Christmas is You

by Sylvia Blake

  Jake walked in and followed her to the couch. She sat down and looked up at him, while he stood there plaintively.

  “What do you want? Why are you here?” She suddenly felt cold, and wrapped her own arms around herself.

  “Debbie,” he stepped closer as if to sit down beside her, but she held her hand up to stop him. “Debbie, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. I’m a mess. I’ve made a horrible mistake.” His eyes pleaded with her, but she shook her head.

  “No, Jake. No.”

  “Listen, Debbie. I don’t know what was going through my head. I must have gone temporarily insane, I swear, because I realize now that what we had was good. No – it was better than good. It was great! I just didn’t realize it until it was too late.”

  She could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Are you kidding me? How could you stand here in front of me, after everything you’ve done, and expect me to forgive you? Why would I want you back after you hurt me and humiliated me? I could never possibly trust you again, so there’s really no point in trying again. You go your way, and I go mine. I’m doing just fine without you, I promise.”

  “But Debbie, think about it. Don’t throw away all those years.”

  He was interrupted by a knock at the door, which creaked open. Debbie realized she’d forgotten to actually close it behind them and it had been ajar the whole time.

  She whipped her head to see who it was, and thought she was hallucinating.

  Standing there in the doorway, with a serious and determined look on his face, was Luke.

  “Debbie, is everything ok here?” He closed the door behind him and within seconds he was by the couch, standing between her and Jake.

  “Yes, I’m fine, but how did you – what are you doing here?” She was so confused by everything that she didn’t know what to think anymore.

  “I got your address from April and decided to surprise you. I didn’t know you’d have company,” he said, motioning towards Jake.

  “Debbie, who is this?” asked Jake, incredulously.

  “This is Luke, Jake. Not that it’s any of your business.”

  “Yes, I’m Luke, her boyfriend. And you?”

  “I’m her fiancé,” Jake shot back, gritting his teeth.

  “Ex-fiancé!” Debbie shouted.

  Jake put his hands on his hips and cocked his head. “Really? So, you’ve made up your mind? You’re going to choose…him…over me?”

  “It’s not about choosing someone over you, don’t you get it? It’s about not wanting to be with you. Ever. Regardless of who else is in the picture. It’s about you, and nobody else.”

  “Oh, you’re the guy who cheated on her and left her for someone else…right, Prince Charming? What a class act you are,” Luke began. “You’re a real piece of work. I’ve listened to her tell you for the last ten minutes that she’s not interested. Not one bit. But you seem to have a problem getting the message.” He leaned in towards Jake, and Jake stepped back.

  “Listen, this is between me and Debbie,” started Jake, but didn’t get to continue.

  “Buddy, get the message – she’s not interested and she doesn’t want to see you ever again! Got it?” he said in a raised voice, almost shouting.

  Jake’s eyes wavered, and his eyes darted back and forth from Luke to Debbie. He swallowed a lump in his throat and threw his hands up.

  “You’re making a big mistake, Debbie. That’s all I can tell you. You’re going to regret this.”

  Luke’s face turned fierce and he reached over, grabbed Jake by the arm and pulled him to the door.

  He brought his face one inch away from Jake’s. “Are you threatening her?”

  There was no response. It seemed as if time stood still. Jake looked like a deer caught in headlights.

  “Well, are you?” Luke asked again, more harshly.

  “No, relax man. I’m out of here, you’re both nuts.”

  He turned and opened the door, making a hasty exit. Luke shut the door behind him, and muttered angrily under his breath, before glancing over at Debbie on the couch.

  She was sitting with her head in her hands. Hot tears burned her eyes, and her throat felt tight. She didn’t know what she did to deserve all this, but she hoped the worst was over. Embarrassment made her cheeks flush red and hot. Surely, Luke would figure she was more trouble than she was worth and disappear. He didn’t need this kind of hassle; besides, with a crazy ex like that, she probably wasn’t much better.

  Those thoughts whirled through her head until they were interrupted by a soft touch on her wrist. She looked up. The world was blurry, but she saw all she needed to see. Luke lowered himself down in front of her so he could look in her eyes. He held both her wrists in his hands and brought her hands down to reveal her face.

  “Hey,” he said softly, as he caressed one of her damp cheeks, looking into her eyes.

  She blinked quickly to normalize her vision and smiled through her tears.

  “Don’t worry, he won’t bother you anymore. He’s gone.” His voice was so soft and self-assured, she started to feel better already.

  She sniffled. “What if he comes back?”

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you alone tonight.”

  Debbie’s eyes were full of questions. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I could stay here with you.” Noticing her hesitation, he added, “I’d sleep on the couch, of course, if that’s what you want.”

  “No, I’d actually prefer not to be here at all.”

  Luke thought for a minute. “Ok, how about this. Instead of waiting until tomorrow, we can go back to Collingville tonight. I can drive us in your car.”

  “What about your car? It’s here, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but don’t worry about that. I can leave it here for a few days. I’ve got another car I could use back home, and I have a friend who wanted to visit me soon, I can drop the keys off to him tonight and he can bring it back for me.”

  “Ok, then. Let me just pack a few things, and we can leave.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll call my buddy and arrange to drop off the keys on our way out of town.”

  Debbie walked over to him and put her hands up on his shoulders. “Thank you for coming. And for chasing him off.” She turned her head up and gave him a kiss, a kiss that lasted so long that she had to break it off before things got out of hand. Besides, she wanted to pack as much as possible so she wouldn’t have to spend too much time there later. She’d had enough of her place. She’d had enough of her old life.

  Chapter 19

  The ride home was more fun than she expected, especially after that rude confrontation with Jake. The whole evening seemed like a bad nightmare. Until Luke showed up, that is.

  He had appeared out of nowhere, just like the comic book heroes. She was at her lowest, her saddest, and he managed to rescue her. She glanced at him in the driver’s seat and sighed. She saw his barely perceptible smile and laughed.

  “How do you do it?”

  “Do what?” he asked.

  “How do you know when I’m looking at you?”

  “I can just sort of feel it.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  She looked at the freeway ahead. There was no traffic, and they had free reign of the road. It was Tuesday night, so it wasn’t surprising that it wasn’t busy, especially since it had started snowing fairly heavily. It would be only one more hour until they got to Aunt Wendy’s place, but she wished it’d take longer.

  They’d covered so much ground in their conversation that she felt like she’d known him forever, but she still had a million questions.

  “What was your dream when you were a kid?” she asked him.

  “Hmm…let me think. I guess I wanted to be an astronaut. And marine biologist came in a close second.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. I love nature. That’s partly why I like teaching kids how to ski. It keeps me outdoors, and close
to nature.”

  “I see,” she murmured.

  “And you? What did you want to be?”

  “I had a strange preoccupation with history, especially ancient history. I couldn’t get enough of stories about the pyramids and stuff like that, so I wanted to be an archeologist.”

  “Cute. And look at us now,” he said.

  “Yes. Some dreams never come true, it seems.”

  He took his eyes off the road to look at her. “And some dreams come true when you least expect them to,” he said, reaching over and covering her hand with his. He gave it a squeeze, and a smile spread across her face.

  Suddenly all the stress that had been building up vanished. She didn’t care about the job, or her mother’s disapproval, or anything right now. She felt she was exactly where she belonged, beside him.

  “Exactly. Honestly, I came to Collingville to get away from everything. I thought I’d just curl up on my aunt’s couch and ride out the holidays there.” She paused. She wasn’t good at emotional revelations, but it just seemed like the right time. “I didn’t expect to meet you, or to feel so close to you so fast.”

  He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.

  “I’m so happy I met you and that we’re together,” he said.

  She glanced up at him. He was watching the road, but she could see by his expression that he meant it.

  “Me too.” After a pause, she said, “So, where in Collingville is your house? Is it far from the mountain?”

  “It’s a bit on the outskirts of town, but not too far from the mountain. And we keep a suite at the hotel vacant at all times in case we need to stay there, or if we have friends and family visiting. So, I don’t really have to worry about commuting in bad weather days – and there are quite a few of those, to be honest.”

  “That’s good to know – about the weather I mean.”

  “Why, are you considering staying here after all?” A note of excitement slipped into his voice, and she noticed the corners of his lips turning up in a smile.

  “Well – yes! I haven’t decided for sure, but I’m considering it. It’s not that far from my family, and I can visit them whenever I want. It would also be great to save all that rent money. I’ll just have to look for a job, that’s all.”

  “Well, as I told you before, you don’t have to worry about that. The manager of our spa at the hotel gave her resignation a few weeks ago. She gave us two months’ notice, so we’re going to need someone in about a month or so. I think you’d be perfect for it. Of course, there’s an interview process, but I don’t think it should be an issue with your experience.”

  “Thank you so much! I promise I won’t let you down, if I decide to stay.” Her brain started working overtime. The small town and resort had started growing on her, and she could imagine living there and going about her day to day business. She had Aunt Wendy there, and of course Luke, so she wouldn’t be totally on her own. The townsfolk were nice enough, and she figured she’d have no problem making friends.

  Christmas was the following week; if she decided to stay after all, she could go home one more time for a Christmas dinner with her family and tell them in person then.

  Things were starting to make sense, and suddenly it all seemed meant to be.

  It was late when they finally arrived at the chalet. She got out of the car and saw that Aunt Wendy had left the lights on downstairs; Debbie had called her and hinted at what had happened and told her she’d be coming home that night, so Debbie figured she was waiting up for her, eager to hear her story.

  “How are you getting home?” she asked, turning to Luke.

  “I was planning to take a taxi. It’s not too far and won’t take me long.”

  “Don’t be silly – take my car and you can bring it back in the morning.”

  “I’ll still need a car for the rest of the day.”

  “Well, ok, if you say so.”

  She waited while he called his taxi. When he hung up, he took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes.

  “I love you. I do.”

  Her heart soared; this was so unexpected and beyond her wildest dreams that she wondered how she got so lucky. The next words came easily to her.

  “I love you too.”

  He leaned in towards her and their lips met in a sweet, long kiss. She forgot how the cold nipped at her nose and how her toes were turning into icicles. Nothing seemed to matter at that moment except that he was there with her – that they were together, and in love. She never wanted that kiss to end, but they heard the rumblings of an engine getting closer and sure enough, it was Luke’s taxi.

  It was difficult to tear her lips from his, but they had no choice. She looked up at him and smiled. They were holding hands and she squeezed his.

  “Guess it’s time.” She didn’t want him to go.

  “Yes. You’ve had a long day, so you’d better go in and get some rest.” His eyes were warm and they sparkled with the reflection of the Christmas lights on the chalet.

  “I guess I should. Will I see you tomorrow?”

  “Are you serious? You know I can’t go a day without seeing you. I’ll be at the café bright and early. If you’re not there, I’m going to hunt you down wherever you are and do this.”

  He brushed her lips with his, ran a finger along her jawline, and motioned towards the waiting cab.

  “I want to see you get in the house before I take off. Go on!” He watched her walk up the stairs, open the door, and go in. He waved one more time and got into the cab.

  Debbie watched from the window as the cab disappeared in the distance and couldn’t help but let out a little sigh. The future seemed as bright and clear as the winter night sky.

  Chapter 20

  One Week Later – Christmas Morning

  Debbie looked out the window, and was greeted by a winter wonderland. It had snowed all night and a beautiful blanket of light snow covered everything – the lawn, the tree branches, the roofs of houses in the distance. She checked her phone. It was 9:30am and it was Christmas Day! She put on her jeans and pulled the comfy pink sweater Wendy had given her over her head and bounded down the stairs.

  “Hi auntie!” she said as she popped her head into the kitchen. “Need any help?”

  Aunt Wendy was cooking up a storm. They were going to open their presents and have brunch right afterwards.

  “Hi sweetie. Did you sleep well?”

  Debbie nodded and took the cup of coffee her aunt handed to her.

  “Yes. It was probably the best sleep I’ve had in weeks. I got in a bit late, but I’m happy I came back here instead of staying at my old place.”

  Wendy grinned. “That’s good to hear. Oh, I almost forgot, Merry Christmas!!” She embraced Debbie in a tight hug. “I’m so happy you’re here with me. I was afraid that you’d grow away from me as you grew up.”

  “Never, auntie. I love you so much. Thanks so much for having me here and helping me when I needed it the most.” She smiled and hugged her aunt even tighter. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Is Luke still coming over?” her aunt asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

  “Yes, as far as I know.”

  “That’s great. It’ll be lots of fun. The more, the merrier.”

  “I just hope he likes his present. I’m the worst gift giver ever. In the history of mankind.”

  “Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself. He’ll love whatever it is, simply because it came from you.”

  “Thanks. I feel bad that his family’s still away.”

  Wendy began chopping veggies for the omelets. “Don’t worry, I think he’s used to it. They’re always traveling somewhere.”

  “Well, yes, but it’s different. Today’s Christmas.”

  “Relax. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to spend it with you. Besides, this way you don’t have to stress out over meeting them. Speaking of which, are you still taking him to your mom and dad’s place tomorrow for dinner?”

  “Yes, and I’
m a little bit nervous about it. But mostly, I’m just happy they’re meeting him.” She had been worried about what they would say – after all, she had just broken up with her ex – but she decided that she wouldn’t worry about what they (specifically her mom) thought about him or the fact that she’s only been single for a few weeks.

  “They’ll love him, I’m sure. I mean, what’s not to love?”

  Debbie thought about the question and shrugged. “You’re right. He’s just about perfect – or at least as close as you’re gonna get these days. Or ever,” she added with a smile. “Alright, unless you need help here, I’m going to go shower and get ready.”

  “Go ahead, honey, I’m almost done here.”

  Debbie glanced at the Christmas tree on her way back up the stairs. It was gorgeous. Brightly covered boxes were spread out under its canopy, waiting to be ripped open. Soon enough, she thought.

  Upstairs, she called Cathy and her parents to wish them all a Merry Christmas and reassure them that she’d visit the next day and spend it with them. She told Cathy and her dad that she’d be bringing a special friend, and trusted them with the task of telling her mom. She knew her mom wouldn’t mind, and that she’d love Luke, but she didn’t want to face the third degree. No. This day was about relaxation and happiness.

  After showering, she got ready and went back downstairs to help Wendy set the table. Christmas songs played on the radio, and the scent of cinnamon cookies filled the air. Her belly flip flopped as she waited for the doorbell to ring.

  The past week had gone by in a flash. She had taken two more skiing lessons with Luke, and was getting better and more confident with each passing day. However, she was still on the bunny hill. Soon enough, she’d move on to the next level; she was sure of it. Melissa from the café went into labor two days ago at work, and it was Debbie who called her husband. After an easy labor, she had a baby boy, and he was as cute as can be.

  The spa in Boston called her back and offered her a job, but she didn’t accept right away. She told them she’d get back to them after Christmas, and they said that was fine. She’d been pretty happy for the past week, and it seemed nothing could ruin her mood.