Among the Pines
"Merry Christmas!"
The Burke's was as lively as it could have been on Christmas Eve. The golden walls now hung adorn with lively green, red and gold ornaments, backed by the presence of a large Christmas tree, also decorated. A fire cackled merrily across the living room, its embers and logs ablaze with a festivity.
Bill Burke ushered the Aarons into the living room. Jesse smiled weakly to Leslie; he was never too comfortable when around her with his parents and sisters. Jack smiled roughly and went over to the Christmas Tree and placed a few presents, albeit small next to those already there as Mary went into the kitchen to drop off a handful of food for the evening.
"C'mon. I'll show you my room." Leslie said to him, and Jesse quietly slipped up the stairs with her. Leslie's bedroom was on the top floor. She turned on the light and adjusted it to a dim brightness. Her room was moderate in size, yet cosy and warm. The ceiling slanted with the roof, and a balcony door looked out into the garden and the pine forest beyond. Books overflowed from shelves, most of them fantasy and fiction. Jesse's picked out some familiar names, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Winterbirth, and of course, the whole collection of Narnia books, sometimes two of the same book when one of the pair was too tattered to read.
He also picked out some one book with her parents names on them.
He sat on the edge of her bed, next to her. "Wow, you're room's amazing." He said.
She smiled faintly "Thanks," she mumbled embarrassedly. They both knew how much more financially well off Leslie was than Jesse, however Jesse was never bitter about it, and Leslie acted as though such a thing didn't even exist.
"Hey, do you want to stay over?" she asked smiling after a brief silence. If there was any hesitation in her voice, it was well concealed.
Jesse blank stupidly. "Sure." He said. He still had second thoughts, but those he could not afford to show.
But to Leslie, these thoughts seethed too clearly. She did not blame him though, even she had doubts. And she also had to keep in mind that, he had never had a sleepover, and let alone one with a girl.
Their pondering was broken by a call from downstairs, summoning the two to dinner. They skipped down the stairs. Bill was waiting for them, smiling vaguely as they passed by. Just as she got to the door, Leslie turned on her heel and faced her dad.
"Hey Dad, can Jesse stay over?" she asked smiling innocently. He looked at her, and his face lit up with happiness.
"Fine by me, if Jack says yes." He said. Jack however, was a little unsure. To him, the idea of Jesse sleeping over was a little alien. Yet he too seemed to push back those thoughts, lest they obtain a foothold in his mind.
"Sure." He said faintly smiling
Dinner was a festivity in its own right. Food, lined with no particular assortment filled the table, leaving little room for anything else. Jesse felt happier than he had in days; it felt as though he didn't need anyone anymore. As much as he was surrounded by adults and other people from the outside, he sat next to Leslie, and the two had their own little worlds, their own jokes and they didn't need anyone else.
Leslie felt it too, that defiance of the outside world; the denial of entry for anyone other than them in their little world, and the lack of need of anyone else. It was a small thing, but one of great power and importance, and something she would hold on to for the rest of her life.
The Aarons left soon after dinner, and about an hour or so of talk. Jesse and Leslie glimpsed the snow as they left, and without a doubt, Leslie begged her father to let them out have a snowball fight. She argued that it wasn't that dark, and Bill allowed them, warning them to be careful, though the last bit was unheeded by the two. They stepped out onto the snow, shod in thick clothes and coats.
They were looking for a suitable ground to have a snowball fight, when without warning Leslie stooped down in one fluid motion and swung ferociously, sending a snowball straight at Jesse. He ducked, but a second too late, and the snowball caught him on the shoulder. In his dazed state, he bent over to grab a hand full of snow, but another came to meet him, this time in the head. He fumbled and regained his balance, trying to shake himself awake while Leslie burst laughing.
Snow trickled into his clothes, stinging as they disappeared; the snowball fight was over for him. A light snow began to fall, and their hopes rose, for a snowy, mirthful Christmas. It was already festive as it was, but the snow would complete it.
"That's enough Leslie, I don't feel like playing." He said.
She just smiled at him mischievously, then he saw another small snowball clutched in her hand.
"Oh, come on." He said in sighed. She didn't even fake it; she just flung the snowball straight at him.
"Ok, Ok, that was the last one, promise." She said laughing as he cast her a thoroughly annoyed look. The sky had darkened a little, and the snow fell a little thicker, nevertheless Leslie took the lead, turned around after beckoning to him, and walked down the uneven fields sheeted with snow to the edge of the forest.
This, however even in the dark Jesse could see, was a different part of the forest. Their usual entry to their forest was further down the field. Here he could see large pine trees rising up from the ground.
Leslie took off her glove, taking his bare hand, and the two began walking through the winter forest. He was unsure, almost afraid, but Leslie strode surely, turning around to flash him a reassuring smile.
The snow fell thicker now, in large clumps. Flakes fell on Jesse's face gently, tumbling off at his moving, and the snow crunched and compressed under his feet. The sky was painted a dark, ominous blue and black. Yet all the while, her warm hand guided him through the woods.
The trees became wilder, their thick, red trunks towering menacingly above them. Snow fell even thicker now, and it seemed the entire forest was muted, and the silence seemed to pierce Jesse's very thoughts. Perhaps it was instinct, or so at least Jesse hoped, his mind telling him this was unsafe and dangerous.
The last of the light dwindled in a dark blue and gray twilight when Leslie let go of his hand and turned to face time. Snow now fell beneath them, thick and voluptuous. She broke into a faint smile, and he could faintly see a blush on her pale face. She leaned forward, standing ever so slightly on her tip toes.
Jesse's limbs were no longer his own. His uncertainties were swallowed up by his instincts, he did not resist. He eyes were closed, and felt her hands hold his. His eyes were closed, yet he knew her face was barely an inch from his. Jesse felt Leslie's lips lightly, then felt her soft, ardent kiss. Her hands left his, and wrapped them around his neck. He was blind, yet the sensation was the most wondrous he had ever felt, spreading through him.
Jesse didn't know how long he stood there among the trees, with the snow falling about them, there in Leslie's arms, nor could he ever describe the feeling, that blissful, ethereal kiss they shared.
"Merry Christmas." She whispered, her lips only millimetres apart. They embraced, standing there alone, among the pines and the falling snow, in the silence for what seemed like hours.
Hope you enjoyed it. I thought a short, one-shot for Christmas eve would be nice.
Have a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year .