What Is Christmas Without You? (Watty Awards 2012)

Cole & Taylor

I know this shouldn't be a lonely time, but there were Christmases when you were mine.

(There's a flashback by the way so please be aware! (: )

-Cole & Taylor-

24th of December, Christmas Eve

Cole.

I haven't seen him for exactly two years. We used to have something so special, something so valuable – love. All of my single friends used to be so jealous of us. They whined about it every time.

It was everything I ever dreamt of, but funny how it died so fast when Cole and his mother had to move away from New York to California to take care of his ill father who had cancer.

Cole resisted at first, he even told his mom that he wouldn't go anywhere without me. How if anything happened to me, he wouldn't be there.

No matter how many times his mother tried to coax him, he wouldn't leave. He was stubborn. I mean, didn't he care about his ill father at all?

His mother couldn't go alone because leaving a sixteen year old boy in a house alone wouldn't do.

So one day, she came knocking on my door. I could still remember it so clearly like it was only yesterday...

"Are you Taylor?" Cole's mother asked.

I looked at her, worried. Her face was all red and it seemed like she just got out from a heated argument. It was obvious that she was angry. I was actually kind of nervous because I never talked to her before, and looking at her now, she looks like she was going to start throwing out all of her anger and frustration at me.

Well honestly, let's face it. Who wouldn't? It was my entire fault that Cole wouldn't leave – I was the main reason why.

I nodded my head hesitantly and fiddled with the hem of my shirt out of nervousness.

"I have never seen or talked to you before," she began, "but from what Cole has been saying, I agree. You're really beautiful and I'm sure you're an amazing person."

I bit my lip and smiled awkwardly. I'm never one with compliments. I'm always the shy and quiet one. Cole always seemed to take that advantage and tease me about it.

"But you should know about his father," She said and gave me a long sigh as she ran her fingers through her hair in dissatisfaction. I looked at her and waited for her to continue.

"Cole wouldn't leave!" she exclaimed. "I'm really worried about my husband. Cole is making this really hard for me. So I wish you could do me a favor. Please, for the sake of my family." She gave me those pleading eyes as her words entered my mind.

After she told me what to do, my heart ached, but I knew it was for the best. So I agreed and did exactly what she said.

I called Cole to come over to my place and when I did, I kept my voice as normal and casual as possible. He always comes over to my place and we would just chill out, chat and laugh. Sometimes we would watch movies late at night with popcorns and lots of blankets and pillows.

I remembered one time when we built a fort, I laughed until tears were streaming down my face because the fort we made consisting chairs, pillows and blankets came tumbling in seconds while Cole was still in there.

He threw a pillow at me for laughing at him and that's when we started having pillow fights.

My mother had to come down and call it a night because we were making too much noise but instead of sleeping, we whispered and chuckled softly until I finally dozed off in his arms.