Happy holidays to all of my amazing reviewers and readers!
I hope you guys all have safe and amazing holidays, whatever you celebrate:)
xo
"Merry Christmas, bud, enjoy the taquitoes!"
"Thanks," seventeen year old Josh Hotz muttered, taking the bag of lukewarm chicken and jalepino taquitoes from the Seven-Eleven store worker. "You too."
On the drive home, Josh couldn't help but resent his parents. They'd decided to go somewhere hot for Christmas without him. It wasn't that they were on vacation without him that pissed him off though, it was that Christmas had always been his favourite holiday because he was never alone.
Growing up, his older sister had been at boarding school and his parents had been on long trips, and he'd be stuck with the staff. But no matter what, everyone was always to get at Christmas, even if it were a day. But this year, his sister was too busy at Brown to come home, and his parents were cruising the Carribean and his staff had been giving this holidays off for once.
So this was how he was spending Christmas -a bag of cold, greasy taquitoes from a gas station, maybe watch some TV, then tomorrow he'd open all the presents his parents left for him, all by himself.
He supposed he could go to his girlfriend's, since the Block's were having their annual Christmas Eve Party, covered by local press and People. And Massie was more into showing him off than actually listening to him or anything. And he didn't want to have to pose for pictures, he just wanted to have a chill night. And he would be...he'd just be having it alone.
Josh pulled into the driveway, surprised that the living room's lights were on. Hadn't he shut them off? With a shrug, he grabbed his bag and unlocked the door. The living room lights were on, along with the hallway and the kitchen. The TV flickered in the living room and the kitchen cupboards were open.
He creeped slowly towards the living room, Seven-Eleven bag held out in front of him like a weapon. Instead of finding the murderer or robber he'd been expecting, he found Claire Lyons lounging on his favourite leather couch, black yoga pants with red socks on and gold curls piled on top of her head.
"Uh, hey Claire," Josh glanced at the coffee table in front of her, piled high with bags of chips, cookies and drinks.
"Oh, hey," she turned around with a grin, as if it was perfectly natural for Claire Lyons to break into his house, sit on his favourite couch and empty his cupboards. "What's up?"
"Nothing much..." he trailed off, sinking onto the less comfortable couch. "Just wondering what the hell you're doing in my house..."
"Oh," Claire laughed. "Sorry! But I overheard Massie saying that you were going to be alone for Christmas, and since my family's going to the Block's and I really didn't want to join them, I figured we might as well spend our lonely night together. It'd probably be less lonely!"
A small smile crept up on Josh's face. "So you broke into my house? Just because we both didn't want to go to my girlfriend's party?"
"I did not 'break in'," Claire scoffed. "I had a key," she held up a bronze key, the same on on his keychain in his pocket.
"Um, Claire, where'd ya get a key to my house? I'm not sure if you know this, but that's pretty creepy."
"Took it from Massie," Claire shrugged.
"Massie has a key to my house?"
"She makes keys to all her boyfriends' houses," Claire shrugged again. "Anyway, I ordered enough Chinese food to feed like all of China, so unless you want to feel really fat later, you better let me stay."
Josh laughed, his mood brightening. He loved Claire at the moment. "Well when you put it that way, how can I say no?"
"And," Claire held up three different DVDs. "I brought Bride Wars, Breakfast at Tiffany's and PS, I Love You."
Josh rolled his eyes. "If you're going to break into my house, make me eat Chinese instead of my gas station taquitoes and make me watch chick flicks, you at least need to share the good couch with me."
Claire giggled and slid to one side. "This is seriously the comfiest couch I've ever sat on," she said as Josh sat down beside her. She held out a Ralph Lauren blanket which he wrapped around their legs.
"I know," he grinned. The doorbell rang. "I'm assuming that's the Chinese food? I'll go get it, put whatever DVD in."
When he came back -with as much Chinese food to feed China, Claire ordered a lot-, Claire was snuggled under the blanket, a few gold curls falling out of her bun. She was beautiful. He sat down back beside her, offering her a containor of Shanghai noodles.
"You keep your house at Arctic temperatures," she shivered.
"It keeps my heart icy and cold," Josh shrugged.
"You're not mean," Claire said, biting into an eggroll. "Well I dunno, Massie could be rubbing off on you."
Josh snickered and tried to turn his attention to the TV, but Claire, who was literally like an angel, kept distracting him. Maybe it was her perfume, or the fact that she wasn't afraid to break into his house in yoga pants and a messy bun. But Josh decided it was her heart that he liked the best. She'd ditched her family and Massie, just so he wouldn't be alone at Christmas.
"Merry Christmas, Claire," he said, resting his head lightly against hers.
She smiled. "Merry Christmas, Josh."
