Arielle nodded. “Also my competition, according to her.”
“What do you mean?”
Arielle leaned closer, keeping her voice low even though Kim shouldn’t be able to overhear her. But she didn’t want to take any chances because no way did she want to start any drama on the holiday. “Well, she is always comparing herself and her things to me and mine. Everything is a competition with her. Grades. Guys. You name it. And the sad part is, most people like me more and then she gets mad at me because they do.”
“Of course they like you more. You don’t have the personality of a stick.” Blake laughed. “Whoops. Maybe it’s too soon for me to joke about her.”
Arielle smacked his arm, keeping it light and playful. “Man, remind me to stay on your good side if you can say something so mean about someone you just met.”
Blake looked down at the dark blue carpet. “Sorry. Sometimes I say things—”
Arielle cut him off. “It’s okay. I’m kidding.”
He tilted his head up toward her, his eyes twinkling with humor. “You got me pretty good.” He paused, rubbing his chin. “Wonder what I can do to get you back.”
“Not much, I bet.”
Arielle jumped back as Blake’s hands shot out, straight into her sides. He moved his fingers, tickling her like crazy, and she burst into loud laughter, the kind she couldn’t even breathe around. He didn’t let up, and she squirmed and even kicked, trying to get away from him, but he was relentless. It felt like old times and she couldn’t get enough of the feeling.
“Okay, okay.” Arielle’s words cut out through the laughter. “I’m sorry. I won’t ever do it again.”
He pulled his hands back and Arielle realized he’d pretty much shifted to lay on top of her. She swallowed hard and held her breath while her heart raced. Their faces were inches apart and their eyes were locked on each other’s.
A throat cleared and Blake jumped off her, back to his own side of the couch. Arielle saw her dad with a hint of a smile lining his lips. “Nice to see you two having so much fun, but why don’t you see if you Aunt Margie needs some help, Arielle.”
“She made us leave the kitchen, Dad.” Arielle’s cheeks warmed up and she fanned herself with her hand.
“All right, then. Remember I’m watchin’ the two of you.”
Arielle dropped her forehead into her hands. “Oh my God. How embarrassing. Is he gone?”
Blake wrapped his arm around her. “Yup, but Kim sure is interested in what’s going on.”
Arielle glanced upstairs, rolling her eyes as she saw Kim staring down at them through the bannister, a gleam in her eyes. “Oh my God. See what I have to deal with?”
Blake smiled, then, like a snake striking, he kissed her cheek.
She scrunched her forehead at him. “What was that for?”
He shrugged. “Just because.”
Blake had upped his game. He’d made his intentions clearer, but not transparent. She couldn’t trust that a kiss on the cheek meant anything because he’d proven how fickle he could be. Arielle would have to wait and see what came of the rest of the night, and patience had never been her strong suit.
Either way, she wanted to be with him and she would make sure he knew that. She wouldn’t hide in the corner and let life pass her by. Blake had come at the beginning of the year, and ever since, her life had changed. She’d never felt so strongly for anybody before, almost as if she’d met the man she would spend the rest of her life with. Of course, she’d keep that to herself for a bit, not wanting to scare him away.
For some reason, falling for Blake was par for the course with Arielle, and heck if she had any fight left in her.
Chapter 13
New Beginnings
After they ate, ham sandwiches and cheese and crackers, Arielle and Blake sat around the Christmas tree that was lit with golden blinking lights and tons of red and green decorations. A popcorn garland wrapped around the branches, too, which her cousin Kim had made one year and Aunt Margie had kept and reused for at least three years.
All in all, it was beautiful. Arielle opened her few presents, a couple gift cards and some sweatpants, which she loved to lounge around in. After presents were done, everyone spread out through the house. Dad and Mom went with Aunt Margie and Uncle Dan to sit around the huge dining room table, playing cards. Kim went downstairs, so Arielle decided to brave the cold and went outside with Blake. The cool breeze tickled her warm face, giving her hope that her cheeks might not be red forever. Large gatherings equaled too much heat, at least in her experience.
“Your family is so special.” Blake sat down in one of the plastic chairs.
Arielle sat in the other one and leaned her elbows on the green table. “They are pretty great, but they have their moments.”
“But…” Blake paused and looked away, out into the woods behind the house. “There is a lot of love between them and you can see it. It’s kind of great.”
Arielle could hear the sadness in his voice. Blake’s family, at least his dad, wasn’t close with him. She didn’t know what kind of hardship that played on the other members of his family, but her heart ached for him. Although she didn’t want him to know. She didn’t want to pity him because most people didn’t like being felt sorry for. So instead, she kept her mouth shut and placed her hand over his on the table. “Every family has their strengths, as well as their weaknesses. You have to make the strengths shine by playing to them.”
Blake met her gaze. “Maybe. But it’s hard. Especially when you don’t know how.”
Arielle squeezed his hand and stood up. “Well, you have to figure it out. You’re a smart guy. I have faith in you.” Her lips quivered and goosebumps broke out down her arms. “But you’re going to have to figure it out fast because I’m freezing.”
As Arielle put her hand on the door handle to slide it open, Blake grabbed her shoulder. Before she could say anything, he wrapped her up in his warmth, hugging her. His lips touched her neck and tickled her skin there as he whispered, “Thanks for inviting me tonight. It’s nice to be a part of it.”
Arielle shivered, but this time it had nothing to do with the cold. She stepped back a hair so she could look in Blake’s eyes again. She caressed his cheek with the tips of her fingers. “I care about you, Blake. You know I do, I’m sure. It kills me to be with you like this but not with you.”
She couldn’t believe she’d told him her feelings, but she had to. They had been eating away at her insides like a cancer, killing her, even.
Blake turned around, dropping his warm arms from her and wrapped them around himself. Arielle’s whole body drooped because he wasn’t going to respond. She slinked away from him to go inside as the cold hit all the way to her bones.
“Ari, it kills me too.”
She spun around, narrowing her eyes at him. She placed her clenched hands on her hips, tired of all the excuses. “Then do something about it.”
She waited. And waited. He didn’t turn around as she stood there, looking like a fool. After what seemed like a good five minutes, she had enough. She’d tried. She’d done what she could by telling Blake how she felt, but it hadn’t mattered. They were destined to be friends and she was destined to hurt every time her gaze met his.
The fates must have been having a good laugh up there.
She slid the door open, but it slammed closed right in front of her. Her dad watched for a minute, then winked and turned his back to her. Blake spun her around and pushed her back up against the siding of the house, out of view of the door. He pressed against her, his face right in hers. Then he kissed her. It wasn’t all roses and romance. No, this kiss was fire and ice and everything she’d ever wanted. This kiss…well…it did things to her she wasn’t comfortable talking about.
When Blake pulled back, they were both breathing heavily. Arielle stared with her mouth hanging open for a few seconds, then blinked, which woke her up. “What was that for?”
He grinned. “You told me to do somethi
ng. I did what I had to, what I’ve wanted to do every single day since I forced myself to break up with you.”
Arielle sighed. “A nice thought, Blake, but seriously? You got another girlfriend, like, three days after we broke up.”
He pushed against her again, tilting his head so his lips were on her cheek. “I got another girlfriend as a front so I wouldn’t go down this path with you, but I can’t help myself.”
Arielle tilted her head to the side, crossing her arms over her chest and shifting her weight to one foot. “You didn’t want to go down this path with me, but it was fine to go down it with her? What are you talking about? Do you even hear yourself right now?”
Blake frowned. “Ari, I didn’t mean anything bad. I didn’t want to get hurt. How is this going to work between us? When I leave, I mean. We are, like, hundreds of miles away from each other.”
“Well, guess it’s a good thing your mom wants to talk to my parents about setting up some visits. Plus, you drive, which means you can come up some weekends.” She shook her head, playing with the zipper on his coat. “I haven’t thought about all of it, Blake, but I know no matter what, if this,” she gestured between them with her hands, “is supposed to be, it will be. It’s called fate.”
He chuckled, drawing his hand up to cup her cheek and running his thumb back and forth over it. “I don’t know if I believed in fate until I met you, but I know I do now. It’s like I was supposed to come here, not because of the issues with my dad, but because I had to meet you.”
Arielle placed her hand over his on her cheek, leaning into the caress and closing her eyes. Her heart raced and butterflies flapped their wings in her stomach with no inclination of stopping, but she had one more thing to say. She opened her eyes wide and pulled Blake’s hand down, holding it at her side. “You need to listen to this because I’m only going to say it once.”
He nodded, waiting.
“This is your last chance. If you screw up, I won’t give you another one. I can’t go through this again. I know everything at the beginning of the year happened fast…but you’ve had time to think this through, right?”
He nodded again.
“Are you sure you want this?” She held her breath, scared for his answer.
He nodded, biting his bottom lip as his smile spread wider and wider. “I want this more than I want anything. I’ve never in my life felt this way about anyone.”
Arielle rolled her eyes. “Okay…you’re seventeen? Almost eighteen? That is barely a life.” She chuckled at her response. I sound like my dad.
“Touché. Now, how about some more of this.” He cupped both of her cheeks this time, pulling her lips to his for a gentle kiss.
She didn’t argue or try to stop him. Instead, she lost herself in the moment and kissed her boyfriend until they were too cold to stay outside any longer.
***
The next morning was Christmas. It didn’t matter that she was a teenager and way too old to believe anymore, she still got so excited she couldn’t sleep past six a.m. Reed had already started sneaking down the stairs when she came out of her room. She laughed to herself, tiptoeing up behind him.
“Going somewhere?” Arielle yelled.
Reed snapped around, placing his hand over his heart. “Oh, um, just getting a glass of water.”
Arielle took her time nodding her head. “Uh-huh. Sure. You’re excited…like I am. So let’s quit playing games and go wake Mom and Dad.”
He turned and ran down the rest of the stairs. “Beat you there.”
At the bottom of the stairs, Arielle grabbed Reed by the arms and pulled him behind her with all her might. “Not if I beat you first.”
“What are you two doing?” Dad asked, already rocking in his chair. He brought his white coffee mug to his lips, took a sip, and set it down with a grin plastered on his face.
Mom came through the kitchen with a plate of muffins in her hand, kissing Reed’s cheek and then Arielle’s. “Merry Christmas, you two.”
“What are you two doing up already?” Arielle asked.
“Well, it’s pretty normal since we’ve been doing this for, what…seventeen years now? We know you guys never sleep in on Christmas morning, so we started setting the alarm.”
“But if you guys want to head on back to bed, go ahead…” Dad said.
Arielle put her hands up. “No, no, no. I’m up now.”
Reed ran a hand through his hair, gazing at all the presents under the multicolored Christmas tree. “Yeah, we’re up now, Dad. Might as well open presents.”
He chuckled. “I figured you wouldn’t argue. Sit down in front of the tree, then.”
For the next half hour, Arielle and Reed, along with her parents, opened all their presents. Arielle got a new journal, which her mom got her every year. She got a new Samsung phone, a Galaxy, which she’d wanted forever. And she got some of her favorite perfume, the perfect smell of citrus. It was the best Christmas she could have asked for.
After all the gifts had been opened, her eyes met Reed’s and she raised her brows. “We have one more.”
Reed stood and went to the closet in the middle of the room. He pulled out a long, rectangular wrapped present, giving it to Dad and Mom, who were sitting on the two-seater couch. “This is for you guys, from us. I did the artwork and Ari wrote the poem.”
Tears filled Mom’s eyes and Dad swallowed hard, even his eyes watery.
“This is the most beautiful present you’ve ever given us.” Mom placed a hand on her chest.
Dad cleared his throat. “This is pretty special, you two.”
The poem was about life, with a picture of Arielle and Reed with their arms around each other in the background.
Trust me when I say we love you,
Trust me when I say we care.
Trust me when I say we wouldn’t want
To ever have Dad’s long hair.
The two of you are special,
There’s nothing else to say.
We wanted something even more special
For you on Christmas Day.
So we wrote this poem,
That way you’ll always have
A poem and a picture
Of our never-ending love.
Merry Christmas!
Arielle smiled as her Dad and Mom came over and wrapped her and Reed up in a big group hug.
“Dad, did I ever tell you we have the best kids in the whole world?” Mom asked.
“I don’t think you have, Mom, but I have to tell ya, I agree with ya.” Dad chuckled.
“All right. Hug time’s over,” Reed said, a corner of his lip tilting toward the ceiling.
As their parents pulled back, Arielle watched as her mom wiped tears from her cheeks. She’d always wanted to do something special for her parents. They were incredible and she was so lucky to have them, but she didn’t always show it.
The poem she’d written might not have the best words ever written, but the meaning behind them made it the perfect gift for her parents.
***
The rest of the morning passed as fast as a turtle walking on land. Arielle went upstairs and laid all of her presents in her room, then she went downstairs and grabbed a blueberry muffin. Her favorite. Later on, Dad and Mom lay down to take a nap and she hiked back upstairs to her room.
She grabbed her new journal out of the present pile and opened it to the first page, then she started writing. She wrote about Blake and everything that had happened last night. She wrote about her mom and dad and the present Reed and she had made for them, their reactions, and how much it meant to her. She just wrote.
After she finished, she stretched her arms over her head and yawned. She hadn’t realized how tired she was, but as she laid her head on her pillow, her eyes closed and that was it.
Chapter 14
New Friends
Blake arrived around four in the evening, which surprised Arielle because she hadn’t expected him. When she saw his face at her door, her heart dropped.
“What’s wrong?”
Blake signaled for her to step outside. Arielle wrapped her arms around herself, hoping to stave off the chill from the cold winter air.
Blake frowned at her. “I can’t be there anymore.”
“Where? At your house?”
He nodded, turned, and walked to the top step of her porch. “I have to get out of here for a while.”
“Is it your dad?”
His shoulders tensed, but he didn’t say anything. Arielle guessed she’d been right by his reaction.
She rubbed his shoulders. “I’m sorry.” After about thirty seconds, she stopped rubbing. “Okay, wait here. I’ll tell my mom I’m leaving.”
Arielle went inside and found her mom in the kitchen, sitting at the table smoking a cigarette. “Mom, can I head out with Blake for a little while?”
Mom smiled up at her, the dark circles under her eyes easy to see. “Sure, honey. Be home by ten, okay?”
Arielle raised her eyebrows. “Where’s Dad at?”
“Out back, playing with his tools.”
Arielle laughed. “I should have guessed.” She waved. “I’ll see you later.”
Her mom nodded.
Arielle grabbed her jean jacket, which was coated with a warm red and black flannel, then she met Blake outside. “All right, Mom says I can go. Where to?”
“I was going to go see a friend of mine. You okay with coming along?”
Arielle nodded, opening the passenger door and slipping inside. She shook herself out, shivering. “Gosh, it’s cold out there.” Slamming her door, she cranked the heat up as soon as Blake started the car. “Who’s this friend of yours?”
“His name’s Jack. He’s from a different school, so you might not know him, but he’s pretty cool.”
Arielle shrugged. “If you think he’s cool, I guess I will too.”
She couldn’t believe she’d said that, like she couldn’t think for herself anymore, instead liking whatever her boyfriend liked without trying to formulate her own opinions based on how someone acted. She never wanted to be that girl, so she added, “And if I don’t, you will hear all about it.”