Page 4 of Re-Writing Christmas

June shook her head as she thought it over.“I think he called me after Trevor died.I can’t remember what we talked about because my mind was all over the place.And before that… probably Christmas.He did always phone us at Christmas.”

I grabbed the mince pies out of the microwave because I could hear them starting to bubble.“I guess you need to reconnect.”

“If he’ll forgive me for what I said to him.”She looked up at me as I handed her pies over.“This has just been a big shock.Perhaps I’ll ring his parents and see if they know anything more about why he came here.”

We tucked into our Christmas treats, swiftly changing the subject to more pleasant things like the weekend Christmas market we were planning to go to on Sunday.June had been going with Trevor for as long as the Christmas market had been running, and I’d promised to go with her this year, so she wasn’t alone.

Unless Donovan had something to say about that too.

I stayedwith June for another hour before heading home to order myself a pizza and relax.The TV was on in the background as I sat beside my white light-lit Christmas tree.A ripple of giddy joy shot through me knowing Christmas was on its way.I had no plans for the following day, which meant a lie-in, followed by a totally lazy day.Sunday was market day, and then it was fun stuff at school before the holidays.Although there was still plenty of work to do, it somehow felt better with carols echoing down the hallways and festive displays in the classrooms—many of which I had a hand in.

The doorbell sounded, breaking me from my glee-filled trance.I’d long since finished my pizza, and very rarely did anyone visit unannounced.It was just past eight p.m., which wasn’t late, but probably too late for anyone trying to sell me something.I glanced down at my super sexy Marvel pjs, hoping it wasn’t anyone important.

Getting off the sofa, I went to the door, flicking on the hall light.Through the frosted glass at the top of the door, the outline of a head was visible, but that didn’t tell me much.

I opened the door a fraction, peering around the frame.My jaw nearly unhinged when I saw Donovan standing there, hands in his pockets, shuffling from foot to foot.I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or because… well, I had no idea.

“Hi,” I said, unable to disguise the hint of incredulity in my voice.I kept myself partially shielded behind the door as I wasn’t sure whether he was here to be friendly or was about to accuse me of something else I had no intention of doing.

“Hi.”An awkward expression somewhere between a smile and a grimace crossed his face.“I owe you an apology.”My eyebrows rose, but before I could say anything, he added, “I’ve been driving around, trying to get my head straight for hours.I haven’t even been back to my nan’s yet.”

I could feel my brows creeping higher up my forehead.He must have done some serious soul-searching to visit me before going home.

“I’m sorry for taking my frustration with myself out on you,” he continued, pushing his hands further into his jacket pockets.The denim wasn’t nearly enough to protect him from the icy chill outside that was beginning to creep into my house.“It wasn’t your fault, and I should have kept my mouth shut.”

Whether it was the Christmas spirit I’d been basking in or something else, a rush of empathy for him washed over me.He looked so uncomfortable standing there, not to mention he was puffing out little clouds of cold breath into the air.

“Do you want to come in?”I asked, opening the door a little wider and instantly regretting it when the cold breeze blew right inside.

“Erm… yeah.Sure.”

As he stepped inside, I felt like an idiot.Why the hell did you say that?What else is left to say now he’s apologised?But for whatever reason, Ihadsaid it, and now we were both standing awkwardly in my hallway.

I noticed him looking at my attire and couldn’t help laughing, running my hands through my hair and pushing it back out of my face.“Yeah, I wasn’t really expecting anyone to stop by.”

Donovan chuckled and, for just a moment, a chink appeared in his frosty armour.His smile was slightly lopsided and caused his eyes to crinkle at the corners and the blue of his irises to sparkle.“I’m sorry.I just… I wanted to clear the air.”His face grew serious again.“Not that it’s any excuse, but I only got to the UK yesterday after travelling for forty-eight hours, and even though I’m knackered, I’m too wired to sleep.It’s making me say stuff without thinking it through.”

Now I was getting the chance to look at him properly, I could see a hint of the dark circles under his eyes, and he ran a hand through his hair.

“Apology accepted,” I told him.“Let’s just start over.Do you want a drink?”

He hesitated for a moment, opening his mouth as if to decline, but then he said, “Yeah.That would be great, thanks.”

Chapter4

Donovan

Perhaps it waspity that made her invite me in for a drink.I was exhausted and probably looked pathetic, but I’d wanted to apologise for what I’d said to her earlier, and I didn’t want it hanging over me all night.The last thing I needed was something else to feel bad about.I wasn’t sure what my excuse was for agreeing to a drink, though.Since I’d pissed her off on our first meeting, I didn’t imagine she’d have much to say to me, unless my nan had given her some ammunition; I had no idea what was said about me after I left.

Still, she was cute, even in her pyjamas.Too bad she was already pre-prepared to dislike me.

Nan’s neighbour—whose name I hadn’t got yet—made each of us a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows; something I hadn’t had in years.While it was a little juvenile, I was just grateful she hadn’t thrown it at me.

She led me through to her living room, which was decorated with simple frosted pink and silver baubles on her tree, and a few pale pink hanging ceiling decorations.Very nineties retro.The room’s warmth shrouded us, some of the lingering chill dissipating as we sat down.We situated ourselves at opposite ends of her sofa, and a slight awkwardness descended over the room.

“So,” she began.“What are your plans for the next few weeks?”

I raised an eyebrow, surprised she hadn’t pushed more about why I was less than pleasant to her earlier.Shehadsaid we should start over, but even so… I’d expected her to want some kind of explanation for my attitude.

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