AN: Hey guys! I have returned! Thank God for snow storms that keep me trapped inside all weekend and leave me with nothing to do but finishing my writing, am I right? I'm here with a tale that has been giving me hell since early September. Okay, not actually hell, but it's taken me a while to write this. Since this is a Christmas story, I had hopes to have it up for Christmas. But I've been so busy and dealing with a lot of stupid stuff... But all that doesn't matter because it's finally done! And it's still winter so at least Christmas isn't totally out of the blue:)
So I'll just give you a backdrop here. This story does belong in my Parties & Mistakes universe, so if you haven't read that, go read it now! There's a few references to events in it... This is the Christmas immediately after those events and Austin is spending it with Ally's family. Apart from that, I don't think there's anything you need to know. Oh and it's Christmas Eve in this chapter, Christmas Day will be the next:)
Alright, you know the drill! Read, Review, and Enjoy!:)
Disclaimer: I do not own the show Austin & Ally, but I do own this story!
Angels & Traditions
Chapter 1: Austin's POV
"I told you she's crazy, right?" Ally said, opening the door to her house. I was immediately taken aback by her statement, and not to mention her dress.
It was the first time she had ever invited me over for Christmas. I knew from everything she had said over the years, that it was a huge affair with all her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I knew that her mom had organized every single detail, down to the time, place, and whereabouts of all the attendees. And I knew that only family was invited. I was beyond grateful to be considered that.
"What?" I said as she pulled me into her house and shut the door.
"My mom," Ally deadpanned. She glanced over her shoulder and pulled a curl behind her right ear. "Pretty much everyone has arrived now," she whispered, careful not to let her family hear. "My mom's flitting around trying to get ready and everyone else is in there."
She gestured to the family room just beyond the front door. I kicked off my shoes and shuffled out of my coat as she explained more about her family.
"My cousin Sabrina loves you. Don't let that get to your head, please. And be nice!"
"When am I not nice?"
"I don't know," Ally shook her head, obviously putting some stress on herself over this event. "I just - it's weird. She got so excited when she heard you were coming. And then there's everyone else."
"What about everyone else?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Should I be concerned?"
She sighed. "No. I am though."
"What? Why?" my eyes widened as worry settled in the pit of my stomach.
"I've never brought a guy to Christmas before. When someone does that, it's kind of a big deal."
"So let it be," I smiled. "It doesn't have to be a big deal if you don't want it to be, but if you do then that's fine too."
She bit her lip and hesitantly moved towards me. "Okay," she said, quickly placing her lips on mine. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," I said, squeezing her hand comfortingly.
She turned then, walking from the door to where she said her mom was 'flitting'. I watched appreciatively as her hips swayed in that lacy red dress. She pivoted on her heel at the entrance to the kitchen, eyebrows raised and arms crossed over her chest. A teasing smile played on her lips as she gestured for me to come and follow her.
I winked and joined Ally in the kitchen. Her mom was busy at work on a million things. It was clear she was making breakfast - and thank God because I was starving. The stove was on, frying up eggs, hash browns, bacon and perfecting pancakes. The toaster was popping out hundreds of pieces of toast. A makeshift grill had been set up, sausages aligned and cooking on it. The oven light was on, and from the looks of it, a french toast casserole was baking inside. And then there was a waffle iron overflowing with batter.
I was amazed and bewildered at the same time. This was quite the multitask and she was the only one working on it. Why was no one else helping?
"She doesn't let anyone else touch the breakfast," Ally whispered, knowing I'd have questions.
"Why not?" I asked, arbitrarily running my hands along my pant legs. "I'd be willing to help."
"Oh!" Penny - she insisted I call her that - paused. "I didn't see you there, Austin."
She wiped the sweat away from her brow and hurried over to me. I opened my arms to another one of her warm hugs. Since Ally and I had officially started dating - again, after everything - her mom had been overly excited to see me. She'd rush and hug me each time I showed up, once even expressing her gratitude to how nice I've been to Ally throughout this whole mess. A part of me found it hard to believe that she was thankful for my behaviour when I pretty much made the mess in the first place. But, in any case, I was glad to have her support.
"Do you need any help?" I asked when she pulled back. Ally sighed beside me, a noise that told me she had obviously already offered.
Penny shook her head and hurried over to the stove, casually flipping a pancake. "Oh no," she laughed, spooning the eggs into a giant bowl. "Everything's almost ready anyway. You got here just in time! Ally, hun, could you go get everyone and let them know breakfast is ready?"
"Sure," Ally spoke quietly. "We're eating in the dining room, right?"
Her mother merely nodded and Ally lumbered off into the family room. I stayed stationary in the kitchen, unsure - again - of whether or not I should follow.
"Austin?" Penny said. "Would you mind taking this into the dining room?"
She passed me another huge bowl. This one was full of hashbrowns instead of eggs, though. I placed it on a free space in the middle of the table and turned around to find Ally. Her eyes were wide and she was pale. She was all sorts of frazzled.
"Let the games begin," Ally breathed.
A&A
I watched, grinning from the couch, as Ally took pictures with her family. Another of her mother's Christmas traditions. After breakfast, came pictures, and after pictures, came watching home movies, and after home movies, came making cookies... It was this whole process. But I was really enjoying all the pictures being taken.
Ally was absolutely beautiful.
The dress clung close to her figure and flowed out at her hips, ending at mid thigh. Lace cap sleeves covered her shoulders and plunged down at the back, making me wonder if she even had on a bra... Not that I'm wondering about her undergarments.
I drew my eyes away from her bare back and up to her face, trying in vain to save my thoughts.
She was so damn pretty.
The red of her lips matched the dress and her smoky, sparkly eyeshadow enhanced one of my favourite features of hers. Her chestnut brown doe eyes smiling out at me, brought everything all together.
God, she's gorgeous.
I could tell she was insecure, though. I could tell she wasn't exactly interested in having her picture taken. She was pulling at the hem of her dress and adjusting the shoulders between shots. How could she not see how perfect she was?
I sighed and looked down at my socks - amazed I had actually found a pair without a hole. When I glanced back up Ally's aunt was sitting down next to me. I guess she had seen me staring.
"Hi," she said, extending a hand.
At breakfast, everyone had been interested in the new addition at the table, but no one could get a word in. As Ally had said, her cousin Sabrina was majorly obsessed with me. Even though she was only 7, she knew how to dominate a conversation. Out of Ally's grandparents (Samantha, Peter, and Dolores), her parents (Lester and Penny), her aunts (Kristin, Elizabeth, and Charlotte), her uncles (Gordon, James, and Drew) and her cousins (Simon, Brittany, Derrick, Georgia, and Mae), Sabrina was the only one apart from myself who spoke at breakfast.
"I'm Kristin. I'm Ally's aunt, Penny's sister."
I smiled and shook her hand. "Austin."
"Oh darling, I know," Kristin laughed. "My daughter is Sabrina. I'm so sorry you were bombarded with questions this morning."
"Don't worry about it. It's kind of cute actually," I mumbled, still watching Ally maneuver the dress.
Someone must've convinced her to wear it. She looked so uncomfortable.
"That's probably my bad," Kristin said. "I arrived here early today and lent Ally a dress. Don't think she's all that comfortable in it though. Thought she'd feel confident and see herself as beautiful in it, seems it might be too early."
"Too early?" I asked.
Kristin whipped around and stared at me, studying my face. I noticed her eyes were very similar to Ally's. Deep, brown, and soulful. She brought the wine glass to her lips and took a sip.
"Nothing," she sighed after emptying the glass. "Just figured she needed a confidence booster, is all. It's hard to feel like you're a failure, so whatever victory you get - no matter how small - you take it."
"She's not a failure," I whispered.
Realization dawned on me. Kristin knew. And I wondered how many of Ally's relatives actually knew what we'd been through these past few months.
"Austin!" Ally's cousin Simon boomed. He was the resident photographer. I'd been told he had been taking family pictures since he was 12 and had gone to college to train as a professional photographer. He graduated last year and was now an assistant at a big company downtown. "Come on over! It's your turn."
Simon was exactly the photographer type. Tweed pants, oversized bottle cap glasses, shaggy black hair, and a tiny red bow tie. Out of all of Ally's family members (aside from her that is), I kind of liked him the best. Although, that may have been because he's closer to our age. And how he'd joked about his sister, Sabrina's, behaviour.
I stood from my spot on the sofa and walked over to the biggest Christmas tree in the house. This was where they took pictures every year. They gathered in front of a 9-foot evergreen tree that lit up the room.
"Okay," Simon began directing. "So I shouldn't have to tell you much of what to do. Just go and stand next to your girlfriend."
He winked at me as I took my place beside Ally. Her parents slunk away to the sidelines, her dad grabbing my shoulder in greeting as he passed.
"You don't like the dress?" I whispered as I wrapped my arms around Ally, taking directions from her cousin.
"It's the least comfortable thing I've ever worn. I feel like its going to fall off, at the same time as it being too short."
"Is it any consolation that you look gorgeous in it?"
A flush came to her cheeks and her gaze downcast. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her mom smile, obviously I wasn't the only one who noticed Ally blushing.
Simon began taking pictures at that point, going for candid moments over staged ones. He threw out directions occasionally, but mostly took pictures of Ally and I just holding each other or talking.
"Alright, now do the classic couple pose!" Simon commanded.
"What's that?" Ally asked laughing.
"You know." He gestured the position. "Where you stand next to each other with your hand on each others hip."
Ally shook her head. You think Simon would know how to describe positions better being a photographer and all. I laughed as Ally's hand slipped around my waist. I quickly moved into that position, only to have my hand slightly moved up.
"Not there," she whispered, wincing slightly. A blush came to her cheeks for a completely different reason this time.
I moved my hand and kissed her cheek, trying to bring some form of comfort to her ailing mind. She smiled at me and squeezed my hip, letting me know that she was okay.
Something came over her in that moment and suddenly her lips were on mine. I could hear the thank yous in the kiss. Feel the love exuding from every pore of both mine and her body. I vaguely recognized the camera flashes. I vaguely noticed the beginnings of whispers. But I also didn't care.
Ally pulled back and stood flat footed. I loved how cute she was when she stood on her tip toes and craned her neck to kiss me. I loved bending down to meet her. I'd dreamed of this for years. Sometimes it was hard to believe that Ally actually was my girlfriend.
"I love you," she mumbled absently. A lovesick smile appeared on her face, her forehead resting against mine.
"Okay!" Penny announced. "Onto the next activity!"
A&A
"How cute were you as a kid?" I asked Ally, after having seen a slideshow of pictures and videos of her childhood.
"Shut up," she blushed and wiped her hands on her apron.
We were baking cookies in shifts. Sabrina, Simon, Georgia, Charlotte and Kristin were sitting at the table decorating gingerbread men that had been prepared the day before. Sugar cookie dough was chilling in the fridge, along with shortbread too. Ally and I were tasked with making chocolate chip cookies, probably the easiest type to make. And that was probably do to my lack of knowledge in the kitchen.
"Did you just dump all the flour in?" Ally asked, inspecting the bowl.
My eyes darted between the dough and her. "Uhhhh," something told me I'd done it wrong. "Yes?"
"You're supposed to put it in gradually!" she explained, carefully scooping some flour back into the measuring cup.
I rolled my eyes. "Does it really matter?"
She turned on the beaters, deciding that enough flour had been taken out. She smirked and pulled a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail, behind her ear. "You realize my mom gave us Chocolate Chip Cookies because they're the easiest, right?"
"Yes. I do."
"And you know why she gave us the easiest recipe?"
"I could guess," I mumbled watching flour spray up at the beaters.
"It's because you're really bad at baking," she laughed.
I raised my eyebrows, loving the smile that erupted over her face. "Is that so?" I asked and she nodded. "Am I really that bad?"
"The worst," she giggled, mussing my hair with a hand caked in flour.
My mouth dropped open and she grinned, extremely proud of herself. She turned the beaters back on and looked away from me to the bowl. I glanced down at the remaining flour in the measuring cup. Well I could definitely put that to good use.
Taking her downcast gaze to my advantage, I pinched a chunk of flour out of the cup and flung it at her. The beater stopped immediately and she just blinked at me. The fringe of her hair, her eyelashes, and her cheeks were all caked in flour. I'd even managed to get some between the cracks of her apron and onto the red lacy dress.
"Oh my God," Ally breathed out. "Oh my God," she laughed. She brushed the flour from her dress, only to have it ground further into it. The telltale grin crossed her features once more as she wiped her hands over her face to be rid of the flour.
"Well that worked out better than planned," I chuckled.
"Thank you," she said, way too excited for someone who has just been showered in white powder. She quickly placed a kiss on my lips, effectively spreading the flour to me. "Now I can change this stupid dress."
A&A
Now that Sabrina had calmed down just slightly, the brigade of questions surrounding my relationship with Ally had begun. Everyone had gathered around the dining room table for - as they called it - the sweet lunch. It consisted of everything sweet: from pound cake, to crepes, to muffins, to oatmeal bars, to rice krispies, to fruit, to the cookies we had just made. I couldn't deny the fact that this kind of meal was a very, very, extremely, good idea.
Just not when it centered on questions about me.
Ally had told me to get used to it, what with me trying to be famous and all. But I didn't have a problem answering anything from my fans or in interviews. It was just when I was the newbie at my girlfriend's house, the questions seemed different.
"So how did you and Ally meet?" her Uncle Gordon asked.
"We actually met in Grade 2," I started, glancing beside me to confirm this was the story Ally had told everyone. "Just by chance, being in the same class. We haven't been friends for that long though."
"We became friends when we were 13," Ally supplied.
"Oh how lovely!" her Aunt Elizabeth spoke. "And how did you two get together?"
I had this sneaking suspicion that Ally's relatives didn't really pay attention to celebrity gossip. But I was still at a loss for words. How was I supposed to explain how we got together? It wasn't exactly table talk... Or proper talk for a seven and ten year old.
"At a party," Ally said, cheerily.
Her Grandma Samantha raised an eyebrow. "I hope there wasn't any funny business going on at that party!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lester and Penny stiffen. Ally's cheeks flushed as she stuffed a cookie into her mouth.
I laughed. "No, just a normal, average party."
Sensing where the situation was headed, Kristin jumped in. "So you want to be a rock star?"
"Yeah," I smirked, twirling a piece of crepe on my fork. "Trying to be at least."
"More than trying to be!" Ally said, placing a hand on my wrist.
"He's amazing," Sabrina said dreamily. "Like, really, really, talented. Ally's so lucky!"
There were nods of approval around the table. Ally smiled at me. I could see in her eyes just how much she appreciated me being here. I returned the grin, quirking my lips up, forgetting about the world for a moment. All I was met with, was more questions.
"So if you're trying to become this big star, then why are you still here?" Ally's cousin Brittany asked.
She was the only other blonde at the table aside from myself. At 26, she had married into the family - James and Elizabeth's son, Derrick, was her husband. She seemed skeptical at best, scrutinizing me behind thick black rimmed glasses.
"Here, like in Miami?" I asked.
"Mhmm," came her simple response.
I stabbed at a piece of pound cake with my fork, gathering my thoughts and trying to push passed being judged. "Well, Miami has a lot of record and music producers in it. You're actually kind of lucky if you're into music and trying to pursue it. Besides, I wanted to finish school before I did anything too crazy."
Ally nodded and smiled politely. A part of me figured she knew the real reason why I stayed in Miami. Sure, there were a lot of musical influences here. And sure, my parents had made me promise to finish school. But that was nothing compared to how much I wanted to be around Ally.
Not only was she my musical muse who had taught me how to actually write a song, she was the one I wouldn't want to live without. Going away on that tour over the summer without her was bad enough. I couldn't even fathom moving to California like everyone suggested. Not unless she was coming with me.
"Ah," Brittany chimed.
Ah.
A&A
"So how do we find these things?" I asked Ally, staring at the list of Christmas themed scavenger hunt items.
She turned from her closet to me. "Look," she said and pointed to the garland over her doorway. "Star!"
I smirked and lifted up the camera to take the shot. Ally - a new red dress in hand, still staring at me - rolled her eyes and walked over.
"But it has to be a good picture if you want to win," she explained, switching the camera to her hands and the dress to mine. She swayed away to the door and clicked on the switch that illuminated the garland, then backed up a few paces to frame the picture. She meticulously planned for a moment, intent on getting a 'winning shot'.
I watched her deep brown eyes become intensely focused. She licked her lips and angled her body back. I assumed it was that moment she was going to take a picture.
"Wait," she pivoted on her heel and turned the camera on me. "The goal of the game is to be creative. Something tells me no one else is going to have a picture of you as their star."
Ally poised the camera and raised her eyebrows, waiting for me to strike a pose and smile.
"Come on," she said. "You gotta get used to the paparazzi at some point!"
"Wouldn't they be taking candid pictures of me then?"
The flash went off. Ally grinned. "Like this?" she said, turning the camera screen towards me.
My right eyebrow was arched, as was the left side of my mouth. There was an air of smugness and shock captured in the same moment. I had to admit, it was a fairly creative picture for the task.
"Perfect, right?" she said, handing me the camera and sauntering off to her closet.
I sat down on her bed, adorned in the new forest green Christmas bed sheets. Ally had assured me there was no need to rush just yet in this contest. The list went on and on with items we needed to take pictures of, but her mom had allotted three and a half hours for it. And though we may have wasted 10 of those minutes so far with Ally looking for a new non-flour caked dress, we did have one picture down.
I glanced up to see a cotton red dress in Ally's hands. She tilted her head from side to side, the dark brown waves following suit.
"If I can be of any help, I think that'd look really pretty on you."
She flipped her hair back and glanced at me, a smile playing on her lips. "It's really simple though."
"You can make simple look stunning," I shrugged.
I saw her cheeks tinge pink as she turned away. She stared at the dress for a few more seconds, chewing an end of her hair.
"Okay," she finally decided. "Look away please."
I laid down on the bed, staring at the snowflake pattern on the comforter. "I've seen you naked."
"Not officially," she chimed.
"Not officially? What?"
"Not in a coherent state of mind. I bet you twenty dollars that you cannot remember me naked."
Shit. She was maybe a bit right. All of the edges surrounding that night were more than a little foggy.
"And if I can remember?" I challenged.
She laughed. "If I can't remember, then you sure as hell can't."
I grinned stupidly up at the ceiling. Being able to joke about something bad is a sign of moving on right?
"Okay, fine," I said. "But I did see a fair bit of you through that dress."
"Oh my God, what?" she said. I could hear her stop what she was doing and whip around.
I propped myself up on my arms, noticing the cotton dress bunched around her neck. So much for not thinking about her undergarments.
"Uhhh," I said, speechless for a moment.
Ally rolled her eyes and shoved the dress down over her chest, and passed her hips. She ran her hands along the sides and closed the doors to her closet.
"You were saying?" she prompted, laying down beside me on the bed.
I stared at the discarded lace dress she had haphazardly thrown on the floor. "Nothing," I mumbled. "It's just - Were you wearing a bra in that dress?"
"Yeah," she said, looking at me like I was crazy. "Backless one. They're actually really cool, but I'm just not the girl who wears that kind of stuff."
"You have to be a specific type of girl to wear that bra?"
"No," she laughed. "Although it would probably work better if you had bigger boobs... I just meant that dress. That was so not me."
"Hey, I'm totally fine with your boobs," I said.
Ally laughed, her eyes closing as I enveloped her into my arms. Her hair spread out over the green bedspread.
"I'll take it," she whispered and separated the gap between us.
All thoughts left my mind as her lips joined with mine. All I could think of was her. Her lips. Her smile. Her eyes. Her hair. Her fingers. Her talent. Her love. Her.
My perfect little Ally Dawson.
My hand moved to the small of her back as hers settled on my cheek and chest. I felt her absently undoing the first button on my shirt and my hand slid lower down the curve of her spine. She giggled against my lips, the sound sending butterflies flying through my body. I grinned, biting her bottom lip, well aware that I was probably getting red lipstick all over myself.
Ally moved her hands to the back of my neck, inching herself closer. I reached my hand above her head and tangled it in her hair. Everything I felt when she was this close to me, was everything that made me sure she was the one. Already.
"I love you," I whispered against her lips.
"Simon!" I heard from Ally's bedroom doorway. "Ally and Austin are really kissing!"
Ally and I jumped apart in that moment, looking as though we had committed a crime. She smoothed down her hair and flattened the creases on her new dress. I buttoned up the top two buttons she had managed to undo and wiped at my mouth and cheeks that were, no doubt, stained with Ally's red lipstick.
"What?" Simon said appearing at the door. He peered into the room, eyes falling on the discarded lace dress and thrown aside pillows on the floor. A smirk engulfed his features. "Come on, Sabrina, we've got a game to win!"
Ally's cheeks flamed as they skipped away. She made a beeline to her dresser and pulled out a brown belt that she fastened around her waist. She pivoted on her heel and drew her hand through her hair, laugh lines winning out over embarrassment.
She threw a frilly, pink pillow at my crotch and giggled. "You might want to sort that out, bud."
A&A
The kitchen table was cluttered with a mess of glitter, mason jars, cotton, cupcake liners, glue, buttons, and paint. Much like with baking, everyone had been assigned a different craft. This was the last activity before the 'special' dinner. And I'm not a crafty person. At all.
"You know how water displacement works right?" Ally asked as I lined up my dried, snowman figured mason jar lid.
"Water what?" I said. I'd been told to concentrate while putting the lid on.
"The water," Ally pointed to the jar I had filled moments before. "Will displace - or go up - when you put something of substance in it. Like the snowman. There's too much water in there."
"What?" I said, staring at the mason jar. "No! It's fine! I filled it up right to where your mom said so!"
She pointed to the jar in front of her as if hers was at the imaginary line. White glitter sat at the bottom of the jar, pretending to be snow. "This is how full it should be!"
I looked between my jar and hers, there was hardly a centimeter difference between the two.
"I'll take my chances," I mumbled, turning the snowman upside down once more.
Ally leaned in close. I curved my body slightly away, just it case failure arouse. And I had a feeling it would.
The snowman submerged in water. Water flooded out of the jar and onto the table. And my pants. And the floor.
Ally shrieked beside me, shaking the water off her hands.
"Did you put ice water in there?" she asked.
She was now standing aside the table, the same stain on her dress as on my pants. Shit.
"Okay," I said, standing and shivering as freezing drips of water fell down my legs. "Maybe you were right."
"You have a thing about ruining my clothes today," she laughed. Simon raised his eyebrows suggestively. He'd been sitting across from us, watching the situation the whole time. "Not like that."
A&A
I'd never been to a restaurant before on Christmas Eve. Well, to be fair, I'd never really done anything on Christmas Eve before.
After Simon had so generously given me a new pair of pants - and Ally had once more changed - it was time to go to dinner. Every year Ally's family made reservations at a Chinese Food Buffet Restaurant. It was the most famous one in town and I had never been to it.
But hey, here's to a day of firsts. Or month. Or year...
"Hey," Simon said as I settled into my chair once more. It was my third time up at the buffet, and all I wanted was more. "Do you know what my mom keeps trying to talk to Ally about?"
"I thought they already talked," I said.
"Is that you telling me that you know?" Simon asked, raising an eyebrow behind his thick glasses.
"In theory."
"The hell does in theory mean?" Simon asked as Ally took her spot beside me.
This time she'd chosen an ivory lace dress with a red ribbon tied just below her chest. To me, she slightly resembled a candy cane. A very beautiful candy cane, but one, no less.
"So what are they talking about then?"
"They're planning a surprise party for you," I joked.
"What? Really?" he said, his voice going up an octave higher.
"Who's planning a surprise party?" Ally whispered, leaning in to our conversation.
Simon frowned. "Oh, so you weren't serious?"
"Maybe I am and she's just trying to throw you off the scent!" I said, picking up a fork and stabbing the chicken ball.
"What?" Ally said. She pushed a brown curl behind her ear and shifted her gaze between me and Simon.
"I think you're the only one who knows what's going on here," Simon said. He patted me on the shoulder before standing and sauntering away to get more food.
Ally blinked at me, lips pursed. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, expecting an explanation.
"He wanted to know what Kristin wanted to talk to you about,"
"Oh," she said and stared back down at her food. "She already talked to me."
"And?"
"And then she talked to me again. I think I've talked to her like four or five times. It's more of the same. You'll be okay, I'm here for you, I know what you're going through, you can talk if you want. And I know it all already. I mean, it's good to know she's there, but like I don't need her there every five seconds."
"Yeah," I said.
I was at a loss for words once more. I could never fully grasp the amount of grief Ally must have felt and still feel over all of this. There's only so much you can feel over something you've known about for 3 days. But at the same time, there's a lot you can feel over something you'll only get to know for 3 days. I knew that it was definitely to a further extent with Al. That not only did she know longer, and not only did she feel the grief, she felt the guilt. And I would give anything to be able to take that guilt away.
"But that's why you have me," I said, beginning to come to terms with my purpose in all of this.
"Is that so?" she said, her tone begging for some clarity.
"Mhmm," I mumbled through a piece of an egg roll. "You don't need someone annoying you every five minutes because that's already my job."
She laughed and nodded in agreement.
"And I will gladly take that job, as long as it makes you happy."
"You do."
A&A
"So then you know what this idiot does?" Brittany said, patting her husband's leg affectionately. "He tells me, it's all clear!"
Laughs reverberated around the room, most from the women. To be quite honest, I hadn't been paying attention to most of the stories. My attention had dissipated soon after the second. Maybe it was something to do with the heat in the room. Or maybe it was the fact that all I could smell was the flowery scent that wafted from Ally's hair.
All the couches had been snatched up, leaving a prime spot on the floor for Ally and I. I'd settled against the wooden cabinet opposite the tree, Ally settled between my outstretched legs. Shock had fallen over me at first. It was more forward than most moves she had made in front of her relatives. But the longer I spent time at this event, the more relaxed she became. At this point, I wasn't sure if she was even awake.
"Alright who's next," Penny said. She stuffed her hand into the winter hat and pulled out another folded name. "Austin! Let's hear a story!"
"What?" I said, snapping into realization that my name had just been called. Ally squirmed in my lap and ran a hand over her face. She stretched out her folded legs and glanced around the room, everyone was staring at us.
"What's going on?" she whispered, propping herself up again.
"You gotta tell a story now Austin! You're the next contestant!" Penny winked. I stared blankly at her, trying to claw a story out of my mind. "Anything. Anything you can think of that happened this year."
"Well okay," I started. "I guess there was Spring Break this year."
Ally perked up. "Shit. No," she said without thinking.
"How do you know I'm even telling a story about you?" I laughed.
"What else could this be about?" she countered.
"Should I be concerned?" Penny asked. Within the frame, knowing it was a story about Spring Break, it was a reasonable question.
I shook my head. "It's not what you think. Nothing bad."
"Debatable," Ally laughed, burying her face in her hands.
"Well, Miami has always been this huge place that everyone flocks to for Spring Break. I mean, it just seems normal to be at the beach all the time, but not for the partiers. And we may have gotten a little swept up this year." I looked down at Ally. "You can join in anytime."
"Oh no," she said, tilting her head to meet my eyes. "This is your story."
"If you say so," I said. A smirk appeared on my lips as I remembered everything that had happened. "So basically, it started with Trish, Ally's best friend, going to work down at the Bikini Beach Shack. Dez, Ally, and I had decided to tag along, because it was the weekend as we didn't have much else to do.
"We were just going to hang out and grab something to eat, but there was a huge crowd. The kind of crowds we get only in March. And suddenly we all realized that it must be Spring Break somewhere. There were all the college kids in skimpy bathing suits and the guys showing off and you could tell they were already all drunk, even though it was only like noon.
"Trish decided she wasn't going to go to work. It was going to be way too busy for her liking. And then she convinced all of us to go along with the Spring Break stuff and pretend we were on some trip. It's not like we'd ever experienced it before, we'd mostly just stayed away from the beach when all the college kids were there. But this year we decided to see what the fuss was about. So Trish went into the Bikini Shack and came out with a bunch of bathing suits for us. She'd worked some deal where we were apparently 'advertising' the bathing suits and this was her way of 'working' for the day.
"So Dez and I went and changed and Trish and Ally did too. And when we met up again Ally was majorly complaining and trying to cover herself up in a gigantic towel. Trish had given her a string bikini, which isn't your typical bathing suit."
"It's not comfortable either," Ally muttered.
"Why do I feel like I know where this is going?" Mae, Ally's 30 year old cousin, said. She glanced over at her brother and mumbles of agreement were heard around the room.
"Do I continue?" I asked.
"Of course!" Penny practically yelled. Her body was arched forward on the leather footstool, everyone seemed intrigued.
"Alright so Trish eventually convinced Ally to let go of the towel and then she hid it. And it was like the tiniest bikini I'd ever seen. But that's beside the point. Dez suggested we actually go to the beach instead of just standing in an awkward circle by the change rooms. So we did and Trish put down the huge towel that Ally had been holding as our beach blanket. Of course, we'd just laid on the beach a million times before, so I didn't see much of a point in this plan."
"Same," Ally said, throwing her hand up in the air, almost hitting me in the face.
"Trish suggested we go get something to drink. Maybe that was why everyone was having so much fun and we weren't. Dez and her went off to get drinks and Ally and I stayed behind. She was complaining about how she would rather read a book on the beach than make a mess and get drunk. I kind of agreed, just not with the book part. I'd rather just go swimming or surfing.
"Eventually we decided we needed chairs and Ally finds some for rent at the usua spot. I go and help her bring them over, but we only had enough money for two. Which wasn't a problem while Dez and Trish were off getting drinks. So we claim the chairs and they come back and give us some fancy drink that I both, have no idea what it was and have no idea how they actually managed to get. But I'm not complaining, it wasn't all that bad.
"Trish starts moping about how she wants a chair. It goes on for quite some time too. And eventually Ally just feels guilty that there is only two and that we're being selfish for stealing them, since they did go and get the drinks. Although I think she was forgetting that we were the ones who went and got chairs. But she decides to get up and sit on the floor instead, being a super good friend.
"And after trying to get up, she realizes she's stuck. One of the tiny ties for her bikini top got stuck in the slats on the chair. So she starts freaking out, like this is why she doesn't wear these kinds of bathing suits. And how is it even possible she got stuck. I go up to help fish out the string from the chair. It's all tangled in her hair too so I'm trying to sort out both issues and then Trish gets up, and tries to give her help. She winds up pouring her drink all over Ally, who screams from the cold and jumps up. The string somehow got free but also somehow untied. So Ally's top falls off and in trying to cover herself up, she pours her drink over Dez. So Dez screams too and runs to the water, managing to lose his pants on the way.
"By this point Trish and I are dying of laughter. Ally found a towel and covered herself up, then starts laughing at Dez trying to catch his swim trunks that are just floating away."
Penny's eyebrows raised and her mouth dropped open. The laughter in the room was contagious, I had started chuckling at the memory. Grandpa Peter was doubled over laughing. Simon was grinning from ear to ear. Sabrina was looking on in slight confusion, pretending the story was funny. Lester was shaking his head, a smile on his lips.
"And then we vowed to never do Spring Break again," Ally said and smirked.
A&A
Cue cards and pens were handed out to everyone in the circle. It was 9 o'clock and the days events were starting to wear on me. The next task was simple, on the four cue cards that had been handed out, each person was to write what they wanted for Christmas, what they wanted in the New Year, what they wanted gone from their life, and what they wanted for the rest of their life.
I thought for a moment, only to be confronted with the fact that I could answer the same thing for 3.
Ally.
Because that's really all I wanted now and forever. She was all I wanted for Christmas. She was all I wanted in the New Year. She was all I wanted for the rest of my life.
And with that realization, came another. I knew what I wanted gone from this year. I knew what I would give anything to have.
All I wanted was for Ally to be happy. And that's exactly what I wrote down.
What do you want for Christmas?: Ally.
What do you want in the New Year?: Ally.
What do you want gone from your life?: Ally's guilt.
What do you want for the rest of your life?: Ally. I want to marry Ally.
"Alright everyone," Penny said. "You know the drill. Once you're finished writing on the cue cards, go outside to the firepit where we'll wait for everybody."
Lester and Penny quickly filed out and into the hallway. The others soon followed suit until only Simon, Charlotte, Gordon, and Ally and I were left.
I glanced down at Ally, she was furiously writing down an answer on the final cue card. Where I had merely wrote down 6 important words, Ally was writing a novel.
"What are you doing?" I whispered. She held up a finger to me, telling me to wait a minute. A strand of hair fell in front of her eyes and I pushed it back, solely so I could still see her beautiful face.
"I'm writing my answer," she said, turning around in my lap to face me.
"You're writing a novel," I replied with laugh.
She shook her head, pushed herself to her feet and reached out a hand to pull me up. "Well what did you write?"
"Stuff," I mumbled.
Ally arched an eyebrow and shimmied out of the room. I followed and watched her shove her feet into a pair of Uggs. I slipped into my own shoes and Ally grabbed my hand. We walked to the back door, her head leaning against my shoulder.
"What does stuff mean?" she asked, sliding open the glass door.
"What was your novel?"
She snickered. "Oh, so we're playing that game."
"What game?" I smirked.
Ally led me over to the sandy firepit in the corner of the yard, where most of her family had already gathered. Lester was arranging firewood as his brother Drew was ripping pieces of newspaper for kindling. I draped my arm over Ally's shoulders and she leaned into me. We watched as the first spark of fire was lit.
"Seriously," she whispered among the other conversations. "What did you write?"
"Isn't it supposed to be a secret?"
"It's not like a birthday wish where if you say it, it won't come true."
"You believe that?"
Ally slapped my shoulder in mock annoyance. "Austin, come on."
I looked down into the pouty eyes of a puppy dog. A pout that only lasted a few seconds before a lazy grin enveloped her features.
"Do I get to see your novel?" I asked as she grabbed the cue cards from my hand.
She flipped through the one word answers until she got to the final card. Her red manicured nails ran along the blue words.
"Seriously?" Ally breathed. She turned around to face me in my arms. I linked my hands around her waist. "You want to marry me?"
"I could get down on one knee right-"
Her lips interrupted my words and my thoughts.
"Not yet," she pulled back, her words a breath on my lips. "I'd say yes. But not yet."
I laughed. "Wasn't planning on it now. But I know it's happening in the future."
A&A
"I still can't believe you hadn't seen It's a Wonderful Life before," Ally laughed. "And I can't believe you cried."
"Hey!" I said. "You can't tell me you didn't cry the first time! And you can't tell me you didn't just cry watching it now!"
"I'm not denying I did," Ally smirked. "I'm just saying, I didn't expect you to."
"Yes because I'm far too manly to do so!"
Ally giggled. And the giggle turned into a prolonged laugh. And the laugh turned into hysterics.
"Ouch!" I snickered.
"Hey! What's going on back there?" Simon asked from the middle seat of the minivan.
He winked and faced the front once more. The mass group of relatives had split up into 3 cars, investigating the gorgeous Christmas lights around Miami before heading to midnight mass. Both events I had never done before. Add that to a long list of never dones, I had done today. Ally and I were in a car with Simon and Sabrina, and their parents Kristin and Gordon. Lester and Penny were crammed into a van with Elizabeth, James, Mae, Brittany, and Derrick. And Charlotte, Drew, and Georgia were in their family mini van with the 3 Grandparents. How we managed to shove 19 people into 3 cars, I have no idea.
Ally took a sip of water and managed to control her laughing fit. A moment later, she became entranced by the lights dancing off the houses and trees outside. She pointed to bright green lights outside the window, illuminating the joy on her face.
"It's so beautiful," she mumbled, staring at a sparkling white and blue house.
I didn't care about the lights. All I could watch was Ally's face. Her eyes lighting up at each new house. Her lips plastered together in a sleepy smile.
She was beautiful.
A&A
A turquoise plastic container was in the corner of the room. It contained everyone's stockings for the night. Penny walked over to the box and opened it. She pulled out red and green stockings with golden names embroidered on the white fluff overhang.
"Ally," Penny called and held out Ally's stocking.
Ally stumbled over to her mother and took the stocking from her. She then loped over to the fireplace and hung it on one of the many hooks. The kids were first to be called. It was late and if they fell asleep at this point, at least they got to hang up their stockings. Sabrina was next, followed by Georgia, then Simon. After them, the stockings were pulled out in random order.
"Austin," Penny called, pulling out the final stocking in the container.
I cocked my head to the side. "What?"
"Austin," Penny repeated, holding the stocking out to me. I walked across the hardwood floor to the stone fireplace. She handed me the stocking and smiled. "I figured you deserved one at this point. You're basically family now."
"Wow," I said, at a loss for words. "Thanks."
I hung the stocking up on the final hook. The one next to Ally's.
"Don't cry," Ally whispered once she had settled into my arms again.
I laughed instead.
Ally placed her hands on top of mine around her waist. She nuzzled underneath my chin and I tightened my grip around her. I watched the cookies being chosen and brought out. I watched Penny pluck an elaborate candy cane striped key out of the stocking box, and hand it to Sabrina.
"What's the key?" I asked.
Ally's eyelashes fluttered and she stifled a yawn. "The candy cane one?"
I nodded against her head.
"It's from when we lived in an apartment," she said. "We used to hang it on the doorknob or leave it by the mat. It was so Santa could get in even though we didn't have a chimney. My mom still leaves it on the door outside every year."
"I really like that. My parents gave up on the idea of Santa when I asked how he could get through the glass on our fireplace."
She squeezed my hands. "I think Santa is so magical. Not just figure, but the concept. It makes you believe in the miracles that are around you, if only for so long. And then once you find out the truth, he's still this man that represents so much. It's all the happiness of your childhood and the magic of the world. Maybe it was your parents all along, but it was Santa working through them."
"You're adorable," I whispered, kissing the crown of her head.
Ally craned her neck upwards and smiled at me. The love in her eyes made my heart sing. She lowered her head and her eyes shut. I felt her get comfy in the crook of my neck once more.
"Look what Santa brought," Penny said, carrying 8 boxes. One for each cousin, and apparently me.
She placed two boxes on the floor in front of Ally and I. Ally bent to pick them up and handed me the one wrapped in blue 'Ho Ho Ho' paper.
"I get a present?" I said.
Ally laughed. "Yeah. Don't get too excited though it's the same every year."
I eagerly scratched off the paper and threw it to the ground. My actions mimicked the ones of the younger kids in the room. Inside was a white box with a red ribbon tied atop it. Kneeling on the floor next to Ally, I pulled at the ribbon until it came loose. I lifted the lid and placed it behind me.
Folded neatly inside were navy blue pyjama pants with snowflakes printed down them and a grey T-shirt. Next to the pyjamas were a pair of penguin socks, followed by a hot chocolate mix - with marshmallows - and a bag of expertly decorated sugar cookies.
I stared at the contents in shock. I wasn't expecting anything tonight. Was I supposed to get them a present too?
"It's from Santa," Ally said, putting a hand on my arm. "You don't have to worry."
I smirked. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I plucked it out.
When are you coming home? It's almost 2.
My mom had texted. At some point, I must have lost track of time. Going to midnight mass I thought I'd get home by 1am. I may have miscalculated a little. But it did explain why everyone was so tired.
Ally glanced over at me and nodded her head towards the hallway. She stood as I gathered the white box. Penny waved as Ally and I left the room, and I mouthed a thank you.
"So what'd you think?" Ally asked at the door.
"Honestly?" I said and she nodded. "It's one of the best Christmases I've had."
"It's not even Christmas yet," she giggled.
"Uh, yes it is. It's 1:56am," I glanced back at my phone, making sure that was, in fact, the time. "Jesus, it's 1:56am."
"I know," she said, rocking on her heels. "But we've finished later, before."
"Now I know why I'm so tired," I said.
"I know. My family is exhausting."
I shook my head. "No, I liked them. They all seems pretty chill."
"Except..." she said, smirking at the unfinished words on my lips.
"Brittany," I whispered. "But don't tell anyone."
"My lips are sealed," she said, putting a finger to her cherry red mouth.
Subconsciously, we had been stepping closer and closer together with each word. All that was between us now was the length of the white box. Ally took the box from my hands and relocated it on to the front desk. She returned in place of the box in my arms.
"Merry Christmas," Ally said, standing on her tiptoes.
"Merry Christmas," I mumbled against her lips.
She folded her arms around my neck and mine instinctively wrapped around her waist. We kissed sleepily, but it still lit my blood on fire. Her hands tangled in my hair and I pushed her closer to me. If I could stay like this forever, I would.
Ally was the first to break away, coming to her senses. She was always the sensible one, and it was one of many reasons I loved her.
She pointed above my head. "Misltetoe."
I tilted my head up and was confronted with the tiny green plant. Thank you, Mistletoe...
Ally paced to the desk once more and handed me the white box. I took it from her and intentionally brushed our fingers together. A blush crept over her cheeks, a look she wore so well.
"I'll see you tomorrow then?" she asked.
"Spending Christmas with you? I wouldn't miss it."
Ally grinned a toothy grin. The smile reached her eyes, making them bright and squinty. I wouldn't leave this girl for the world. This was the first of many Christmases I knew I would spend with her.
AN: I hope to have the second part of this up within the next few weeks. If not, my bio/profile will keep you updated on what's happening. Merry Belated Christmas to those who celebrate! Let me know what you all thought:)