𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 — 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒚

❝ 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙨 ❞

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

"Yes, Riley. I will give you as many updates as I can give you."

Mandy was in Texas for the holidays. She still couldn't believe her Aunt and Uncle, mostly her Uncle, let her come down to Austin, Texas to spend the holidays with her boyfriend, Lucas Friar's, family. The Friars kept their Texan home and gave it to Lucas' father's parents to stay in. But there was one problem Amanda didn't think about until after she and Lucas landed in Texas; she didn't tell Riley where she was going until she was already with the family.

Amanda knew all about Riley and how much she loved Christmas. She knew about Secret Santa and how much that meant to Riley. Amanda also knew her cousin would freak out when she finds out Mandy wouldn't be celebrating Christmas with her family.

But, Amanda didn't want to think about her cousin's wrath while in Texas, wanting to enjoy everything Austin, Texas had to offer her a second time around. The thought of her first Texas trip put a smile on the girls face. That trip started it all for the group of friends, good and bad. The good being Amanda and Lucas finally became official. The bad being the triangle between Andrew, Riley, and Maya, which has been resolved with everyone in the situation getting something out of it.

"I just want you to be careful," Riley said over the phone in her room back in New York.

Mandy sighed, "I will! Lucas and his family will be with me everywhere I go. Now, I have to go, but I'll text you later, okay?"

"But, Mandy—"

"Love you, cous," as soon as she hung up, Amanda heaved another sigh.

She was in Lucas' childhood bedroom. If Amanda could ever imagine how his room would look like while he was younger, this is exactly how she would picture it. The walls were painted a dark blue with posters all around. Posters of different bands, bull-riding champions, and something that she was surprised to see. Pictures of her.

Lucas would always sneak pictures of Mandy whenever he had the chance. They would usually be candids or off guards because Mandy wasn't one to enjoy getting her picture taken, but he did it anyway. She thought of how he could possibly get these pictures from New York to Texas. The only way she thought it was possible was when Lucas visited Texas over the Summer.

"Riley again?"

The Matthews girl smiled at the sound of her boyfriend's voice coming from the doorway. She didn't turn around to face him, still gazing at the different pictures on his wall. She answered with her back turned.

"Yeah. She'll be fine, just wants me to be careful," she shrugged, turning around, "your family is great."

"You think so," he smiled as she nodded, "I'm glad, I was scared they would scare you away. They were really excited to have you join us."

Mandy grabbed his hands and looked up at him, "well, I'm glad they invited me. I can't wait to get to know them."

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

Things were going very well. The Friar's and Amanda had family dinner every night, eating various barbecue from different places around their county. Amanda and Mrs. Friar bonded on city life, something the latter was familiar with from when she was younger. Mandy enjoyed spending time with new people and learning different ways of how people live/use to live.

The Friar's were a very special bunch. Mr. Friar was a real-estate dealer who's always on the phone or always doing paper work, but he's very present in his children's lives nonetheless. Mrs. Friar is the head nurse at a local hospital. She always had stories to tell her family when she came home from work. Lucas also had two older brothers. The oldest, Nathan, was fresh out of college and lived in his own apartment in Austin. He's very respectable and attentive. Mandy knew Lucas got his protective tendencies from his brothers. The second oldest was Oliver, who was a college freshmen. He followed his older brother's footsteps in going to college and lives with Nathan because the apartment was walking distance from campus.

Mandy had unpacked fully after her third night at the Friar residence. They would be staying in Texas until the third of January. It was Christmas Eve and Mandy made sure to text everyone a Merry Christmas and added a miss and love you on the end. Everyone had replied back instantly, wishing her the same and giving her a bunch of love. Except for one. Her mother.

The mother daughter pair had grown almost completely apart since Mandy was shipped off to New York. The Matthews girl doesn't blame her mother, they left on not the best of terms. And they don't text as much as Mandy wanted.

Amanda glanced down at her phone and blew through her mouth. No notifications. To make sure sure she didn't miss a text, she went to her messages.

daughter 🐣 — 5:34 p.m
hey, momma. Merry Christmas.
love you, hope to see you soon. ❤️
( delivered )

Like she thought before, nothing.

Mandy should've known and known better, but a little hope doesn't hurt... until it does.

"You okay, honey?"

The Matthews girl looked up at the doorway to see Mrs. Friar, a gentle and kind smile on her face.

Mandy shrugged, not wanting to bring her personal drama to the woman, "yeah, yeah, I'm fine, thank you."

Mrs. Friar crossed to the young girl, "you know, you can tell me what's going on. You are great with Lucas, always looking out for him. How about you let someone look out for you?"

Giving the woman a nod after a hesitant moment, they sat on the bed in the room Mandy was given for their stay. The Matthews girl played with her hands as she started to speak, "it's just my mom. Ever since I got to New York, our relationship has kinda... given out. I try to make it work, but she doesn't do the same. I don't know what to do anymore, I guess," she wasn't look at the woman out of disrespect, but out of nervousness. She didn't want to seem like a burden or a basket case in front of her boyfriend's mother.

"Oh, honey," Mrs. Friar wrapped an arm around the girls' shoulder in comfort, "no matter who they are in your life, they can drift apart from you. It's just how the universe makes it to be. I had troubles with my mother. Always going back and forth on any little thing. And then, once I got to college, we stopped talking. Yes, she's my mother and I'll always have love for her, but even the closest people to us drift away. The question is, do you fight for the person? That's the question you have to answer yourself, Amanda."

Looking up, a small smile, Mandy spoke, "thank you, Mrs. Friar. I really appreciate this."

"No problem, honey. And call me Abby."

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

It was New Year's Eve. Lucas Friar was particularly excited to take his girlfriend out to celebrate. Every New Year's Eve, the entire town comes together to party at the dance hall. It was the same place the group had went to during their last visit. Mandy held a special place in her heart for the dance hall. It was where she had gotten her favorite nickname, little darlin'. She remembered like it was yesterday. The Matthews girl getting herself worked up because of the triangle and Lucas comforting her me calling her little darling. But because of the Texan in him, it came out little darlin', Mandy loved it even more like that.

The dance hall was busy and buzzing with people. Cowboy hats and boots were seen everywhere you looked. Lights were strung on the ceiling and the smell of barbecue filled the air, making Mandy's mouth water.

The couple sat in one of the corner booths, each getting an order of brisket and fries. They listened to the music and laughed about the most random things. They talked about what they would be doing in New York if they were there. With no question they would be doing Secret Santa and silently hoping they would get each other for the game.

After finishing their food, Mandy got up to the bar section to order her and Lucas some root beers. She ordered with a smile and sat on one of the stools while she waited. What she didn't expect, is to be approached by random strangers.

"You come here often, pretty girl?"

Amanda Matthews raised a brow at the voice and turned her head. There, in front of her, were three guys, seemingly a little bit older than her. She blinked, "excuse me?"

"Look, I'm just gonna cut to the chase," the lead boy leaned in closer to Mandy, "how 'bout we get outta here and have some fun?"

"I'd rather not."

"Oh, come one, pretty girl. You know you wanna."

Mandy got out of her seat, "just back off, okay?"

"I don't think you—"

"I said—"

"Back off," Mandy felt the presence of her boyfriend press against her back. Lucas Friar clenched his jaw, "she said back off."

The lead boy scoffed, "and what are you gonna do about it, tough guy?"

Before her boyfriend could move, Mandy did first. Putting her hand against his chest, she mumbled to him, "Bubba, let it go, they're not worth it."

It took a few moments for Lucas to comply, but he eventually calmed. The Texan took his girlfriend's hand and guided her away from the boys.

It was coming close to midnight. The couple spent the rest of their night dancing and talking. The patrons of the hall could barely contain their excitement as it was minutes til the big countdown, excited for a new year.

Amanda was excited for a new year. She started the year on the outs with her cousin, the group full of tension. Now, she's starting the new year with her boyfriend and his family. She couldn't be happier. Two minutes til midnight and everyone was getting ready with their confetti and their significant others. The couple stood off to the side from everyone else, waiting for the countdown like everyone else.

"Thank you," Mandy spoke as she played with his fingers, "for having my back."

Lucas chuckled at her shyness, "you don't have to thank me, baby. I'll always protect you. You're my little darlin', always will be."

The Matthews girl rolled her eyes, "okay, cheese-ball."

Laughing together, they heard everyone start to countdown.

10

9

8

Amanda Matthews smiled up at her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I love you, ya know?"

7

6

5

Lucas Friar wrapped his arms around her waist with a matching smile, "I love you, too, baby."

4

3

2

1

Cheers sounded from all around as the two sealed their New Year with a kiss. Amanda has definitely had a change of thought, she loved Texas.

──︒✿ཾ∘∗✽ᜒࠬ. ──

edited: 2 march 2021