Lift Me Up

By: KellyCRocker59

I just felt like doing a fluff piece out of nowhere; I hope this is good!

Please, please, PLEASE review!

I opened the oven as the timer sounded, pulling the pan of rolls, golden brown, free from the confines of the hot machine. I set them on a towel on the counter, looking around for anything else that I could assist my busy mother with. I settled on throwing away the wrappers and packages that betrayed the supposed 'home-made' trait of the food being made.

"Do you need help with anything?"

I turned to find my brother, dressed in a plain t-shirt and jeans, looking incredibly awkward.

"No I'm good; lord, Holden, could you at least fake a smile?"

He attempted one, and I chuckled, hurrying over to move the green bean casserole into the oven.

"Shouldn't you be taking care of your boyfriend?"

"He's discussing football with Uncle Jack and Trey."

I turned to him as I sensed the uneasiness in his tone, and walked toward him, getting close.

"What is your problem? Mom and Dad have been more then accepting ever since you told them…"
"Yeah but…" He looked down at the ground, turning a bit red, "I've never brought anyone home before. Thanksgiving, that's a big deal. Like rest of our lives big deal."
"Well I'm sure Mom will be happy to hear that. You're supposed to be in love, Holden! Start acting like it."

I turned before I could catch his expression, beginning the washing process on the dishes that had already been dirtied. It was then that I heard my mother's voice from the living room.

"Oh Sean, come here! You have to see these adorable pictures of Holden!"

"Mom, come on!" Holden exclaimed, and I heard his footsteps rapidly leaving the kitchen.

I finished the dishes, and then joined everyone in the living; the oven was busy cooking the remainder of the food for dinner, so Mom and I had plenty of time to congregate with all of our relatives. I leaned against the wall and bit my lip, trying to keep from laughing as Holden scrambled to retrieve any baby pictures that he did not approve of from the coffee table before Sean could see them.

I eyed Sean Jackson for the first time in the way that I would a normal person. He was tall and built, dressed in a similarly plain t-shirt as Holden as well as dark faded jeans. He looked like he had walked off the set of a romantic comedy. I found it ironic, considering that I had always been jealous of Holden for his extremely attractive features; it only made sense that he would end up with someone like Sean.

Mom continued to lay out pictures at a rapid rate, handing Sean photo albums as well as the three sat on the couch. Uncle Jack seemed as amused as I was, Uncle Trey, my husband Mark, and Dad looking occasionally from the television to the trio. All of the women were gathered around the television as well, instead gossiping about various social events they had recently attended. And so was the life of a wealthy family in LA.

I continued to watch the trio on the couch, who were by far the most entertaining aspect of the evening. Sean grinned brightly at one picture as Holden seemed to lecture Mom about not bringing the baby pictures out ever again.

"You look adorable in this one." Sean said, touching Holden's arm. Holden immediately stopped talking and turned toward him, looking at the picture in his hands.

"That was from Holden's sixth birthday party. Remember Chelsea, Holden? She was in love with you!" Mom was pointing to someone in the picture, and I recalled the image. Holden stood with a massive smile in front of his cake, with Chelsea Wren trying to grab him in a hug.

"Really?" Sean asked, intrigued and turning toward Mom.

"Well Holden would have no part of it, of course. He was always uncomfortable when girls got handsy with him."

"Mom, please…" Holden began.

"Oh no, I was the same way. I flirted with girls for popularity's sake in school, but when they tried to get all up on me, I got nervous and flustered." Sean empathized.

"Uncle Holden, who is he?"

Everyone, even the men at the television, turned toward little Rose, my five year old daughter who had been sitting in front of the television listening nonchalantly to the women's conversation until she had gotten bored and decided to head in our direction. While everyone was fine with the way Holden was, the topic as to Holden and Sean had yet to be discussed during the evening.

"Rose, that's a rude question." I chided, walking forward to grab her.

"Well, I'm Sean; I'm Uncle Holden's boyfriend." Sean said, leaning down closer to Rose.

"Boyfriend? But Uncle Holden, aren't you a boy?" Rose asked, looking curiously over at Holden.

"Yeah, I am Rose." Holden said, blushing dark red now.

"You see, Rose, most of the time boys like girls. But there are some boys who think girls are nasty, and they fall in love with other boys." Sean explained.

"Really?" Rose asked, incredulous.

"Yeah!" Sean replied excitedly.

Rose just sort of looked at Sean, and then turned to Holden. "Is Sean going to be my uncle too?"

"You know, Rose, I'm pretty sure he is." Holden said, smiling at her.

She nodded. "Good; I like Sean. He's cute!"

"Well thank you, Rose!" Sean replied, grinning wide.

She nodded, and then trotted over to me. "Are we going to eat soon?"

I nodded, looking at Holden and Sean. Their hands had found one another's, intertwined as they flipped from Holden-approved photo albums with Mom. I smiled, and then looked back down at Rose, who still stood there, looking at me curiously.

"What is it, honey?" I asked, leaning down.

"Well…I want a cousin to play with, but I don't want to ask Uncle Holden and Sean for one."

I bit back a chuckle, running a hand through her brunette hair as I leaned down closer.

"That's probably a good idea; I'm not sure they're ready for that yet."

Rose nodded. "I didn't think so."

We ate, getting compliments from everyone on the quality of the food. Then, we all prepared for the annual watching of Say Anything. It was our favorite movie as kids, and somehow became a tradition. Everyone got comfortable on a certain piece of furniture; Mark grabbed us the love seat, and I leaned against him contently with Rose cuddled against me. This gave me a perfect view of Holden and Sean, who had been left with the wide recliner, which they barely both fit in.

Holden was practically in Sean's lap, and they both laughed, trying to keep it quiet but failing. Then, Holden leaned in, catching Sean's lips in his. It was quick, a simple peck, but even in the dark, as Dad prepared the film, I could see the expression in Sean's eyes shift. He chased after Holden's lips, catching them again. This time it was much more passionate as Holden's returned the kiss, and then after a lengthier, but still brief, moment, they parted, and Holden settled into Sean's arms, which wound around his stomach comfortably.

I turned back to the television, leaving the two to each other. I smiled to myself, massaging Rose's head gently and placing a kiss on Mark's arm, wrapped around my shoulders. I would have never dreamed the night Holden had confessed that he was gay, that we would both be sitting at this Thanksgiving, content with our lives. I was happy for myself, but even happier for my brother. He deserved someone to lift him up, to make him happy, more then anyone.