Kaden's Luna

Chapter Twenty-One

After breakfast, we retreat to the sitting room. I sit by the tree as this year it is my duty to pass everyone their presents. I watch with a smile as my Mum stares at the jewellery Nick and I bought her with awe.

She exclaims that she loves it and thanks us before moving onto the present Dad bought for her. I pass Dad the big wrapped box which is from Nick and he smirks, shaking it jokingly to guess what it was. As he rips the wrapping paper his eyes widen when the Lego set is revealed.

"It's the museum your mother and I went to in New York!" He states happily, excitement in his brown eyes as he stares down at the box with wonder.

I pass him my presents and he tells me how much he loves them, leaning over to press a kiss to my forehead. Mum hands him a wrapped gift and he opens it up to find what he says he has been wanting for months but it was mostly sold out. Nick opens my presents and tackles me for the second time today but this time, it was for a hug. His smile is so wide as he's talking animatedly about the video game I bought him and how he needed a new holdall or a bag.

The last one to open their presents is me. I take the first one which is from Nick and rip away the wrapping paper to find a purse from one of the high-end brands I like. Gasping at how he managed to figure out the exact one I wanted, I pull him into a hug and thank him. Dad has bought me a perfume and a necklace, which I wear immediately, and my Mum has bought me a book by my favourite author, a gold bracelet which I fall in love with instantly and a makeup product. I thank both my parents and get up to give them a hug.

We lounge around for the rest of the day, having a late lunch. The television plays with Christmas movies and Nick and I are wrapped up in blankets having a marathon of old classics. As we are doing that, I send Christmas wishes to my friends and Kaden, smiling at their instant replies. Kaden's text makes butterflies flutter in my tummy and I try hard not to squeal.

Kaden: Merry Christmas, angel. I miss you, can't wait for you to come back.

Luna: I miss you too, I can't wait to see you again!

I sigh in content and lean back against the couch, bringing the blanket closer to my neck. Even though I'm halfway through my holidays, I miss him terribly. It's like there is a slight ache in my chest whenever I think about him...and that was most of the time.

***

Sometime around early evening, my Mum calls me to help her make the food. I make my way into the kitchen and meet her by the cooker as she starts to prep for tonight's dinner. We all help her with preparing the food before Dad and Nick go out to get some wood for the fire whilst Mum and I rest.

At around half six in the evening, we make our way into the kitchen for dinner. Because my mother is from Britain and my father from Australia, we have mixed dishes for our Christmas dinner. They were college sweethearts as both decided to study in America, relocating to The Netherlands when I was sixteen years old. All of us know how to speak Dutch but my Dad and I are the only ones who can speak German. 

Dad and I had placed green foliage with candles, pinecones and berries in the centre as decoration pieces so the dining table is looking very festive right now. I get a bit of everything and pile it onto my plate, loving the smell of the kitchen. We spend quite some time in the kitchen, eating and drinking as we chat about random things and our plans for tomorrow.

We move into the sitting room after to relax and have some dessert Mum and I had prepared. I had made a delicious current bread with a paste of ground almonds in the middle of each slice. It was a Dutch favourite and Mum had taught me how to make it last winter. Nick had insisted on apple beignets, even though they are traditionally served at New Year's Eve in Amsterdam, so we had that on the coffee table too along with Christmas cookies. We watch 'Home Alone,' as we munch on the desserts, it was one movie that I never get tired of.