To Love A Friend

by Jana David

Ian

  I wasn't going to admit it, but I was as eager to get a real Christmas tree as Al was. I was going to spend Christmas in a cabin somewhere in the French Alps, and I doubted the Christmas tree was included. Maybe we'd put up one of those fake ones, but Allie was right, they just didn't smell as amazing as the real ones did.

  We put the tree up in the corner next to the TV. It fit nicely there.

  The decorating was the most fun part. It took a while, because each of us had a different idea of how the tree should look, but in the end we were all happy with the result.

  “Aww, now I feel all Christmassy”, Sam said as we all sat on the floor in front of the tree and watched the lights twinkle.

  “I know, right?” Darcy agreed.

  “Good job, Al”, I said, leaning over to give her a kiss.

  “Yeah, and don't ever think about getting a plastic tree again”, she warned. “They are just an insult to every Christmas tradition we grew up with. Although they are probably easier to clean up and don't require any maintenance”, she added as an afterthought, picking up a few stray needles that had already fallen onto the carpet.

  “The little guy needs some water”, I said and got up to get a glass from the kitchen.

  As I walked back, I took a glimpse out the window.

  The forecast promised warmer weather for the coming week, but for now the snow still lay thick on the ground.

  “Hey guys, I said, turning around to face them after watering the tree, “I think we should celebrate with a proper snowball fight.” We hadn't had one in a while.

  Sam sighed and mumbled something about how immature I was, but Darcy immediately had that gleam in his eyes, thinking the same thing I was thinking.

  “You better hurry up, then. First one outside gets the premium spot for a fort.”

  He didn't have to tell me twice.

  “You're coming with me”, I told Allie as I went searching for my coat. “No excuses.”

  “But it's wet and cold out there”, she protested.

  “No excuses”, I repeated as I finally found my coat on the floor beside the sofa. Darcy was already tying his shoes.

  “Why doesn't Sam have to go?” Allie whined, but followed behind me.

  “Because I am an evolved human being and do not take part in such childish activities”, he called after her, sitting down on the sofa, no doubt happy to have the TV all to himself.

  I was just about to wrestle my foot into the second shoe, when the door fell shut behind Darcy. Damn, he got a head start. I rushed out the door, laces still undone.

  Darcy had taken the spot behind the low wall which separated the property from the pavement and had already begun stacking his ammunition on it.

  After having a quick look around, I took refuge behind his car, which was parked in the driveway. I figured he wasn't going to risk damaging it by throwing the real icy snowballs at it. At least I hoped he wasn't.

  The texture of the snow was perfect. Just the right level of stickiness for optimal snowball-forming ability.

  I had already started on making my own batch of ammunition, when the door opened and Allie stepped out. I got her on the shoulder while Darcy landed a perfect one that sailed right over her head, skimming the hat she was wearing and taking it down with it. While Al bent down to pick up the hat, Darcy fired another one at her backside.

  “Alright, alright, stop!” Allie yelled and straightened up, frantically looking for cover. Unfortunately, all the good spots were already taken.

  When I fired another snowball at her and hit her leg, Al shouted, “At least give me a chance to defend myself!” and then she dove behind one of the bushes that stood by the front door. Not the best hiding place, for sure, but it gave her some cover to make her first batch of snowballs in peace.

  Meanwhile, I turned my attention to Darce. He was still proudly stacking his snowballs on the wall.

  Fatal mistake, because when I sent a well-aimed throw in his direction, I hit the pile perfectly, causing the snowballs he'd stacked there to explode into a powdery pile of uselessness.

  I couldn't resist to take a peek from behind the car and cockily stick my tongue out at him.

  “You're going to pay for that!” Darcy shouted.

  Before I could reply, I heard the telltale sound of something heavy cutting through the air. I turned, but was too slow, and before I knew it, I had snow in my eye, and cold water was running down my cheek.

  This time, it was Allie who was laughing. “There, that should cover it”, she shouted over at Darcy, who had trouble catching his breath from laughing so hard.

  “Revenge is sweet!” I shouted at both of them, wiping the melted snow from my face.

  After that, it was quiet for a while. We were all busy hatching out our plans. I rolled snowballs until my hands were numb from the cold.

  And then the real fun began.

  Darcy started it. He crept up on me. Under the cover of the wall, he had sneaked closer until he had a clear shot at me in my hiding place. As he jumped out from behind the wall, he simultaneously started throwing a string of snowballs at me. I guess he really didn't care about his car being hit, because he showed no mercy. And his snowballs were icy. My backside could attest to that.

  I wasted no time to counter his attack. It was a ruthless fight to the death (okay, maybe not quite so dramatic).

  By the end of it, I was on the ground, covered in snow from head to toe, shaking with laughter. Darcy didn't look much better. He had snow all over him as well, and his hair was covered in ice, sticking to his forehead.

  “Peace?” I suggested as I struggled to my feet.

  “Peace”, he agreed breathlessly.

  Just as we were about to shake hands, a massive snowball hit me right in the chest. Another one hit Darcy moments later. And they just kept flying at us.

  “What the fuck!” Darcy exclaimed, before we both started running.

  We managed to get back to the wall and both dove over it. The snowballs keep flying at us, landing on the street in front of us with heavy thuds.

  “Seriously, where did she learn to make snowballs this good?” I asked, watching them fly.

  “I think you and I may have had a hand in that. Remember when we were younger, we always used to do these science experiments to find out what makes the perfect snowball?”

  I nodded. We had done all kinds of experiments with snow. Building the perfect snowman, attempting to build an igloo (sadly without success), and—of course—finding the perfect formula for a snowball. By the looks of it, Allie had definitely found that formula.

  While we waited for a ceasefire, Darce and I stocked up on ammunition of our own. Al had to run out of snowballs to throw at us eventually. And then we could turn the tables around.

  Al's assault came to a sudden stop only a few minutes later.

  “Are you guys ready to give up, yet?!” I heard her call over to us.

  “If I had a white flag, I would wave it around”, I called back.

  Darcy shot me a look with raised eyebrows. I smiled back and he nodded, knowing exactly what I had in mind.

  Seconds later, we both got up, each of us carrying an armful of perfectly made snowballs.

  Allie had come out of her hiding place, probably thinking we were going to give up without a fight. Big mistake. She was at our mercy, and even though she tried to get back to her old hiding spot, we were faster. Charging after her, I finally caught her, snaking my arms around her middle and holding her in place, while Darcy pulled back the collar of her jacket and dumped in a handful of snow.

  Allie shrieked, and laughed, and tried to free herself from my grasp. Without luck.

  “Did you seriously think we would give up that easily?” Darcy asked while he picked up another handful of snow for good measure.

  “Don't”, Allie warned as he attempted to lift her collar again. “You guys are ganging up on me. It's not fair!” She was laughing and shrieking as Darcy teasingly brought his handful of snow clo
ser to her.

  “Well you should've thought about that before you decided to attack us like you did. You get what you deserve”, I said. And then I nodded at Darcy to proceed.

  Allie let out a high-pitched shriek as the snow hit her skin. I let her go and she began jumping up and down. Lifting the hem of her jacket, she tried to shake out all the melting snow. It was hilarious.

  When we finally made it back inside, we were all soaked to the skin, but shaking with laughter.

  “You guys can take a shower first”, Darcy said. “I'll just hang out here and leave a wet spot on the couch for you to sit on later.”

  “As long as you stay away from me”, Sam, who was watching some kind of science documentary, mumbled.

  “Are you sure?” Allie asked. “You're dripping wet. You'll catch a cold sitting in these clothes for too long.”

  Darcy gave her a look. “You're just as wet as I am. There is only one bathroom. So unless you want to share the shower with me, which I doubt all three of us would even fit into, I'd suggest you get a move on so that I can have a shower once you're done.” With that he returned his attention to the TV.

  Al was still standing in the doorway, hesitating.

  “Come on”, I called. I was already halfway up the stairs at that point. A hot shower sounded heavenly right about now. “The sooner we get done, the sooner Darce can take his shower.”

  Allie and I had to help each other out of our wet clothes. Even our underwear was soaked.

  I turned the shower on, and stepped under the hot water, pulling Allie in beside me. It was a tight fit. The shower was obviously not designed for two people, but I didn't mind one bit.

  “Turn around”, I told her, as she stood there, facing me.

  I reached for some shower gel—Al's shower gel—poured it onto a sponge and proceeded to rub down her whole body.

  Allie had invaded this place already, whether she was aware of it or not. Her shampoo stood in the corner, a toothbrush of hers was beside the sink. She was spending a lot of time here. Not that I was complaining.

  I'd wanted to move in together from the moment she told me she was coming to Liverpool. But Al had wanted the full uni experience, which included staying in a tiny room in the halls for at least the first year. I could respect that, even though I didn't quite understand it.

  I reached her neck, and she tilted her head, giving me easier access. Her eyes were closed. I tossed the sponge into the corner and gently started kneading her shoulders with my hands. Her head fell back against my chest.

  “Feels good?” I asked.

  Al nodded and gave a tiny moan of pleasure, which drove me crazy. I pulled my hands away from her neck.

  “Hey, keep going.” She opened her big Bambi eyes and looked up at me. She was so cute when she frowned at me like that.

  My hands came to rest on her hips as I pulled her closer to me, my mouth coming down on the spot my hands had just vacated. She moaned again and tilted her head back, which I took as an invitation to claim her lips with mine.

  We took it slow, not rushing anything.

  With Al, I never felt the need to. I was simply content having her in my arms.

  After a moment, Al pulled back. “Darcy...” she said, letting the sentence hang in the air while I continued to explore her body with my mouth.

  “He'll survive”, I whispered against her ear.

  Suddenly, there was a sharp knock on the door, making both of us jump.

  “Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt whatever you're doing in there, but I'm kind of still freezing my balls off out here, and you're using up all the hot water.”

  Allie and I made eye contact. Al looked slightly mortified, while I was fighting to keep from laughing.

  “Sorry, Darce, almost forgot about you out there”, I called back.

  I had wanted to forget about him. But that had proved impossible.

  Although I would have loved to extend this shower session, I turned off the water and handed Al a towel.

  Since our clothes were wet and cold, we didn't bother putting them back on. I threw them into a pile in the corner to be put into the wash later. I realised that may have been a mistake when we stepped outside, only in our towels, and came face to face with Darcy.

  “Shower's all yours now”, Al said to him.

  But he wasn't even listening. I watched as his eyes slowly travelled down her half-naked body. I knew that look all too well. I'd seen it countless times on him. The problem this time was, the girl he was silently undressing was my girlfriend.

  “Did you hear, mate? Al said shower is free.” With one hand, I pushed Allie forward, out of his line of sight, and at the same time I gave Darcy a pointed shove towards the bathroom door. When he chanced a glance back at me over his shoulder, his expression seemed apologetic, almost guilty. He knew I'd seen the way he looked at her, even though Al seemed blissfully unaware of it as she disappeared into my room.

  I stared at him until the bathroom door closed between us, hoping he'd get the message.