"Ten days. Ten days Ali." His voice came through her ear, sailing right through her soul. Ten days, was an eternity. Alicia Rivera had not seen her boyfriend in 6 long., agonizing months. The day he left, was hard and she'd never forget the way she bawled her eyes out.
Pretending it wasn't real, wondering why it was happening, all before watching him get on that plane, and feel like her life was being sucked out of her body. Her life was over obviously. Alicia's gorgeous boyfriend, Derrick Harrington, was gone that quickly, across the country in a new place, one without her.
Although it wasn't like they were exactly together as he boarded that flight.
Nope, it had seemed that the cute couple that had seemed so ready, so excited to start something together were in fact in stages of reconstruction. It was still in the fence on whether or whether not they were still an item, which made it so hard to see him leave, so permanently. And all the questions of what was going to happen to them, on if she was supposed to move on, teased her all the time.
So it was a stalemate. A waiting game. As much as Alicia wanted to find a new guy to spend her time with it was almost wrong, and felt foreign. Derrick had been her boyfriend for almost a year and a half, and her eyes had yet to wander. It only took midsummer for her to call the boy, thankful her teary one eyed, 1 am call wouldn't disturbing him from his slumber.
"I want you to come back." She said as she laid on her bed wanting to that smooth voice that calmed her worst nerves.
"I wish you were here, but you know it doesn't work that way." he answered in a stale tone.
"It should." Alicia's voice spiteful. "You can't tell me that this uncertainty is okay with you. I can't even look at another guy."
Quietness lingered.
She inhaled, "You've seen another girl haven't you."
Derrick sighed heavily, "Yes. But it was just a group outing."
A group outing. He'd been living there for a month and he had a 'group.' One that involved girls, and ones that were interested in him.
"Well, it hasn't been a walk in the park, like I said."
"Who have you been seeing?" jealousy mixed in Derrick's tone. It was only a sign to Alicia, that maybe he cared.
"It was nothing, just Cam and I-"
"Cam?"
"Yes. We went to the movies."
"Alone?"
"Yes."
"I didn't even do that. It was group, there was just one girl, who I thought was attractive, so I bit." he was taken a back by the whole thing, she could tell.
"I bet you did. Did you know that I felt so out of place with Cam? That it was weird, like I was cheating on you?"
"We talked about this, you could move on when ever your ready. See who you want."
Alicia rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see. "I want to see you."
"It's not that easy."
"Can I just be yours? Can you promise to come back? Thanksgiving?"
"I don't know, we have our cruise remember?"
"Christmas. Christmas and if we see each other, and it's not the same, we start the New Year a part. For real."
"Fine. Christmas. We can talk until then."
"Okay."
"Just friends." Derrick warned quietly.
Every day since the July night, the couple talked on the phone and saw each others faces through their LED computer screens. It was hard, but it was good to know that someone, somewhere, still cared about her.
And now 10 days was all that separating them now. Not crazy distances, not time zone changes or bad internet connections. But a mere week.
She needed him in a way she'd didn't need him before. Alicia wasn't being selfish, or clingy. But she was lonely. There was no one around her now, to hold her hand, as the winter blew threw Westchester, and her friends found themselves boyfriends to keep them warm and ice skate with, she stayed in. Home alone, the girl would look, at her favorite pictures of him, and wait patiently, for her phone to ring.
Her week was prepared well in advance, arranging Christmas Break activities, making sure his favorite things were on hand, and bugging her friends about the long awaited visit.
So the Saturday before Christmas, Alicia drove in the chilly weather to retrieve her boyfriend. She had already warned Mrs. Harrington that she was taking her son as soon as they landed, so when Alicia ran up into his arms, Derrick's mom was sure to usher the family out of their way.
Despite her glee at finally being reunited with Derrick, Alicia could sense that her excitement was not being reciprocated by her significant other. While they sat in the car on their way to Claire's holiday party, there was strong silence and it was poking at Alicia to the point she had to break it.
"Are you tired? I didn't realize the flight was so long. We don't have to go to the party, we can go home? Watch a movie, talk?" She listed alternatives.
Derrick shook his blonde head. "No, the party is fine." he assured her, "But the talk definitely needs to happen. Afterwards though, ok?"
She nodded her head.
She knew that afterwards, Derrick would tell her, that they were over.
Alicia put on her best happy face however, as she pulled up to Claire's brightly lit home, with red candy canes, and gold lit reindeer. The couple got out of the vehicle, with a healthy gap in between them, one that Alicia hoped was only because of Claire's porch was crowded with Santa figures. Derrick rang the bell, and with in seconds, Josh had opened the door, beaming.
"Guess whose back?" Josh yelled into the house, greeted with whoops and hollers. The old friends hugged and greeted each other, as they entered the house. Claire passed Alicia with her pink Santa hat, and an arm full of wrapping paper.
She winked and told her, "Someone is happy again." she chuckled.
Alicia nodded falsely, finding herself already missing Derrick's presence around her, as he was still behind her with Josh. It was so foolish but his aura warmed her, and she had grown so accustomed to life without it. Now it was like a treat to have him standing by her side.
Quickly, this feeling was remedy by his tall frame beside her again, as they entered the Kitchen, where Dylan and her sister Ryan were baking Christmas cookies, Kemp zoomed by them with a broken broom stick with a mistletoe attached to the end. As Derrick and Alicia trotted into the family room, they could hear Cam jokingly singing along to the Mariah Carey Christmas album the was booming through the home, to giggling Massie who was trying to wrap presents. It was like everyone but the couple that had once been so perfect had found their niche.
Derrick seemed to glare at his old friend, as Alicia steered him to the couch. Cam ignored the look and continued his attempts to woo Massie, who asked Derrick about Arizona. He told her about his new school and sets of friends. Alicia listened along, and laughed when it seemed appropriate and pretended that his adventurous stories about his new friends, weren't novel.
Alicia could still feel something wrong with the charade they were playing with their friends, she waited until Cam and Massie left the room in search of tape, before she even thought to talk to Derrick, who seemed to beat her to the punch.
"This isn't working." he said blandly, and she already knew the direction of the conversation.
"I wish it was."
"It's like now that I've moved, we have grown apart, emotionally." he said looking at her. "We are in to different worlds, and you can't even related to it. So while you know about everything is bugging me, you have no clue as to how to fix it."
"You are so important to me, and without you here, I feel like nothing." Alicia unburdened herself.
"Girls are the worst. They want me to fall for them, but they fail to realize that I want you. And it's so hard to stick to that when your lonely." Derrick said honestly as he looked at her.
"What are going to do Derrick? I want you, you want to be with me, but we are on different planets."
The boy's brown eyes looked into her own, and they spoke through their hard lock stare, that was only broken by a bunch of branches with a red Christmas bow. The couple both shared looks of confusion, until they figured out what was happening.
"Hang all the mistletoe, I'm gonna get to know you better, this Christmas." Kemp crooned, before he broke in to a fit of laughter. "Come on you two."
Alicia smiled not sure what to do, sure she wanted to lock lips with the only boy she had her eyes set on, but they had a lot to figure out. And if Derrick's eyes were any indication he was thinking the same thing.
"Come on Ali, let's not keep him waiting." Derrick said as his lips brushed hers. It was a feeling that she'd been missing. It was a feeling that seemed to be the answer to the question.
When they parted, Alicia sighed. "I think we can make it work."
Even if they'd only have their Christmas together, the one way to keep their relationship flowing was enjoying the little gifts they were receiving.