Christmas of the chiefs
I was filled with joy to finally get off this island and head back home-
I was roughly being shaken awake. I open my eyes. It was just a dream…The island, the pig, the beast, everything.
"Hey! What's the matter with you? I come to see you and you're just sitting here fast asleep! I do have a concert coming up and need to rehearse you know." Jack speaks to me but I only nod dumbly. I'm a little taken aback hearing him. I look at his clean face. Freckles, but no war paint and he's fully clothed and his red hair is short in length.
"Ralph, are you even listening?" Jack asks sternly.
"Uh-yeah…" I say lamely. Jack lets out an aggravated sigh. He's not one for patience especially when I start thinking the way I do. I think back to my dream and realize that we were young in it. We were the ages when all of us first met but now we're older. My eyes roam up and down Jack's frame and yup, he's certainly taller. A slight blush burns my cheeks when I realize that I'm looking at him so closely. He doesn't seem to care since he's confident in his looks. He's seventeen with a nice height of six foot two inches. I think about my own height of five foot ten inches and blush at the thought of being insecure. Jack has always been more physically fit too even though all he does outside of school is chorus. I'm not even that much for brains; that's Piggy's role.
"So where do you wanna go today?" Jack asks with his usual bold front but I sense some shyness behind it. I guess when you date someone for six months; you get to know them a little better.
"My house is fine," I say as I get up, placing my bag on my shoulder. "And thanks for coming to see me."
"Yeah, whatever." Jack tries to say it like its nothing but chorus means a lot to him. And I saw a blush.
For the past six months, at least once a week if not more, Jack and I try to spend some time together and the best place to go is either his or mine. I thought my house would be better. Last week we went to Jack's house and I noted that there were no Christmas decorations. Jack blew it off like it was nothing. I knew better. At school I overheard him and Piggy talking about Christmas. The two actually found something to agree on! Which says a lot. They were talking about how much they loved Christmas and when Simon had come over to ask what each of them were doing over the holiday break, Jack became very silent. I figure his parents are strict even around the holidays. They probably wouldn't allow Jack to celebrate Christmas just like how his parents wouldn't let us stay together if they knew we were going out.
I still feel very warm when I think back to when Jack asked me out. Then I remember the way he asked me out and roll my eyes. Jack didn't exactly ask, he more or less told me that I would be going out with him. If I didn't love him then I would've had so much fun telling him 'no' but the world is cruel like that. I just had to fall in love with the arrogant idiot.
We go to my living room where the tree is up but bare with no decorations on it yet. I was hoping I could get Jack to do it with me. A pre-Christmas gift per say. I turn around to ask Jack but what I find makes my words dry up in my mouth and I end up just staring at him.
Jack's eyes are wide, his mouth open, and his eyes were a little teary-eyed though he would deny that fact all the way to his grave.
"Jack…" I say his name hesitantly but receive no reply. "Jack." I say more strongly. He looks startled for a moment but regains his composure.
"Yeah?" He says a little dazed.
"Wanna decorate the tree with me?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"Sure. Knowing you, you'll need help getting some of the ornaments up higher." He says nonchalantly. Normally I would scowl at the joke on my height but I know he doesn't mean it this time. It's the funny thing about our relationship as Simon would put it. Oh yeah, all of our friends know we're going out. Jack made sure of that, the possessive guy just blurted it out and showed acts of it like giving me a kiss in the hallway before heading to class, putting his arm around my shoulders or even my waist.
Anyways, Simon supports our relationship one hundred percent but he loves to comment on every detail about it to us. He says he observed that I'm more understanding of Jack than he is of me which is actually not a bad guess. To everyone else I'm the one always having to calm Jack down or be understanding of his attitude, but he does return the favor when it comes to my thinking. He doesn't appreciate it like the others do but he sits with me and hears out my rants when I'm speaking and waits patiently when it's all in my head. Though I have to admit, it's really funny seeing Jack's reactions to Simon's accusations since the majority of them are more or less pointed at him. Jack's a good boyfriend though.
"Well where should we start?" Jack interrupts my thinking and I look up. He points at the tree and I nod.
"You can start with any ornament and place it wherever you like and then the rest just flows from there. Have you never decorated a Christmas tree?" I ask almost incredulously.
"I've never celebrated Christmas. Never even got a gift when I was little. Right from the start I was told that Santa Clause was nonsense." Jack speaks in a hushed whisper. I look at Jack with a sad expression. I couldn't even imagine a childhood without Christmas. Jack sees my face and his face turns hard, "I don't need your pity, Ralph. Its just a holiday. Doesn't matter." He turns around and puts the first ornament on the tree. He grabs another one and before he puts it on, I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my forehead on his back. He stiffens at the sudden contact.
"You don't believe that," I whisper. "If you did, you wouldn't have cared whether or not you helped me to decorate the tree. You wouldn't have had conversations at school with the others about Christmas traditions that you've missed out on. And you damn well know that if you didn't care then you wouldn't have allowed the choir to sing a whole bunch of Christmas songs at the concert!" I'm crying like a nine year old and I hate myself for it but it hurts me to hear him say he doesn't care when I know he does.
Jack probably feels my tears soaking his back because without turning around he asks, "Why the hell are you crying?" That's when I realize he is holding back his own tears.
"See ya idiot, you do care." I tell him with a smile.
"Pfft, I'm not an idiot," is all he says. He turns around but I don't let go and he takes my face in his hands and wipes away my tears. "Okay, let's finish the tree."
"Okay but lets turn on some Christmas music or a Christmas movie."
"Why?" It's funny to see him look genuinely confused.
"It's my tradition to watch a Christmas movie or listen to Christmas music while decorating the tree," I say while shrugging my shoulders.
Few hours later…
It took longer to do the tree thanks to Jack and his arrogant, perverted attitude. When he wasn't thinking about me in that way, we would sit on the couch to watch the Christmas movie with Jack's arm around my shoulders and my head resting on his shoulder, under his chin.
"It looks great. No one would ever know it was your first time," I say as I inspect the tree.
"That's because I'm awesome," he comments like it's the most natural thing. I roll my eyes at his haughty demeanor. I head towards the kitchen to put our mugs that were filled with hot chocolate in the sink. Jack follows me and this time, it's his turn to wrap his arms around me but since he is taller, he brings his head down to rest on my shoulder.
"Thank you," he whispers into my ear.
"Yeah, no problem," I feel like my body is on fire. He's really close and being sentimental and sweet. I'm not used to this Jack. The Jack that I know is direct, bold, shameless, and aggressive. Someone likes to be on top and dominating. This Jack is vulnerable and I don't know what to do.
"When are your parents coming back?" He asks softly.
"Not until tomorrow afternoon," I barely get out.
"Then can I spend the night?" He asks slyly and I already know where this is heading.
I sigh and respond, "Guessing when you mean spend the night, your implying my bedroom?"
"No. I'm implying your bed." The one side of his lip tips up into a smile.
"And what makes you think I'm giving up my bed for you?" I ask hotly.
"Whoever said you couldn't sleep in the bed with me?" He asks with a smirk.
My whole body becomes ablaze at the implication and I know I'm as red as Jack's hair. Jack gives a full sounded laugh. He takes my hand and he guides me to my room.
In my room, I'm sitting on Jack's lap. In between kisses I whisper to him, "Merry Christmas Jack."
He's still for a moment and then replies back softly, "Merry Christmas Ralph."