"I'll be home for Christmas...
The velvet strains of Bing Crosby floated across the swanky ballroom of her company's holiday party as Holly stumbled out onto the balcony of the hotel clutching her glass of champagne as if her life depended on it. She was not going to cry! Well not here anyway.
"You can count on me..."
Blue eyes and a wicked grin flashed through her mind. It had been just about a year ago. They hadn't even been dating yet when she had come home to find a somewhat intoxicated Gail Peck sprawled out on her couch wearing not much more than a tiny little red cocktail dress and drinking her bourbon. She knew she shouldn't be looking at her good friend like this, she shouldn't be thinking about Gail like that, but she also knew she was already in too deep.
"Please have snow.."
She missed snow.
"And mistletoe..."
It had been Sinatra on Gail's iPod, not Bing.
"And presents on the tree..."
Gail had put down her drink on Holly's coffee table, swung her legs off of the arm of Holly's couch, and stood up as she began to sing along. Oh how she missed Gail! What was she thinking when she moved here anyway?
"Christmas Eve will find me..."
She closed her eyes at the memory of Gail looking into her eyes as she sang to her, sauntering right up to her, pulling her in to slow dance.
"Where the love light beams..."
She could almost feel Gail's body pressed up against hers swaying gently to the music.
She could hear Gail's voice, and feel the warmth of Gail's cheek pressed to hers as Gail sang softly into her ear.
"I'll be home for Christmas..."
She took a deep breath to steady herself as a single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She wondered what Gail was doing now, but they hadn't kept in touch. They both knew that long distance relationships never worked, so they had made a clean break.
"If only in my dreams..."
Fuck it. She put down her champagne on the railing and fumbled with her purse for her phone. She was just about to dial that once oh so familiar number when a text flashed across her screen that made her breath catch in her chest.
Champion of the Universe: What are you doing for XMas?