Chapter 26

                Before Colette passed away, my mother and I would always go over to the Rosenfeld’s house to celebrate Christmas. Our family was never the most festive. My mother and I have never decorated a Christmas tree in our lives, and while our neighborhood was covered in glistening Christmas lights, ours had some green garland with red bows at our front door. That’s why we would spend the entire night over at the Rosenfeld’s on Christmas, all of our family members gathered together at a long dinner table, gifts stacked under the Christmas tree that let out an aroma of pine. Colette would go all out decorating her house, lighting up Christmas scented candles, hanging Christmas lights all around her house and buying packets of white cotton to act as a substitute as snow to put around her home. Spending Christmas at the Rosenfeld’s felt good- it felt like home.

                But ever since Colette’s death two years ago, Christmas’s have never been the same. The Rosenfeld’s haven’t hosted a single Christmas gathering since, and my mother and I would spend Christmas at home alone. We never did anything special- my mother just cooked a turkey dinner for the both of us and we exchanged gifts. After that, we would go back to whatever we were doing, my mother watching Christmas movies on the television and me going up to my room and calling it a night.

                That’s why I was so pleasantly shocked when I received a phone call from Mr. Rosenfeld the night of the last day of school before Christmas break. It was just a little bit over dinner time and my mother had gone out to the mall to get some last minute Christmas presents. “Riley, good evening.” Mr. Rosenfeld’s deep voice spoke through the phone. “Is your mother home?”

                “No, she just left an hour ago.” I leaned against the wall. “Do you want me to leave a message for her?”

                “Sure, I have some good news, actually.” Mr. Rosenfeld paused. “I know this is a bit of a late notice, but we would love it if you and your mother could come over for Christmas dinner.”

                I was a bit surprised, as I blinked with disbelief. I didn’t know if I was actually living in reality or that my ears were just deceiving me. “Really?” I asked, clearing my throat after I noticed how croaky it sounded. “I-I mean, that’s great. I’ll be sure to tell my mom that.”

                We said our goodbyes before hanging up. I put the phone down, supporting my weight against the marble counter top in the kitchen. I was feeling a little bit weary since I couldn’t remember the last time I had been happy during Christmas. I began to worry, since Christmas was just two days away and I hadn’t even gotten anyone gifts yet. I began to list presents off in my head, presents that would be convenient to get quickly at the mall. My mind came to a halt when I thought about Everett. I spaced out, unable to think about what to get for him. Every other gift came so easily to me- a dress for Maria, a pair of new sneakers for Max, a necklace for my mother. But, I couldn’t seem to think of anything that would be good enough to give Everett.

                My mother came back approximately two hours later, a layer of snow covering her black coat. Shopping bags covered her entire arm, as she let out a puff of air. She shrugged off her coat, dusting off the specks of snowflakes that attached themselves against her. “Was everything okay when I was gone?” my mother asked, hanging her coat on a rack by the doorway.

                I let out a low chuckle, turning my attention away from the dim lit television screen.  “Mom, you were only gone for three hours.” I assured. “Nothing happened. Mr. Rosenfeld called, though.”

                My mother raised an eyebrow, before taking a seat on the couch beside me. She reached over to the coffee table, grasping her hands over my mug of hot chocolate before pressing it to her lips. “Oh really?” she said, before taking a sip. “What did he need?”

                I fumbled around with the loose strand of thread that was hanging freely from the blanket that I had wrapped over my shoulders. “He called, actually, to invite us to their dinner party that they’re holding for Christmas this year.”

                My mother immediately sat up straighter, nearly choking on the hot cocoa she was in the process of consuming. I winced as she coughed a little bit before she turned back to look at me with wide eyes. “What?” she asked with disbelief. “There hasn’t been a Christmas gathering at the Rosenfeld’s for two years now.”

                I licked my lips before shrugging. “Things change, mom.” I muttered quietly, not noticing how coincidental my words were before they escaped my lips.

                My mother stared at me, long and hard. For a split second, I saw a flash of astonishment running across her hazel eyes, the same ones I inherited, before it quickly vanished. A faint smile appeared across my mother’s lips, before she nodded slowly. “I guess that’s true, Riley.” She said quietly, abruptly getting up from the couch. The weight from where she was placed had been lifted up as I stared up at my mother. She clutched onto the handles of the shopping bags that were lying on the floor lifelessly, carrying it up the stairs. “Well, I have some presents to go wrap. Do you want to help?”

                I blinked, furrowing my eyes with confusion. “Wait, mom,” I stopped her. She turned around, her right foot placed on the bottom step of the staircase. She raised her eyebrows, signaling for me to continue, “so are we going or not?”

                My mother gave me a ghostly smile, nodding. “I guess we are.” She chuckled lightly, laugh lines appearing on the corners of her eyes. “I’d love to see how they are going to host a Christmas gathering without Colette there.”

*

                I fumbled with the zipper on the back of my dress. I had to find the red dress that I wore for a charity event that my mother held along with some of her co-workers three years ago. I didn’t exactly have enough time to go run out to the mall and take time to find myself a dress. Also, I was pretty much broke from spending all of my money on Christmas gifts.

                I took in a deep breath of air, sucking in my stomach, as I pulled the zipper all the way to the top. I let out of breath of relieved air after the zipper was secured. The dress was a bit too tight on me- but it was manageable for one dinner night. As I reached over to my vanity to dab on some red lipstick, my mother knocked on my door. “Are you ready, Riley?” she asked before noticing that I hadn’t even started on my makeup yet. She let out a groan, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “Why does it seem like I’m always waiting for you?”

                I smacked my lips together, wiping the off the little smudge of red lipstick on the corners of my lips. “Patience, mother.” I advised. “Just give me five minutes, I promise I’ll be finished.”

                My mother sighed, patting down the curls she constructed on her hair. Once my mother left my room and closed the door behind her, I quickly rushed over to the edge of my bed. I kneeled down, grabbing a wrapped present that was for Everett. I shoved it in a large paper bag which held the other presents that I had gotten for everyone. Once I finished, I went downstairs, where my mother was waiting in the car.

                “What’s that you got in there?” my mother asked, looking amused. “Are those all of my presents?”

                I chuckled, before attaching the seatbelt on, tossing the paper bag in the backseat. “Unfortunately not, mom, but you know I would give you all that if I could.”

                My mother laughed, nodding as she pulled the car out of the driveway. “Fair enough.”

                Once we got to the Rosenfeld’s residence, there was already a row of cars filling up the driveway. There was one empty spot left and my mother swiveled her car around so that she could park. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I would love it if there is going to be some pie there.” My mother mumbled under her breath as we paced up to the front steps. “I’m craving some right now.”

                We pressed the doorbell, waiting no longer than a few seconds before someone opened the door. Maria stood by the doorway, a cheerful smile spread across her lips. “Merry Christmas Riley, Ms. Monroe!” she chirped, letting us in.

                “Merry Christmas, Maria.” My mother said politely. “You look beautiful.”

                Maria blushed, before tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ears. “Thank you.” She smiled. “You and Riley look lovely, as well.”

                My mother made a few more comments before leaving off to the kitchen to find Mrs. Lopez, who was supposedly trying to get the turkey out of the oven. Maria turned to me, grinning as she eyed my dress. “When did you get that?” she asked. “It looks so cute on you!”

                I gave her a blunt look before rolling my eyes playfully. “Thanks.” I mumbled sarcastically. “The last time I wore it was three years ago- at a charity event.”

                Maria immediately laughed, leading me towards the living room where everyone was. I scanned my eyes around the room, noticing the bright Christmas tree in the corner of the room first. It was decorated in white lights, sparkly ornaments, and to top it all off, there was a glistening gold star at the very top of the Christmas tree. “It’s so beautiful.” I said under my breath. The red brick fireplace was lit and there were a few stockings hanging above it. Everyone chatting and laughing with the Christmas spirit added to the vibe. I hadn’t felt this much holiday spirit since Colette passed away.

                “Come on, I want you to meet my favorite cousins.” Maria grinned, tugging on my arm.

                We approached the opposite side of the living room, where a Spanish pair of a teenage boy and girl sat. They seemed they have familiar facial features, there identical brown eyes glued onto the television screen that was playing Christmas carols. Maria caught their attention as they ripped their gaze away from the lighted screen, focusing it on us. “Lucinda, Leonard, meet Riley.” Maria introduced us.

                The two of them looked up, and that’s when I noticed that they weren’t far from being twins. Lucinda was the first to give me a wide smile, wrapping her arms around me tightly. “You’re Riley?” she gushed. “I’ve heard so much about you from Maria! I’m Lucinda Mendez and this is my brother- we’re twins.”

                Leonard looked up at me with a slight smile, pushing the brown locks of hair away from his eyes. He jutted his hand out, giving me a grin. “Nice to meet you, Riley.” His voice spoke, a hint of a Spanish accent lingering on the tip of his tongue. He lifted my hand up, pressing it against his warm lips. My eyes immediately widened at the sign of affection, but it didn’t take long for my cheeks to match the color of my red dress. Once Leonard pulled away, he looked me in the eyes. “I’m Leonard, but most people like to call me Leo.”

                I stared at him with eyes still wide, my lips slightly parted. It wasn’t until Maria nudged my elbow that I snapped out of daze. I let out a nervous laugh, feeling warm suddenly. “Oh, h-hi Leo.” I stuttered, shooting a side glare over at Maria, who seemed to be enjoying my reaction.

                Lucinda, on the other hand, rolled her eyes as she gave Leo a light punch on the shoulder. “Do you have to flirt with every girl you see, Leo?” she snapped, turning to me. “Sorry about him, my brother’s an idiot. I clearly got the better genes.”

                I let out a laugh while Leo shot a glare over at his twin sister. “Well, everyone knows that I got the better hair out of the two of us.” Leo teased Lucinda, ruffling her unruly, dark curls. Lucinda gasped, her jaw dropping at Leo. She opened her mouth to argue back with Leo, but he cut her off. “I’m not going to argue with you on Christmas, sister.”

                I smiled at the two bickering siblings, my eyes wandering across the room. A pair of green eyes connected with mine, making me freeze in my spot. Everett stood on the opposite side of the living room, catching my gaze. Time seemed to stand still between the two of us, the sounds of Lucinda and Leo arguing disappearing. Everett had an impassive expression on his face, and I couldn’t seem to take my eyes away from him. He gave me one more look before turning back around, facing his uncle, who was speaking to him.

                “Everyone, dinner is ready!” Mrs. Lopez called from the kitchen.

                All of the guests left the living room, entering the dining room. There was a long table with many chairs lined up, heaps of food covering the surface. My mouth watered at the sight of the food placed in front of us, my stomach rumbling from not eating for the entire day. My mother and Mrs. Lopez came out from the kitchen, oven mitts covering their hands as they carried the roasted turkey. Everyone looked at the golden turkey with awe once it was placed down at the center of the table.

                “Take a seat next to me.” Maria muttered, pulling out a chair somewhere near the front of the table.

                Mr. Rosenfeld’s father took the head of the table, as respected, while the rest of us surrounded him at the sides. To my surprise, Leo took the seat beside me, smiling as he sat down. Once everyone was settled in, Mr. Rosenfeld’s father advised us all to join hands to say grace. I glanced over at Leo’s hand, my cheeks turning red once I placed my hand in his palm. Leo smiled down at me before Mr. Rosenfeld’s father began to speak. “"Thank you Lord for the opportunities you have provided us in life, for the continued stability of our families, for the love we share and smiles that are so often on our faces. Amen.”

                Christmas dinner went by smoothly, and everything was fine, except for the fact that Everett was avoiding any eye contact with me. I knew that he wanted nothing to do with me, since he chose to sit on the opposing side of me, looking away every time I looked over to his direction. Maria must’ve noticed that I was getting distracted, because somewhere in the middle of dinner, she leaned over and whispered, “Don’t let him get to you, not tonight.”

                After dinner, the adults told us kids to leave the cleaning to them. Maria and I tried to help out our mothers with the dishes, but they refused to let us help. “Go enjoy yourselves.”  Mrs. Lopez said, smiling. “We’ll all gather in the living room later to spend time together.”

                Some of Maria’s and Everett’s little cousins were playing board games on the carpet in the living room, while most of the teenagers, like us, had gone to Maria’s room to open their presents. “Are you coming, Riley?” Maria asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. “I have your gift in my room!”

                I laughed, nodding my head slowly. “I’ll be upstairs in a few minutes.” I muttered, remember that I had seen Everett gone out to the back balcony not too long ago. “Just give me a few.”

                As Maria disappeared upstairs, along with everyone else, I reached into the paper bag that I brought with me tonight. I reached out for Everett’s present, clutching onto the object that was wrapped in snowmen wrapping paper. I took in a deep breath, walking through the sliding doors. I stepped onto the wooden floorboard of the balcony, the cool wind pinching my cheeks. I shivered, noticing that there were small specks of snowflakes falling from the black sky. Everett was leaning against the railing of the balcony, his head tilted up, looking out the night sky.

                I walked beside him, leaning over the railings, as well. Everett seemed to notice my presence, but he didn’t make it noticeable. He kept his gaze on the snowfall, not sparing me a glance. “What are you doing out here?” he asked quietly, almost inaudible.

                My throat seemed to dry up as I stared at Everett. I licked my lips before reaching my arm out to him, handing him my gift. “I got you this, Merry Christmas.” I whispered, finally catching his attention.

                Everett turned towards me, his face blank. He stared down at the present in my hands, taking in every detail- from the choice of wrapping paper to the red bow that was stuck on the top-right corner. Everett licked his bottom lip, looking at me in the eyes. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” He said.

                “I know.” I nodded once. “But, I wanted to.”

                Everett stared at me, long and hard. His hand finally stretched out, grasping on the edge of the present that I had gotten for him. Once the gift slipped out of my hands, I let out a breath of relief. Everett gave me a faint smile- one that was barely noticeable unless you looked extremely close up. “Thank you.” He muttered.

              I smiled back- but the smile never reached my eyes. “No problem.” I said softly. “So, are you going to open it now?”

                Everett looked at up me, surprise flashing across his green eyes. He blinked once more before fumbling on the edge of the wrapping paper. He lifted it off from the tape that was attached to the paper, neatly ripping off the paper. I let out a laugh, covering my hands over his. He seemed to tense up at my sudden boldness, but I ignored it. “This is how you open a present.” I whispered, quickly tearing off the wrapping paper messily, revealing the gift that I got for him.

                It was a picture frame of the both of us, when we were fourteen. It was the same picture that I had in my room- the one where we were both drenched from being in the pool. I remember laughing so loudly because before the camera flash went off, Everett began to tickle my sides, making me have a sudden outburst. He was laughing, as well, glancing over at me while I laughed uncontrollably from this touch.

                “Wow.” He said lowly, his eyes glued on the picture. “I can’t believe you still have this.”

                My cheeks turned red, warmth spreading over my face. I let out a nervous chuckle, my hands trembling by my sides. “I know it’s stupid.” I muttered shakily. “I mean, I didn’t really know what else to get you, so I settled for a picture. But if you don’t like it, I could always take it back and get you something else if you-.”

                “No.” Everett cut me off, his fingers pressing against my lips, making my eyes go wide. “I think it’s perfect.”

                My lips parted, my insides tickling me. I gave him a weak smile, nodding slowly. “Right.” I mumbled. “That’s good then, I guess.”

                Everett’s eyes seemed to have an unrecognizable look in them as he began to lean closer to me. My breathing hitched, my heart beginning to beat in my chest uncontrollably. “I didn’t get you a present,” he paused, “I’m sorry.”

                I licked my lips, laughing nervously. “I-it’s fine.” I assured, my back pressing against the cold, metal railing of the balcony. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

                Everett let out some incoherent words under his breath. He stopped moving closer to me, just as our noses were about to touch. His warm breath fanned over my upper lip, making my legs wobble under me. “Riley, we both still have one more question.” He whispered.

                I suddenly froze, staring up at Everett confusedly. “What?”

                “A few months ago- we played a game.” Everett began to remind me, memories flooding back into my mind. “We never got to finish it. You get still get to ask me any one question, and same goes for me.”

                I blinked, nodding slowly. “Okay.” I mumbled. “Do you want to ask me a question?”

                Everett licked his lips, making my heart hammer against my ribcage. My insides were yearning for Everett’s touch, and if he wasn’t going to kiss me any time soon, I would go completely ballistic. “Yes.” He breathed, his hands gripping onto my waist carefully. “Do you love me?”

                I stopped.

                No, the world stopped.

                I stared at Everett with wide eyes, my face turning ghostly pale. Did he ask me what I thought he just did? I began to stutter, feeling jittery and shaky from all this nervousness I had inside me. “W-what?” I asked, wanting him to repeat what his question, just so I was sure that I wasn’t hallucinating.

                Everett closed his eyes, his thumb brushing against my cheekbone. “Do you love me?” he repeated easily.

                I gulped, words unable to escape my lips. Everett had a look in his eyes that told me that he was getting worried that I wasn’t responding. With a trembling breath, I asked, “Do you love me?”

                Everett’s green eyes seemed to grow brighter by the second, his lips inching dangerously close to the edge of my ear. His lips brushed against my ear, making my shiver under my skin. “Yes.” He said.

                I pushed him away from me, and without his permission, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and kissed him.

hoped you like the chapter, babes! oh, and if i don't always message you guys back on my message board, i'm sorry! but, if you're looking for a reply, please message me in my inbox. thanks! oh, and i almost forgot to tell you guys how much i love you guys for all the comments and the votes. thank you!

this chapter is dedicated to ChelseaSaysSo bc i love brutally honest people.