by Leela Ash
Chloe had to use all of her strength not to roll her eyes. Seeing him like this now, she found it hard to believe that there had ever been love between them. He was so angry, so ugly… so cruel. His insides must have been rotten and black.
“Fuck this,” he snarled as he reached for the door handle and pulled it open, letting in the icy cold air and a blast of frost.
Chloe watched him from the gallery landing at the top of the stairs as he hurled himself out into the night and onto the sprawling driveway, where he opened the door to his sports car, jumped behind the wheel and let the engine roar. He was so drunk, there was no way he should have been driving, but there was also no way she was going to stop him. The last time she had tried, she had wound up with bruises all down her arms from where he had gripped her as he screamed in her face.
Chloe was smart and knew when to pick her battles… and this wasn’t one of them
“Let him go,” she whispered to herself as the door blew closed with a bang and she saw the flash of lights swing around the fountain and start down the drive to the road.
She breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her eyes.
It wasn’t until she went back in her bedroom and sat down on her bed that she realized she was shaking. She looked at her hands and at the way they trembled and she felt the tears welling up behind her eyes. She hated to admit it to herself, but she had always been scared of Damon. He was always so unpredictable, it was as if at any moment he could have swung around and punched her square in the jaw. She shivered and climbed underneath the covers. It wouldn’t be long before it was the New Year and she had big plans for herself. She was going to grab life with both hands and really live, instead of just existing.
And now that Damon was gone, she was finally free to start again.
2.
The following morning Chloe awoke to the sound of banging and crashing throughout the house. She rolled over and blinked her bleary eyes awake and strained her ears to pick up the sounds of whatever was happening. Somewhere downstairs she could hear her mother’s voice drifting through the hallways, calling to one of the handymen to hang the garland higher.
Decoration day, she thought with fondness.
It had been a family tradition of theirs for as long as she could remember to spend a full Saturday adorning their family home with a whole host of Christmas décor, but usually they would wait for Chloe to surface. Maybe they had got wind of her and Damon’s argument and decided to leave her to it for the morning, or maybe they just realized that now she was twenty-two, she was probably too old to be still fussing on with activities that were created for her when she was a child.
She felt a pang of nostalgia as she remembered their family Christmas’s when she was younger and of how her and her parents and brother had all dressed up in festive jumpers, turned on the carols and danced all day together whilst adorning the tree and sipping mulled wine. Chloe always found herself with the job of untangling the fairy lights, and although she hated it, it was another tradition that seemed to have stuck. It had always been one of her favorite days of the year, but even though she was back there for the weekend and away from her apartment in the city, she was still feeling decidedly un-Christmassy.
She yawned and leaned up on her elbows. Even though she was feeling more like The Grinch than Mrs. Christmas she dragged herself out of bed and after pulling on her robe, made her way downstairs.
“Chloe!” her mother beamed as she shuffled into the kitchen and grabbed the pot of coffee that was resting on the center island.
The whole room looked as if a Santa’s grotto had exploded all over it and she tiptoed amongst lush green wreaths, garlands and baubles to find a seat at the table.
“Morning,” she croaked as she took a sip of coffee and rested her chin on her hand.
“Feeling the after effects of last night?” her mother smirked.
Chloe shrugged and raised her eyebrows. She wasn’t sure how much she had heard, or indeed even if her and her father had been home when the argument took place. Their family home was so big, it was easy for people to disappear into their rooms and sleep peacefully at night without being disturbed by the goings on of the others. She and Damon had left them at the gala dinner and had no idea of when they had returned.
“Something like that,” she said sullenly.
Her mother looked at her and placed the garland she was holding down on the counter top.
“I knew something was up last night,” she said. “What’s happened?”
Chloe sighed and felt the tears stinging her eyes again. She wanted to tell her mother everything, but at the same time, she couldn’t bear to go through it all again.
“Damon and I…” she began. “We’ve broken up.”
Her mother reached out and stroked her shoulder. Chloe knew there was nothing she could say, but just the fact that she was there for her was enough.
“I’m sorry Darling,” her mom soothed. “I thought maybe he would have been the one to go the distance.”
“Well,” Chloe sighed. “At one point so did I.”
Her mother smiled sympathetically and then turned back to the decorations.
“You know we can talk about it if you want to,” she said over her shoulder. “But I won’t crowd you for now.”
Chloe blinked away a tear and nodded. Her mother knew her so well, she was fully aware of how little she would want to discuss the whole thing. All Chloe wanted to do was throw herself into a new activity, and fast.
She got to her feet and picked up a golden angel. It was one of the decorations she loved the most and remembered year after year.
“Where is this going?” she said cheerily. “May as well get started and help you.”
“Don’t worry,” her mom smiled. “If you don’t feel up to it I have the boys helping me out.”
She motioned to the hallway where Chloe could see the guys her mom hired to do odd jobs around the house working away like busy bees, pinning the garlands up the length of the staircase and around the gallery landing.
“Well, maybe I will get dressed first,” Chloe chuckled.
She took her coffee and made her way back to her room where she dressed in a casual pair of jeans and a red t-shirt.
May as well at least try to be festive, she told herself as she tied her long black hair up high into a pony tail and finished it off with a red ribbon.
As she made her way back downstairs and rejoined her mother in the kitchen she realized how good it felt to be home for the holidays. Even though her apartment was only a half hour drive from her families stunning and sprawling home, she rarely spent much time there. Since Chloe had gone out on her own and thrown herself into the working world, she hadn’t felt the need to go home as often, her time was stretched enough as it was. But with Christmas fast approaching and her father’s annual gala dinner being arranged for that weekend she had decided to put in a few weeks leave from her job at a glossy magazine and take some well-deserved time off. Now she didn’t have to worry about getting back to the city in time for a meeting on Monday morning and she had more than enough time to enjoy the holidays and get all of her shopping done in good time, rather than flapping around like a maniac at the last minute!
“So,” her mom said as she passed her a string of fairy lights that were curled up into a tight, tangled ball. “I guess you can start with these.”
Chloe groaned and her mom winked. Some traditions, it appeared, certainly never changed.
3.
After a full day of decorating the house with the help from the two handymen, Chloe and her mom sat down in the front room and looked around at all of their hard work. The tree stood tall and proud in the widest corner of the room, and it glinted gold and red with each stunning bauble that reflected their bright fairy lights.
“I can’t believe Dad and Oliver got out of this, this year,” Chloe smirked. “They are definitely untangling the lights next year… no exceptions.”
Her mother laughed an
d poured them both a glass of red wine before slipping back into the big, soft cushions of the couch.
“Women do it best,” she said as she took a sip. “They only would have been in the way.”
Chloe smiled and nodded. Her mother was right there, for certain.
Oliver had always been a handful, and even though he was her younger brother and she enjoyed his company, she had been glad of just a day with her mom. It wasn’t often they spent so much time together, and after the night she had been through with Damon, the last thing she needed was Oliver or her dad asking questions.
“They’ll be home soon anyway,” her mom said as she got to her feet and stretched. “I better start thinking about making us something for dinner.”
Chloe got to her feet too and followed her mother through into the kitchen. There was something so magical about the house when it was decorated for the holidays, it made it feel so much warmer, so much more alive. She smiled as she looked up at the garlands trailing up the bannister rails of their huge staircase, and the candles that lit the way from room to room. Her family had never been the kind to do things by halves, and Christmas was one of the times when her mother really showed the world what they were made of. Nothing went untouched when it came to holiday magic.
Chloe sat down at the center island in the kitchen and sipped the warm red wine as she reached for her cell phone and looked at it for the first time that day. Her heart almost stopped as she saw that she had a missed call and a voicemail from Damon and she dropped the phone onto the counter and sighed.
“What’s the matter?” her mom asked with concern as she turned around and saw the ghostly expression on her daughters face.
“Damon,” she said quietly. “He’s tried to call.”
“I’m finding it hard not to ask what’s happened with you two,” her mom confessed. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”
What could she tell her… that he was aggressive and possessive? That he drank too much? That he was generally the worst boyfriend she had ever had and she was frightened of him? After the lovely day they had had together the last thing Chloe wanted to do was concern her mom, and especially at this time of year.
“It just wasn’t right,” she shrugged. “I’ll be okay…”
She pushed the cell phone away and picked up her wine and sipped it slowly. Her heart was still pounding and she knew in that moment that maybe Damon wasn’t going to go so quietly after all. Was he going to make this hard for her? Would he start to harass her until she caved and took him back?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of her father and Oliver bursting through the front door in fits of raucous laughter. Their voices boomed down the hallway and they ‘ooed and aahhed’ at all of the decorations adorning the house.
“Well it looks like you two have been busy!” her dad exclaimed as he came through the kitchen doorway clad in a crisp suit and holding his briefcase.
Oliver followed closely behind him with a massive grin on his face and Chloe instantly knew why… he hadn’t had to help and he was relieved. She scowled at him and he slyly flipped her the bird.
“Looks good girls,” her dad smiled as he leant down and kissed her mom on the cheek and then came and gave Chloe a hug.
“Thanks Dad,” she grinned as she hugged him back.
“So what are we having?” he said as he undid his top button and tie and poured himself a glass of wine.
Oliver sat down with them and it was almost as if it could have been ten years earlier… her dad coming home from work and her mom cooking up a storm… Oliver tormenting her quietly behind their backs and Chloe in a funk over a boy. Yes, it was certainly a typical family evening! And even though she wasn’t feeling her best, she was glad to be there with them.
“You’ll have to wait and see,” her mom joked and they all moaned in unison.
As they all sat down around the dining room table and her mom placed a huge roast in front of them, Chloe felt again as if she had gone back in time. She really loved being at home with her family, even if they did drive her mad on occasions. She watched the way her dad shifted uneasily in his seat and she felt her posture tighten. If there was one thing she had learned being a part of this family, it was when someone was hiding something and working up to lower the boom. Her dad had been an expert at it his whole life and Chloe had learned early on that he was the type of man to throw surprises their way when they least expected it.
“So,” he said suddenly and Chloe felt her heart sink.
“Umm?” her mom smiled as she passed a bowl of red cabbage to Oliver.
“Well, I’m hoping none of you are going to bust my balls over this,” her father continued. “But I have to go away on Monday… for two weeks.”
“What?” Oliver said, as angry and shocked as Chloe and her mom clearly were.
“I know, I know…” he held up his hands as if he was surrendering. “I feel terrible about it, but there’s nothing I can do.”
“You’ll be missing Christmas,” Chloe said. “Can’t it wait?”
“It’s business,” he said sternly. “And no it can’t.”
“But George,” her mom interjected. “I mean… Christmas?”
“If I don’t go we won’t acquire our new offices in the Middle East. This is important Karen,” he said as he looked at Chloe’s mother with sad eyes. “I know its shitty timing, but it can’t be helped.”
Chloe felt her heart sink. She was just getting back into the family vibe, and now the head of the household was going to be disappearing on them over the holidays.
“But,” he said as he dabbed the corner of his mouth with a serviette and smiled wryly. “I have arranged something that will help soften the blow…” he winked as he trailed off and Chloe felt her disappointment peak into excitement… What did he have up his sleeve to make them all feel better?
Her dad looked at them all with his hands clasped together and sighed.
“I honestly do wish I was here to celebrate Christmas with you all,” he said sadly. “But, I thought if I’m not going to be here… then maybe you shouldn’t be either.”
Chloe looked at her mom with intrigue and then at Oliver… what was going on?
“So,” he dad continued, “I’ve leased out a luxury log cabin in Colorado for you all for the next two weeks.”
“Oh my God!” Chloe slapped her hands together! She couldn’t believe it. What perfect timing with everything that had been going on with Damon, she couldn’t think of anything better than escaping for a couple of weeks and spending the holidays in a luxury log cabin in the wilderness.
“George,” her mom smiled. “I can’t believe you’ve done this for us.”
They leaned across the table and shared a loving kiss and Chloe felt all of the sadness and dread that she had felt since the previous evening evaporate into thin air. If there was ever proof of a true love, it was her parents. And now she had her first adventure of her new life to look forward to… And she really couldn’t wait.
4.
Chloe’s dad hadn’t messed around. He had arranged for a car to come and collect them first thing the following morning so Chloe had spent the rest of the evening dashing around and packing her belongings for the next two weeks. As she filled her suitcase with wooly jumpers and thermals, she couldn’t help but let her fingers dance over the selection of bathing suits and bikinis she had in her bottom drawer. She thought of how stunning it would be at their winter retreat in the mountains, underneath the stars and amongst the snow, relaxing in a hot tub and sipping champagne. She nearly squealed with excitement as she pulled a bathing suit free from the drawer and threw it into her case. She couldn’t wait to be away from her hometown, away from Damon, and to be doing something new for the first time in a long time.
The following morning as she got into the car with her mom and Oliver they all waved goodbye to her dad and she blew a kiss to him from the window. She would miss him, but she was glad they wouldn’t just be h
anging around the house feeling the big gaping hole that he would leave. Her dad was a shrewd business man, and he had done well in his life. Chloe knew that he would always put them first so it must have been important for him to leave at this time of year. She turned back and looked over her shoulder as their beautiful home and her doting father slipped out of view.
Now they were really on their way, and she was so excited she could barely sit still.
The cabins in the woods were twinkling with lights as they pulled into the mountain resort and weaved their way up the thin, winding roads to their lodge. Chloe was almost pressing her nose against the glass of the window to try and see what was out there in the dark and her heart thumped with anticipation. The snow was thick and pure, and even in the dark the white shone out of the night and seemed alive around them.
“This is incredible,” she whispered and her mom squeezed her hand with an excited smile.
“I still wish Dad were here,” Oliver complained from the front seat and Chloe found herself rolling her eyes. Her brother could always be counted on to try and dampen the mood.
As the driver pulled up outside of what would be there new home for the following two weeks Chloe’s excitement peaked and she snapped off her safety belt and bounded out of the car. Her eyes were wide and expectant as she looked up at the amazing lodge in front of them. It was so big, so luxurious, and so fantastic that she didn’t know what to say. It had already been fully kitted out with decorations and the twinkling Christmas trees that flanked the impressive doorway were just the icing on the cake.
“Wow,” she said with a laugh. “This is something else.”
She walked forward and waited at the foot of the steps for her brother and mom to catch up and then they all climbed them together, holding on to one and other to make sure they didn’t slip. As her mom slid the key into the door and turned the latch and they opened it and walked inside, Chloe felt her jaw drop…