A special day like Christmas calls for a special routine, am I right? I get ready like I do on any other day but once I'm out of my room, the Christmas sensation begins. It starts with the smell of peppermint hot chocolate that is only made on Christmas day. Then, you will notice the hum of Christmas music as you go down the stairs, favourites and new Christmas songs playing from the living room stereo. Routinely, I go to the kitchen and wait for brunch to be ready, saying merry Christmas to everyone as a greeting today instead of the usual good morning. Breakfast is different too, we have French toast rolls, apple and pecan pancakes and some fruit yoghurt too, a big brunch for all of us. After the brunch, we went to the leaving room and settled around the tree.
We pass the presents to each other first before we open them one by one and say our thanks and we spend the rest of the morning watching Christmas movies, Home Alone, Home Alone 2 and Merry Madagascar is played for Ally and Alicia who want to watch it again. We continue watching our favourite Christmas movies together until it's mid-afternoon and I decided that it is time to get ready the cookies.
I move myself from between Ally and Alicia and go to the kitchen to start baking, washing my hands and taking out the ingredients first.
"Do you need help?" I hear Cameron ask as he does, every year when I decide I am making something on Christmas.
"Are you actually going to help me this time?" I ask as I put my hands on my hips and look at him seriously.
He smiles at me cheekily, "Yes Cami, I'm going to help you this time."
"Alright then, help me find the cookie cutter," I say, giving him the easiest job to do.
I measure out some of the ingredients as Cameron goes and finds the cookie cutter.
"Next year, I want cinnamon cookies."
"Okay, but you'll have to remind me about that,"
"Here's the cutter," he says, placing it on the counter.
"Thanks,"
"Anything else can I do?"
"Hmm..." What could Cameron who sucks at baking do, "Nope,"
"Really?"
"Later, you can roll out the dough." I say and start mixing the ingredients together.
Once I mix everything together, I lay it on the counter for Cameron to knead and he does it properly with my instructions and I am surprised with how much he's cooperating. Once it's a nice consistenc, we press it into a thick flat disk and put it in the fridge. We'll get them ready before dinner.
*****
For our 'traditional' Christmas dinner here, we have bread pudding which Cameron kindly made for us and I made some bacon wrapped around potatoes with a mushroom sauce and Cameron and I whipped up some mac and cheese too for Alicia who didn't like mushrooms much. When we cleaned up from dinner, the four of us come together with the gingerbread dough and cut out the gingerbread together with the cookie cutters and making the excess into circle shapes. We place them in the oven and after ten minutes when they are done I take them out to let them cool. We eat them together afterwards, leaving some behind for mom and dad and I keep a few for Eugene. Just in case.
I make hot chocolate for the rest of us as we snuggle together on our couch and chill out to Christmas songs while waiting for mom and dad to end their date. The continuous buzz of my phone gets my attention and I pick up the call, thinking that it is mom or dad.
"Hello," I greet happily.
" Camilla,"
"Euge-"
"Can you meet me at the park?"
"Ok," is all I say even though there is so much more I want to say to him.
I move from my seat on the couch and put on my coat by the door and take my keys.
"I'm going out for a bit," I say.
"Are you taking the cookies?" Cameron reminds me and I rush into the kitchen to take the bag of cookies before going out of the house. I walk down the street and cross the road to the park. I walk around a little at first, dazed by my rushing movements and slow down to take a careful look as I look around the park for his familiar face.
I'm looking around, walking along the side of the park, thinking that he might not be here after all but then, I see his car and walking away from it is him.
"Eugene," I call, just to make sure, to check if I'm hallucinating because all of a sudden, I'm feeling a million things at once and when he turns around and I see his face and the smile that jumps onto it, my heart leaps out of my chest and I run to him and he's running too and when we're in front of each other, I'm not sure why but we stand looking at each other for a split second as my mind seems to go blank but my arms start snaking around him, pulling him to me and his arms go to my butt and hoist me up as my legs go around his waist and he hugs me and I feel a surge of happiness I hadn't felt in a while and when he kisses me, I can't get enough. We pull back and he lets me stand on my feet as our lips touch again and he kisses me gently this time, slow passionate kisses but he pulls back and he locks his eyes with mine.
"I want to tell you so much right now. From why I've been gone to telling you how it feels to be with you but I think I can only say these few words though they might not do my feelings justice. Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Since the day you were with me when I was broken, the answer has been yes." I say and he takes me into another kiss.
We part away slowly and Eugene looks at me with a small smile and I know it before he says it.
"I've got to go,"
"Okay," I say, and we walk back to his car.
"Are those for me?" he asks, gesturing to the gingerbread men.
"Yeah," I say, handing them to him.
He gets into the car and drives off, leaving just as fast as he came.
YOU ARE READING
First Term Love Story
Teen Fiction"Let's play a game." He offers. "Okay, what game?" "It's called, 3 truths and 1 lie." "Oh... How do you play?" I ask. "I'll give you four statements, one...
