HELLO EVERYONE!
** THERE'S AN IMPORTANT A/N BELOW! **
[mature language.]
---
CHRISTMAS DAY
Here Giselle and I were, stood in front of Nadine's front door for our annual Christmas dinner. And, of course, I was the one who had to carry the two bags full of gifts for everyone. Giselle was well and truly pregnant, her ankles swelled more day by day and she slept more than anyone I'd ever seen before. She used her clumsy ways and pregnancy as an excuse for almost anything.
I couldn't wait for her lazy ass to give birth. There'd be no more excuses from then on!
Oh, and I did want to see my nephew.
"Aren't you going to press the door bell, Sahara? Or are we just gonna stand here all day?" Giselle asked, one hand on her hip.
"Are you seriously asking me that question right now? Can you not see these bags that you filled my hands with?" I held the bags up a little higher.
"Goodness Sahara." She huffed, pressing the doorbell herself. "You could've put them down."
I shook my head at my sister in disbelief before trying not to barge past her. She'd been a real pain the last week, I felt like a stressed out mother.
"Merry Christmas!" Nadine shrieked as she opened the door, before sucking us both in for one of her renown bear hugs. She looked adorable in a knitted Rudolf Christmas sweater and, somehow, a sparkly Santa hat.
"Merry Christmas to you too!" Giselle and I replied in sync. She opened the door for us to step in and, immediately I felt a rush of Christmas spirit. The hall was lit by Christmas scented candles small decorations were attached to the walls — a parade of red's and gold's.
"Sahara give me the bags so I can put them under the tree whilst we eat." Nadine beamed, taking the gifts from my hands and running to the living room with them. "The food this year is especially delicious, if I do say so myself.
"You don't have to tell me twice." Giselle called back, barging past me to head into the kitchen.
----
"Okay you two, gather around the table—the dinner will be served shortly. " Adam informed us, looking slightly stressed. Nadine had been calling orders out at him for thirty minutes, having him dashing around the apartment in a hurry. "Sahara, Nadine says you already know this but..."
"I have to stay away from the kitchen." I rolled my eyes playfully, "I know, I know!"
Nadine dashed over to the dining area. "I'll never forget you setting my kitchen on fire."
"I understand, I'll stay here! Sitting in front of the warm fireplace with this hot chocolate is way more fun." I responded, sipping my hot chocolate once more and leaning back in my chair, satisfied.
Nadine strutted out again with her green apron on and a spatula in her hand. "Do you want to eat today or not? Because quite frankly, I can throw your servings in the trash—"
"Okay fine! I'm sorry, I'm going to sit down at the table nicely." I held my hands up in defence.
Nadine had always been a perfectionist. Whether it were our seventh grade project, redesigning her apartment or even cooking Christmas dinner — anything less than perfect was unnaceptable for her. That was exactly why the food of the night was some of the best I'd eaten in such a long time.
The dining table was almost surreal: she had chosen a white sheet to coat the table, with small gold accents. And, as everybody's nameplate, she had our childhood pictures. Cutlery was placed perfectly, there were candles and light music playing in the background. Sometimes I wondered whether or not she was more suitable for my job than I was.
"Here we go guys!" Nadine and Adam entered together, carrying our food on gold plates. "This is my favourite part of Christmas!"
Adam chuckled, "I'm not surprised, Nadine."
We began eating at once in a comfortable silence, Giselle and Nadine both seeming to be in their element.
My plate looked amazing: I had a lovely piece of lamb smack bang in the middle of my plate, surrounded by roasted potatoes, collard greens, broccoli, stuffing and every other traditional Christmas food possible.
"This is heavenly, Nadine. How'd you do these greens? Your cooking has impro—" it was half way through my sentence that I realised that Nadine wasn't listening. She and Adam were mid conversation.
"Nadine? Nadine?"
"Yeah, Sahara? Sorry..." she turned to me, giggling from something Adam had said to her.
"It's cool, I was just—" I paused. "Don't worry."
I froze for a moment, not only forgetting what I was saying but also thinking about Isiah. Nadine and Adam were spending this holiday together and I was without him. It was a real shame.
I really wanted to see him, to hear his voice...
"You were totally going to say something!" Nadine noticed.
"I was just saying how good the collard greens were..." My voice trailed off.
"Oh, that's it?"
"Yeah?" I lied.
Nadine raised an eyebrow, "Sahara, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." I shook my head. Nadine rolled her eyes at me and, instead, waited for the real answer. "Okay. Something... everything."
She stood up at once, "Adam, could you give us a minute?"
I don't even know why I was complaining, I had always celebrated Christmas with Nadine and everyone else, without a man, and I had always been fine.
But not this Christmas.
As soon as Adam left the room, Nadine crossed her arms.
"It's him, isn't it?"
I offered her a humourless smile. "How'd you guess?"
"It always is." She answered. "I know how much he means to you, Sahara."
"Something happened yesterday but..." I sighed. "It's Christmas, I don't want to bother you."
"Why? What happened last night?" Nadine crossed her arms, ignoring my previous worries.
"Well... I went to their house for Christmas Eve. Penelope turned up because Isiah invited her, and so I was angry at him for that. Then, she decided to expose the hell out of us to his whole family."
"She did what? Sahara I told you to let me finish her when we saw her at the shopping mall!" Nadine's jaw dropped and I noticed at once her slightly annoyed look turn into a much more fiery one.
"I know, but Isiah put her in line. She was silenced and he told her to leave immediately and stuff, but I was angry at him despite all of this because, you know, he never believed me when I told him everything."
"Yeah, I mean I understand where you're coming from—trust is so important. He should've trusted you when you told him about that bitch!"
"Exactly."
"But guys are dumb, Sahara. Especially nice guys like him — they don't want to be rude to anyone." She told me, which made sense. "His intentions weren't, like, because he wanted to see her."
"Woah, woah, woah..." I laughed. "Since when did you become the relationship guru? Adam has fully transformed you."
"He most definitely has. But we're not perfect, Sahara. We're just like you and Isiah, we have our fights..." She trailed off, looking as though her mind was elsewhere for a second. "I've grown up."
"I thought I was better off too. Now I just don't know." I shrugged.
"You're so much happier, though. Apart from today because you're currently at my Christmas dinner moping in front of your plate." She chuckled, "But here's my advice. Go home, right now, and call the guy, okay?" Nadine said sweetly.
"I— I don't know..." I chewed on my lip.
"It'll be okay, yeah?" She assured me. "If you're missing him, he has to be missing you."
"Okay. I'm going to fix things with him, you're right." I confirmed.
"Yes! Fix it girl!" Nadine jumped up, grabbing my plate. "And don't you worry. I've always got back up containers for food." She winked, before heading off to grab me one.
----
I was going to call him in ten minutes. That was what I had decided.
When I got home, I slipped into something comfortable and made some coffee before I thought about the situation. It took me a while but eventually I picked up my phone, ready to call him. However, I was cut off by the knocking of my apartment door.
"Coming!" I called.
"Sahara, it's me."
Isiah.
Without hesitation, I smiled. It was instinct, I was excited to see him.
It took almost every ounce of will power to compose myself again before I opened the door— if we were going to talk this out, I had to be serious.
When I looked up, Isiah was stood at the other side of the door. He avoided eye contact with me, held on tightly to the long, square shaped gift he held in his hands. It was wrapped up in silver paper with a cute little bow attached to the side. I watched as he offered me a cordial smile.
"Hi, Sahara. Merry Christmas," he looked at me."Could I..." He motioned to the door.
I opened it up a little, allowing him to come in. The words had been well and truly snatched from me, I had no idea what to say.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Isiah." I greeted him, awkwardly. "I was going to call.."
He seemed surprised, "You were? I also wanted to talk to you too, but you go first..."
"You sure?" I asked. "We'd better sit down."
I lead him into the living room and sat down on the couch next to him. We were both thinking the same thing, I could tell: I hope this goes well.
"Right, yeah." He nodded.
"Okay so, Isiah I just wanted to say that I'm so—"
"Don't apologize, Sahara. What happened yesterday was all my fault, if I had listened to you, trusted you, when I was supposed to." He shook his head. "I just don't understand how she pulled this off."
I crossed my arms, "Yeah. Well I did say that to you."
He shook his head. "I'm so sorry."
There was a long stretch of silence between the two of us.
"I know your intentions aren't bad, don't worry." I said, "just promise me that you'll believe in me more often, yeah? I wouldn't lie to you out of jealousy or something. I'm not like that."
"I promise."
"You know after you left, I got grilled for letting you go." He'd said. "I was just so mad, I didn't want to take anything out on you at all."
I stayed silent, allowing him to elaborate.
"I never want you to feel like that again. Never." He'd grabbed onto my hands, "Sahara, please accept my apology."
"I— I... yeah, of course. " I hid a smile.
He grinned at me, giving me butterflies as per usual with that smile. "I want to give you something."
"Give me what?"
"Yesterday, I wasn't quite able to give you my gift during the whole 'present giving ceremony', but I really want you to have it." he said, reaching behind the couch and bringing out a large wrapped up square thing as well as a note that I never noticed before.
"I hope you like it."
He handed me the folded letter which I quickly unravelled and began reading.
Sahara,
I could buy you a million diamonds, necklaces... rings and it would never equate to how much you mean to me. I never really knew what it was like to have someone who could inspire me to become a better man. After everything that has happened in the last two months, the only thing I want from now, is for you to be the happiest you've ever been, and for me to be with you every step of the way. So I hope this cuts it, I hope that everything I ever do from this point on gives you more and more reasons to love what we have. From now on, I swear to you... things will be how you want them to be.
Love always,
Isiah.
As soon as I'd read the note, my eyes lingered on the square gift and I grabbed it in my hands, before tearing off the paper. It was a thick silver frame with an artistic collage of Isiah and I. All the pictures here had been taken during our date.
"D'ya like it?" Isiah smiled, his dimples emerging.
"Isiah... I love it." I said, lost for words.
It was beautiful, and so were the memories rushing back into my head.
...I was stood with my back to him, staring at his trophies and had just managed to face him with a slight smile when he snapped the picture, and grinned, looking proud of the picture he'd taken.
"Look at you looking all beautiful," he said, looking down at the camera.
"No, delete it! I wasn't ready."
"It's cute."
"Nope, get rid." I crossed my arms, but couldn't help but smile at Isiah, he did after all, look incredibly cute with the camera in his hands. However, unluckily for me he'd quickly grabbed the camera and took yet another picture of me. "Isiah! I wasn't ready again!"
He only laughed at me, raising the camera, too high for me to reach, "Trust the photographer, Sahara! Okay, let's take some together." Isiah came back over to me and wrapped his arm over my shoulder.
Instinctively, I found myself resting my head on his shoulder and before I knew it, the picture had been taken.
"I took some of my best pictures that night." he said, looking down, somewhat shy.
"And that was one of my best nights. Thank you so much," I said, walking towards Isiah, who wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head.
As soon as he'd let me go, I leaned in properly this time and kissed him, laughing to myself as I took him off guard. I didn't want to let go of him, I didn't want him to leave me.
"What're you doing to me, S?" He chuckled to himself, "I've never been a sentimental guy..."
We stayed in silence together, hugging and taking in the situation.
"Be mine Sahara," He said at once. "Be my girlfriend this time. For real, no hiding. No secrets..."
"What?" I looked up at him.
"I don't want us to hide it anymore. Everyone in the universe should know that I'm probably the happiest I've ever been right now." he said, pulling himself in closer to me. "What do you think?"
I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Hmph. I would love to have everyone know that I have this handsome man as my own. Maybe then, I'll have the authority to slap the next bitch that tries it with you..."
Isiah laughed, "You don't understand how much I like this. I like when we're together, when you're happy."
I pressed my forehead against his, "I like it, too."
"Girl, come here," he said, pulling me in for a much steamier kiss.
And to be honest, I can't remember how long we were kissing for.
All I know was that it felt great.
----
HELLO EVERYONE!
So, this A/N is important...
Recently, it has been known that certain people are unhappy with the use of swearing in our book. Now, we thought we'd kind of explain why we actually use them:
So... our characters are in their mid twenties living in New York City and aren't living perfect lives. They're humans! It would be totally weird if we kind of made Sahara a saint, right? We're going to start pre-warning because we know it bothers some of ya'll.
But, honestly, if you cant handle the swearing... this isn't the book for you!
With that said, it's only particular people who have said things. We know MOST of you are completely fine with it, and that makes us super relieved!
ANYWAYS, ONTO BETTER TOPICS..
Thank you so much for 9K! It came about so quickly, I'm glad it was in time with our next update. We love communicating with you all so be sure to keep voting and commenting (we always reply to our inboxes, too!)
OH, AND...
We may or may not be looking for a new cover — certain people have been stealing our cover! We don't know if it's a coincidence or what but users (e.g. @kadyaiko) have very similar covers. Hm...
If anyone would be willing to make us one, drop us an inbox or leave a message on our message board!
APOLOGIES for the long A/N. Thank you all for reading!
See you next week,
-Rayeshaa.