved to brush some stray strands of hair from her face, he finally realized that she'd dozed off.

A soft sigh slipped past his lips as he simpered at her sleeping figure, knowing she might be feeling pins and needles in her right hand since she was practically resting her head on it.

"Alright," Chris said softly, drawing his family's attention to him. "I'm gonna tuck her in," he gestured towards Naomi who was still sleeping soundly on the couch, "otherwise she's gonna have some serious neck cramps tomorrow."

His parents threw him a nod, offering their son a light smile before averting their attention back to the movie. His siblings gave him a small wave and watched as he disappeared down the hallway and into Naomi's room.

Laying her gently on her bed, Chris moved to pull the duvet up to her chin, afraid that she might catch a cold since he knew how vulnerable she was to cold temperatures.

Right before he was about to retreat to the living room, he spared one last glance at her sleeping figure and wondered if there was still a chance for them, if there was still a chance for him to tuck her in every night and wake up to that angelic face of hers every morning.

Chris blew out a soft sigh, knowing that that was all just wishful thinking, and turned around, ready to leave until a hand latched on to his wrist, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Chris," she mumbled, her eyes still closed.

At the sound of his name, Chris was quick to kneel beside her, her hand now encased in his as he looked at her with worried eyes. "Naomi? What's wrong? Is it the pain? Do you need some painkillers---"

Naomi's lips curved upwards into a small smile before her eyes began to flutter open. "It's not the pain. I'm actually okay now, just really exhausted."

"You sure you're not in pain?"

"Positive," she smiled again, only for it to falter within mere seconds once she realized how close they were to one another, their faces just inches apart. "I'm so sorry, Chris," she shook her head, tears now welling up in her eyes as she turned to her left to face him. "I'm so sorry for everything."

Chris felt his breath hitched in his throat as he watched a single tear trickle all the way down to her ear. The look she had on her face right in this very moment reminded him so much of what happened three nights ago.

"What are we exactly, Naomi?" Chris asked, the crack in his voice betraying him as he peered at their entwined hands, his eyes now brimming with tears.

Naomi was quick to avert her gaze from him as she felt the tears beginning to prick her eyes again. "Friends," she muttered under her breath.

"Friends," he deadpanned, though his eyes said otherwise. "Do friends have feelings for one another?"

Silence draped over the pair, the piercing quietude being their only companion now while cheers and boisterous laughs could be heard from outside.

Chris pursed his lips hard, a grim look plaguing his features as he hesitated a little before leaning in to press his lips against her forehead. Chris screwed his eyes shut, his now trembling lips still on her forehead as he prayed for his tears to not stain his cheeks.

Naomi, having been taken aback by his gesture, stilled as soon as she realized that she could hear the sound of his heart hammering against his rib cage and felt his lips tremble against her skin. She watched him pull away from her, redness tainting the white of his eyes and tears clouding his vision as her own tears began to blur hers.

"I love you, Naomi. Merry Christmas," he murmured, a single tear slipping out of the corner of his eye as his thumb gently brushed the back of her hand before he pulled away from her completely.

Naomi watched as he turned his back to her, never sparing another glance at her, before closing the door behind him, the sound of his footsteps growing lighter and lighter as he walked further away from her room.

A broken sigh slipped past her lips as soon as she was sure that Chris wasn't within earshot, her walls collapsing before her as she leaned forward and buried her head in the sheets with her hands on the back of her head. The pain in her lower abdomen was nothing compared to the excruciating pain that was stabbing its way through the entirety of her heart.

Desolation.

Despair.

Pain.

Lifting her head from the sheets that laid beneath her, Naomi looked over to her bedroom door with regret washing over her as she softly mumbled with a distant look in her eyes, "I love you, Chris. . . more than you know, more than you'll probably ever know. . . and I'm so sorry, my love, for this and for everything."

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a/n; not gonna lie, i broke my own heart writing this 😢