Airplanes | Spruceworth 6.1 | Wattys2019

Chapter 41: Christmas Eve Eve

       As Grant and I were walking through the village, I intertwined my hand in his, trying to work up the courage to ask Grant why he wasn't going to spend Christmas with his mom. I knew there was a very small chance that he would actually get mad at me for asking but there was still a part of me that was worried he would get mad.

       Grant must have known I was worrying about it because he said, "Now it's my turn to ask if you're okay. Are you?"

       "Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

       "So... Why does it look like something's bothering you?" Grant asked.

       I sighed. "Because I'm worried about you."

       Grant stopped in his tracks so he could look at me, his eyebrows furrowed. "What's there to worry about? I'm okay. Perfectly fine. If this is about my addiction..."

       "It's not," I interrupted. "It's..." I hesitated before I continued. "It's about why you're not going to spend Christmas with your mom."

       Grant didn't answer for a while. He just looked at the ground. I thought he wasn't going to answer and just change the subject or told me he didn't want to talk about it.

       I thought I would make things easier for him by saying, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to talk about it. I just want to make sure you're okay."

       "Tara... She did ask if I wanted to spend Christmas with them," Grant said. "But I don't think I'm ready to spend Christmas with another family since it's my first one without my dad. And even though I have spent time with my family on my mom's side, I'm still getting used to the fact that they're my family."

       "Spending Christmas with them might help you with that," I pointed out.

       Grant sighed. "I know. I know. But... I still don't think I can do it. Last year, I was happily celebrating with my dad and my sister and my little brothers. Celebrating with Tara and Lawrence and my other brothers will make me feel like I'm replacing them. So... I was kind of hoping I'd try making happy memories this year first by celebrating with my boyfriend. Is that okay?"

       "Grant, of course that's okay," I said. "That's more than okay."

       Grant smiled softly at me. "Sometimes, I wonder what the hell I did to get such an amazing boyfriend."

       "You're joking, right?" I asked. "You're the most amazing person ever. You were there for me when I was trying so hard to hide my drinking problem. You figured it out and instead of ignoring it, you helped me through it. If anything, I'm the one wondering how I got such an amazing boyfriend."

       "I guess we both got lucky," Grant said before gave me a lingering kiss then pulling me into a hug. "I love you so much, Ollie."

       "I love you too, Grant," I said, hugging him back. 

       I still couldn't believe there was a time in my life where I didn't even want to live here in Spruceworth. I thought I would rather live with Dad in the city, sticking to my old life as much as possible. I didn't realize how much better it was for me to live here.

       I was happy I decided to live here with Dad. I got better friends who helped me make better choices. I no longer made stupid decisions only to get in a bunch of trouble.

       And I met the most amazing guy in the who world. I didn't know what my life would be like right now if I never met Grant. If anything, I'd probably still be hiding my drinking problem. He was the one who encouraged me to try and get sober. He was the motivation I needed.