He caught a hint of her perfume. ‘Merry Christmas.’
He took her Mary Poppins bag to the boot, and as he slammed it shut, he saw them kissing through the rear windscreen. He loitered for a moment before getting into the back of the car.
As they set off, ‘Winter Wonderland’ came on the radio.
‘I love this one!’ Emily said and began singing along. She turned to Will. ‘Come on – you’re the singer around here!’ So, he joined in. Aidan didn’t sing, he just smiled at her with his hand on her thigh.
Traffic was light, and the journey that seemed endless to him as a kid passed in a flash. When they pulled up, every inch of their uncle’s house was covered in coloured lights, as it was every year.
Sixteen guests sat down for Christmas lunch, the dining table extended with a wobbly trestle table usually reserved for DIY. As guest of honour, Emily was given a proper dining chair beside Aidan, while Will sat opposite them on the same low stool he’d sat on as a child. The room was loud and hot, with everyone talking over each other, pulling crackers, and calling out the jokes. He’d always loved their big Irish family Christmases, but this year, he wished he was elsewhere.
After lunch, the family gathered in the sitting room to exchange gifts. Emily opened her present from Aidan – a simple gold bracelet. She was thrilled, kissing him on the lips in front of everyone. Aidan fastened the clasp, and she held out her arm for his aunt to take a photograph.
It didn’t suit her style at all.
Will remembered all the times in this very room Aidan had whinged about Will’s toys, never satisfied with his own. His parents would make them share, knowing Aidan would soon lose interest once he got his way. Aidan had only got Emily’s number because he noticed Will looking at her. How long before he tired of her?
Emily had bought presents for everyone.
When she handed him his gift, he felt terrible. ‘I didn’t get you anything…’
‘Don’t be silly.’ She waved a hand. ‘It’s only little.’
The parcel was indeed small, wrapped in white tissue paper and tied with red and white striped string. She watched as heopened it, revealing three tortoiseshell plectrums with varying patterns and colours. They were beautiful.
‘I think they’re vintage,’ she said.
Turning them over in his hands, he wondered who might have used them, what music they might have played. He looked up. She was waiting for his response but the thought of her choosing a gift for him and finding something so perfect threw him and all he could manage was a quiet: ‘Thank you.’
He held her in his gaze, and she let him. For a beat longer than he expected.
Later, the younger people took the dog for a walk by torchlight in the country lanes. They played parlour games into the evening until the older generation began dozing on the sofa and local family members headed home.
Will played a game of Monopoly with Aidan and Emily that went on long after everyone else had gone to bed. Aidan’s speech was slurred by the time he cheated his way to victory. He stood up to celebrate, but stumbled and fell to the floor in a shower of banknotes. They hauled him up from where he was wedged between two dining chairs and had to support him up the stairs.
When they dropped him onto the bed, he fell asleep immediately. Will helped wrestle him out of his jeans, groaning in disgust while Emily giggled at Aidan’s ability to sleep through the whole episode.
They stood looking at Aidan lying in his underwear on the bed, snoring.
‘Night cap?’ Will asked.
Emily sighed. ‘Okay. One more.’
She padded silently down the stairs behind him. The kitchen was lit only by the small light over the hob and the fairy lights in the window, giving the room a warm, festive glow. They perused the display of spirits on the counter.
‘What do you fancy?’ he asked.
She selected a bottle. ‘Gin and tonic, please.’
‘Coming right up.’
She leant against the counter while he fetched a couple of glasses and filled them with ice. He found the tonic in the fridge. ‘Slice of lemon?’ he asked.
‘Lime if you have it.’
He plucked a lime from the fruit bowl and cut a slice on the chopping board beside her.
‘Here.’ She took the lime from him. ‘Wedges are better.’