Facade Of Perfectionism

Chapter 13~It's Time for Christmas☆

Warning: This chapter contains content that might be triggering to some readers as it involves recollection of traumatic events and mention of a certain phobia.
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Before we knew it, it was time for Christmas. I was officially discharged from my home quarantine and was granted permission to leave the house as I pleased. Shawn's family was supposed to visit our house this evening and so I bought three extra gifts than usual like I always did. I really wish that they like them.

I wandered around my room, constantly checking if I looked alright or not. I wore a sleeveless wide black and white striped crop top with a lemon yellow skirt with a bow knot belt and paired it with white platform high heels. 

Am I looking fat? Is it too much? Or am I underdressed? Is this going with my hairstyle? Are the shoes too casual? Ugh, 
Shut up!

My conflicting thoughts were disrupted by the sudden echo of the doorbell. I mentally confirmed the dress and without letting a second thought rummage through my head, I headed downstairs to receive the guests.

My mom welcomed Shawn's family and greeted them with warmth as she invited them in. Chloe held her dad's hands while Shawn carried the boxes of gifts. He wore a dark grey t-shirt and a deep blue denim jacket with black ripped jeans from the knee and paired them with navy blue sneakers. His hair was disheveled as usual but that was one of the many things that made him more attractive.

His eyes wandered around the house and a wide smile spread across his face as his eyes landed upon me.

We all gathered in the living room, talking, and having a great time. The atmosphere simply made me feel happy; people I loved gathered around; Christmas songs playing in the background; the house was as bright as stars because of all the fairy lights decorations and the Christmas tree dressed beautifully with presents filled up underneath. 

The table was set up magnificently. The tablecloth was a deep red color with gorgeous swirly gold designs. On top of that were a little Christmas tree and a sparkly candle in the middle. Shiny silverware was wrapped in green cloth napkins, sitting next to the plates. Mom brought the best part of the evening now: the food! I woke up in the morning with excitement from the aroma hitting my nostrils of my mom cooking in the kitchen. 

I helped my mom to carry all the food to the table. We all sat on our seats, mumbling our prayer in unison. And then we started to talk and enjoyed the food. Not only did it smell great, but it also tasted delicious! 

After the feast, we all gathered in the living room and started exchanging and unwrapping our gifts.

"I hope you bought something badass for me," Shawn said as he started to unwrap my gift.

I really hoped that he liked it.

I bought him two watches. Well, actually one for him and the other one for me. The quote was one of my favorites. ‘In life, it's not where you go, It's who you go with.’

I asked the horologist to sculpt them differently so that the former watch always needs the latter watch to be complete. I didn't know if that sounded silly but I wanted it in a way that they both needed each other to complete each other, just like us. He was everything that I wasn't. In our own messed-up way, we both complemented each other. Although, I highly doubted I would ever be able to explain that to him.

He looked at it for a while before turning back to me, looking up at me to explain to him the meaning of it.

"I thought you might like it and that quote is a life teaching quote. I just liked it the very instant my eyes landed on them." I fibbed.