Valerie stared at the flustered looking Sebastian.
Hadn't they told her that it was his plan to arrange this whole 'Christmas Eve dinner'-thing? What had he been doing? Nova was already there so he wouldn't have been with her. She sighed, then drifted her eyes apart as he caught her gaze.
She was going to make this a great night.
The Davis twins had decorated their house perfectly. The chandelier had been covered with bells and fake tree leaves. A huge Christmas tree was set up beside the fireplace and beside it were little gifts and some had-knitten sweaters. There was no place to deny the fact that the place looked absolutely ethereal.
When Valerie had arrived, she had noticed that there were atleast a hundred little light-bulbs and decorative snowflakes. The third floor had a bunch of mistletoe growing through the nearby trees and doorways in its balcony. When she had gone up there this evening, she had felt like she could fly. The snowflakes had clung to her crimson head wearing a scarlet cap and were probably stuck up there still.
It was the lightest she had felt in weeks.
After they all settled down, Dahlia turned on the speakers. A familiar tune blasted from them, and before she could know what she was doing, her lips were mouthing along to the lyrics of Last Christmas.
Due to Sebastian arriving late, they decided to postpone the time of dinner from half-past eight to ten.
The rest of the evening was spent in a blur of wine and music as they chatted away. They talked about anything they could think of, avoiding all the serious talk
When it was time to finally have dinner, they all sat down at the table. Valerie was well aware about Trevor's culinary skills, so she didn't hesitate and started at once.
After finishing her first bite, she realised all eyes were on her.
"What?" She asked, swallowing the bits of beef.
Then they all burst out laughing. This day was too good to be true, but here it was.
"Nothing, you just look like a hungry pigeon." Julian said wiping the crumbs at her lips with a tissue. She tried to glare with all her might at the moment, but obviously failed which caused another chuckle to escape his lips.
"A hungry pigeon? Seriously Julian?"
"Yep" he nodded, beaming widely.
She focused on her food again. The cool December air blew in through the open window near the long table. She shivered slightly, her cheeks were stained red due to wine and the weather. Her lips chapped but never tired to strike up another conversation.
She had the sudden feeling someone was watching her. Her eyes snapped to Dahlia's left in the opposite direction of the table. She met his eyes. Saw his hazel irises seeing through her. A small smile playing at his lips. His dark hair ruffled and he had snowflakes in his eyelashes.
Her breathing hitched. Good lord. How could she hear her heartbeats?
She returned an uneasy smile, then focused on finishing her meal.
-
Valerie paced around the little balcony on the third floor. The town looked magnificent tonight, the trees surrounding the house looked like a pathway to the heavens. It was only a few minutes before Christmas could strike.
The door flew open. A man walked to her.
She kept her brown eyes at his face. His expression peaceful.
"How did you like it tonight?" He said coming up beside her.
"It was wonderful. " Valerie smiled.
He blinked back at her. Then his hands went on to his trouser pockets. He took out a small piece of parchment paper and handed it to her. She proceeded to unfold it, but he placed his hands over her. Then shook his head.
"Open it on new year, " he whispered.
They paused, taking in each other's features.
"This scenery is breathtaking, isn't it?" Sebastian's breath lingered in the air, his voice clung to her ears like newfound hope.
She nodded, a small smile emerging from her lips. His eyes travelled to them. A deep desire shot through her veins and it was painfully hard to avoid it.
Before she could get a glimpse of what was coming, the man leaned in. The same man with whom she had once bickered everyday. The one who challenged her to horse racing, the man who had stayed with her when she had an accident, the man who had introduced her to the vast library in his house, the man who had once whispered in her ears and had taken her soul to an enchanted world, just to teach her to pour her heart out to the simple keys of a piano, the man who had unknowingly conquered a place in her heart, maybe the most concealed place.
Their lips connected, their mouths moved in sync, his hands travelled down her waist. She gripped the wall beside her, her other hand wrapped around is neck. She had long stopped looking at the view of the town ahead for the most beautiful things were to be felt too. She felt her feet move backwards, then her back was slammed against the dangerously low railings.
Did she care? No. A voice echoed in her head. She had long fallen, she knew the feeling. And she won't fall today for she was in his arms. She let go of her hold on wall beside and traced her fingers on his chest.
She could feel his heart vibrating wildly inside those layers of skin and bones beneath his black jumper. It felt like it could get out any second. Her own heart felt like it would jump out of herself.
She was releasing rapid breaths now, and everytime he kissed her again, his breath felt like fire burning her skin. His head then dropped to one side, his lips met her neck and then her collarbone. She continued inhaling air like never before.
Was all of it worth it? All those months of pent up desire, that craving had broken free, bursting out of their veins, radiating from their skin. The feeling of his body pressed against hers was all she could have wished for.
Sebastian paused, panting. Both of them had their eyes closed, their souls intertwined by the winds.
A soft bell rang over the town, then there were hundreds of them. The grandfather clock inside chimed with delight. The boy and the girl opened their eyes and looked up at each other.
"Its Christmas," Valerie barely whispered.
"Well then Merry Christmas, love, " Sebastian whispered back to her.
And then their lips met again, the cold Christmas night caused goosebumps on every inch of her body. Her hands were on his cheeks now, they went slower this time, feeling every little thing they could. The mistletoe grew above them like newfound love.
☆♤◇♡◇♧☆
Felix had a achieved a lot of things in life.
His brother's trust however, wasn't one of them.
He had been reading those articles all over again. Trying to remember the horrors of his past. He didn't know which one to believe anymore. Maybe it was his fault he had trusted him, the moment when he handed him his papers still haunted him in his worst of nightmares.
His phone rang. He picked it up and looked at the caller ID.
Nova Scott.
Don't ask for help. A voice rung in his head. You know she had gone through enough. Nevertheless, he swiped to accept the call.
"Lix? Are you alright?" A gentle voice rang from the other end.
For a moment Felix remained silent, taking in the tenderness of her soft voice, the melodies of it filling his mind with a feeling of intense happiness, happiness he knew wouldn't last much longer. Soon, they'd no longer know each other, become mere strangers again. His worst ever fear would come to life once again after two and a half-years.
"Lix? You there?" She asked again, breaking him from his cloud of thoughts.
"Yes, yeah. I'm okay. " He replied bluntly.
"You don't sound so, do you need me to come over?"
"No, I'm absolutely fine. Really, you don't need to travel miles right now. Enjoy your day."
"But I wanted to spend the day with you dear."
"Its alright, we'll meet up later if we can."
"Where? Are we meeting on New Year's Day?" He chuckled as his ears caught the smile in her voice.
"Yep, and that day, we clear everyone's doubts, all the misunderstandings, the fights, the dark past, everything. And that day, dear, we can again be each other's abode. The shelter we longed for so much, the happiness we had searched for in so many people. But if everything messes up, maybe we will see each other again in another life, or maybe time will heal everything someday."
She drew a deep breath, then exhaled, "Alright. Meet you on that day. Till then, Merry Christmas, Lix"
"Merry Christmas to you too, Nova" Felix said finally.
He knew, he was ready to give up on her if she wasn't safe with him. But he had no idea, she was what he needed the most and he was her light admist of all the darkness.
☆♤◇♡◇♧☆
A /N :
Phew! I finally finished this chapter!
I think this is the longest I have taken to publish a chapter, but here I am! I've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately, actually.
Hope you like this one! I put a lot of effort on this. And don't forget to vote. I'd really appreciate it.
Byee.