CHRISTMAS IS SUPPOSE to be a time of giving and cherishing your love ones. And, I mean, I get that. But honestly I'm just here for the food.
Noah took pleasure in waking us all up this morning while screeching his rendition of Jingle Bells and adorning a dollar store Santa costume. I was startled, to say the least, as I flipped out of bed and face planted into the wooden floorboards.
Somehow, he managed to gather everyone in the living room. We were all still half asleep and dressed in our pyjamas as we collapsed onto the comfy sofas surrounding the overly decorated tree. What was suppose to be a star at the top of the tree was now a printed copy of Spencer's smiling face because as he put it he's "the motherfucking star."
Bare in mind this was at eleven o'clock last night and he was shit face drunk.
"YOU LOOK LIKE a middle aged soccer mom currently going through her fifth mid-life crisis." Levi remarks monotonously as Noah continues to parade around the living room. He pauses, juts out his hip like a model at the end of a runway would do, and glare at his best friend over the top of his glasses.
"Words can't hurt me, these shades a gucci." Noah retorts before readjusting the gift Vera had bought him on the bridge of his nose. I laugh at him, yawning and recline further back into the sofa. Vera was cuddled into my shoulder while Spencer lay across our laps; snoring softly.
I carefully unwrap the small gift in the my hands and fold open the vividly bright paper to expose a phone case. It didn't take rocket science to figure out who it was from.
"Wow....Noah..." I grit my teeth in a forced smile as I stare at the phone case, his grinning face plastered across the plastic material.
"It's great right?" He question, wriggling his eyebrows as I hum with a nod.
"....Yup."
Turns out that Noah ended up getting everyone different gifts all of which was covered in his face. But would it really be a gift from Noah if it didn't have his face on it? I think not.
David continues to hand out present after present, retrieving the boxes from where they sat piled under the Christmas tree. Vera being Vera went above and beyond for her gifts, proofing that once again she is most extra person in the history of the term existing. She had bought Penn and i matching Cartier Love bracelets, identical to hers and both Chase and Levi received designer clothing while Noah and Spencer were given designer glasses.
As David hands me another present, I glance across the room at Levi who was sitting on a bean bag, playing with the adorable key ring I had bought him. He seemed so content as he smiled down at the small, stuffed dolphin and it made me extremely happy to know that he was happy.
I tear open the wrapping paper and stare down at the gift that made my heart squeeze, "Aw, Penn. Thank you so much!"
She laughs at me from where she sat on Noah's lap across the room as I pull the new denim jacket into my chest and hug it.
"Your other one was getting a little worn plus what's wrong with having two denim jackets, right?" Penn shrugs with a small smile.
Noah scoffs, "I still think my phone case is better."
I pile of gifts was steadily increasing, some of them well thought out gifts, some of them not, but all of them were amazing. The presents under the tree were slowly dwindling and when David hands me yet another present, I glance up at him and frown in confusion as he gives me a cheeky wink. And only when I glance at the label on the wrapping paper do I realise why.
It was from Chase.
Mindlessly, I gaze towards the other sofa in the living room to notice that Chase was watching me, waiting for my reaction to his gift. I give him a small smile before gently unwrapping the gift.
The smile widens across my face when I realise what it was; a polaroid camera.
"I know your old one is broken because of Lea, so I bought you a new one." Chase explains from where he perched on the arm of the sofa next to Noah. He was wearing a shirt, unfortunately, and his usual pair of grey sweatpants. His hair was an adorable mess and he looked extremely tired. I just wanted to wrap him up in a blanket like a little small burrito.
"Wow, so it's not fake poop?" I grin at him as he chuckles at me, "I'm starting to think you like me or something, Everett."
"You're welcome, Jones." Chase rolls his eyes at me and I giggle as I begin opening it.
"Thank you."
After I put in to batteries and load the film in the pastel yellow device, I turn it towards Chase who was chatting away to Noah, laughing and being carefree. His smile lit up his whole face as he shakes his head at the probably stupid shit Noah was talking about.
I take it before the moment is gone.
Both boys look at me slowly; Chase was confused while Noah was extremely offended.
"Hey! I wasn't ready!" Noah exclaims in outrage as he then proceeds to pose, leaning his elbows against Chase and tilting up his head, "You gotta get my jawline, Hayden!"
"I'm the motherfucking star!" Spencer snorts as he wakes up instantly. We all stare at him as he stares back, wide eyed and confused. He then scrambles off my lap and towards Noah and Chase, "I wanna be in it too!"
"Oooh, wait for me!" Vera pounces off me and soon everyone was posing for the picture, surrounding Chase who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. But I knew deep down he was loving it. Then, I take the picture.
♤♤♤♤
Later in the morning, when all the presents had been unwrapped and the rubbish had been cleared from the chaotic living room, everyone went only with their daily routines. The showers had all been taken by Noah, Vera and Spencer who raced each other up the stairs even though there was one for each of them.
Poor Noah was almost yeeted off the stairs by a very sleep deprived Vera. It was hilarious.
Mom and David were in the kitchen, preparing the food for this afternoon. The smell was heavenly and my stomach grumbled and whined that I wouldn't be able to eat until it was ready. It's not that I couldn't eat it's just that I'm so fucking committed to eating as much as I could at Christmas as I could. It's become a little competition I have with myself and is measured on the basis of if I have to unbutton my jeans, completely take them off or pass out into a sleep coma.
I haven't quite gotten to that last one yet but there's still hope.
Levi, Penn and I were all chilling quietly in the living room while waiting for the showers to free up. We were sprawled across the sofas, enjoying the warmth that the sun brought with it as it streaked through the huge windows. I was almost asleep too until Noah's loud ass voice booms through the living room.
"Bro, why are you reading the book when you can just go see the movie?" Noah questions as we all glance at Levi who lowers the large novel from his eyes and glares up at his best friend.
"Bro, why breathe the air when you're just going to die anyway?" Levi narrows his eyes at Noah who freezes.
Then his mouth opens in awe, "Holy shit, you're right!"
Levi hits his forehead with the book but I noticed the smile that had spread across his lips. Noah then sits down next to Penn on the sofa, freshly showered, and wraps her arm around her. I watch as he kisses her on the forehead and whispers into to her ear, which she responds with a small giggle and a nod. So damn cute.
I rest my forearm over my eyes as I lie on my back, the room returning to quiet once more. Christmas music wafted gently through the house, it was more jazz-themed music and it was putting me to sleep extremely quick.
"Hmm, I wonder where Chase is going?" Noah questions to himself and like clockwork, my heart rate perks up at the mention of his name. I sit up instantly and glance at Noah before following his gaze towards the window. "Is he going to make sandcastles? He better not have fucking forgotten. He promised we'd go later."
"I think he's just going for a walk, baby." Penn giggles before kissing her boyfriends cheek which calms him instantly.
I throw my legs over the side of the sofa and stand up, reaching up to the sky as my spine cracks and pops like fireworks, "A walk? That sounds great."
"Sure." Noah narrows his eyes on me with a knowing smirk on his face, "A nice walk, huh?"
"If you catch up to Chase, please don't drown him in the ocean." Penn begs me like there was a high chance that it would happen.
"Who you do I am, Penn?" I question as I zip my hoodie back up and swipe the small gift box wrapped in a navy ribbon on the coffee table. I slip it into my pocket, "The ocean is too fucking cold. Burying him alive in the sand sounds much more my style."
"Why do I even bother." Penn shakes her head at me with a large grin as I head to the large french doors leading out onto the wooden porch. I run down the steps towards the sand dunes, wondering how the hell I didn't slip down them in my haste. Now, that's a Christmas miracle.
I was puffing by the time I reach Chase. I never realised how different land fitness and water fitness was. It felt like my lungs were on fire and I was about to have a mini stroke.
"Hey, Everett!" I call out to him as he pauses and turns around slightly. I almost collapse when I met him, but I hold myself up and instead rest my palms against my knees. I raise once finger as I try to get my ragged breathing under control, "Gimme...a...second..."
"Shit, Jones, you only ran a hundred meters." Chase laughs at me as I glance to to see that I had indeed ran only one hundred meters.
I raise to my full height and put my hands on my hips, trying to fill my lungs with as much air as possible, "Well fuck you Everett it was on sand."
"What do you want, Jones?"
"Damn, I wanted to give you this, " I pull the box out of the pocket, ", but since you obviously don't want me here I'll just go ba—"
Chase wraps his hand around my forearm, halting my in my turn as he hums, "So you did get something for me."
There was a slight breeze that rippled around us and I didn't even want to imagine what that fuck it was doing to my hair. My feet rotate in the sand as i face him and hold out the present to him, a large proud smile on my face.
"Did you think I forgot about you?" I question as Chase glances down at the gift. I push it towards him, "You think so little of me, Everett."
"I thought you were embarrassed because my gift was so fucking amazing." Chase chuckles and takes the gift from my hands as I roll my eyes. He begins unwrapping it and I fold my arms.
"Noah's phone case begs to differ." I scoff, watching as Chase slowly slides the lid of the small box to expose his Christmas gift. He didn't say anything and god knows why but i started panicking. "I got it engraved but I didn't even ask you if you wanted it engraved. Well, I couldn't because then that would just ruin the fucking surprise. You know, f you don't like it I can buy you something else. I've just always noticed that you never play the guitar in the dorm and that there's a whole bunch of broken picks in your drawer and i just thought—"
Chase steps forward, wrapping his arms around my waist as he pulls me into his chest. All thoughts dissipate from my ind, all senses go into shut down and my heart it...it goes crazy, it goes stupid.
My folded arms relax as I drop them and they circle around him. I press my face into the crook of his shoulder as i glance over his shoulder at the rolling waves. I wish I could stay here forever, just like this.
"Thank you, Jones." He whispers into my ear but doesn't let go. We stay like that for a while, enjoying each other's embrace and not giving a single fuck about the passing world around us.
I didn't even know what damn century we were in when we finally stepped back. Chase pulls the pick out from the box and runs his thumb over the letters. There was only a very small and limited amount of space on the pick so I wanted to go simple. In capital laters and on a slight arc was his last name; Everett.
Chase pushes in the pick into his palm and wraps his hand around it, as if swearing to keep it safe for all eternity.
"Do you seriously always have to fucking one up me, Jones?" Chase laughs as I join in, finally breathing.
"It's not my fault I'm a fucking awesome gift giver?" I shrug it off arrogantly, "Oh but there is a catch to this gift."
Chase glances up at me, "What is it?"
"You have to play for me." I grin as I lock my hands in front of me. Chase steps back, rolling his eyes and shakes his head at my request. "Just one song! Noah said you were really good so it can't be fucking happy birthday or anything."
"Fuck, happy birthday was my go-to song." Chase jokes as I tilt my head back and laugh lightly. "Okay, what about twinkle twinkle little star?"
"Nope, it has to be a song that I can sing along to. I want to serenade you with my beautiful vocals, Everett." I joke along with him as he chuckles, "Should I start now, give you a little taste."
"Oh fuck no, Jones. It's too early in the morning for my ears to bleed." Chase shakes his head and I shove him slightly.
Our laughter dies down shortly as Chase places the pick back into the box carefully. He then stares at me with the most heart-aching gaze I have ver seen, better than any romantic Hollywood movie.
"Merry Christmas, Hayden."
"Merry Christmas, Chase." I return with a small smile. The thought of kissing him again ran rampant through my brain. We were close enough and if I perked up on my toes my lips would be pressed to his. I wondered if he was thinking it to. If he was having as much trouble holding himself back as I was.
Fuck, I wanted to kiss him so damn bad that it was beginning to hurt.
But instead, I take a step back and shove my hands into the pockets of my hoodie, "Well, have fun on you're walk."
"Well, you're not going to be there so it will be." Chase smirks at me, already turning back to the ocean as my jaw drops in offence.
Just when I thought we were having a moment.
I hold up both middle fingers, "Fuck you."
"I'm right here, baby. Whenever you want." Chase winks at me before turning completely and heading off towards the ocean.
I was smiling like crazy as I make my way back to the house. My feet were covered in sand and I quickly brush them clean before slipping back inside through the french doors. Everyone was was in the living room, staring at me with wide eyes as I enter. They looked at me like I had literally just killed someone.
"Um....hello?" I question as they all start grinning at me. Oh shit , they saw everything didn't they?
"Well, aren't you having a great Christmas, cousin." Spencer chuckles as he wraps his arm around my shoulders and leads me towards the sofas.
Merry Chrysler to me.
soooooo i know i missed last weeks update
but i've just been getting over this damn cold. i've literally tried everything in the fucking book. i had lost my voice completely and i swear the amount of white blood cells in body dropped like james charles subscriber count.
too soon?
anyway, here's this weeks update. i might update sooner because i missed last weeks but i'll see how fucking chaotic my week will get yet again.
i know it's not christmas now but it is in the universe of my book so if anyone wants to comment on it they can literally fight me.
with hugs and kisses which will be returned because i love all my readers.