Winter Storm (Part ½)
A plush wreath hung on the outside of the front door, red ribbons and twinkling fairy lights decorated various areas of the house. A nutcracker on the coffee table and 2 homemade stockings hung from the lit fireplace, a crackling fire to keep everyone warm. Snowmen pillows and reindeer stuffed animals sat on the couch, just one room over from the kitchen crowded with an abundance of different cookies. There was a tall and lavish Christmas tree to top it all off, complete with white and silver ornaments and tinsel and an angel on the very top. Nozomi crawled down the ladder, taking a step back to admire her hard work. This was her favorite time of year, and this was the part she loved most. Decorating the house for all of her family to come over and spend Christmas Eve with. That was always the tradition: friends and family came over on Christmas Eve, and the next day it was just her and her mother spending the holiday together, making pancakes side by side and exchanging gifts. It truly was "the most wonderful time of the year," and the time she felt closest to her mother.
The interior was complete, so she headed upstairs to doll herself up. Her mother would be home soon to help finish setting up for their guests, which meant Nozomi didn't have all that much time to get ready. Even applying heaps of makeup and squeezing into a formal dress was enjoyable. She settled on a knee-length maroon dress with short sleeves and a white Peter Pan collar. She paired it with black lace tights and black ankle boots. Her face was kept simple, save for the dramatic brown eyeshadow and red lip. But it was a special occasion, so why not put in a little more? Nozomi even pinned her hair up in a neat little up-do. She turned around in the mirror, pleased with herself and experiencing this overall natural joy. The holidays put her in the greatest of moods.
The unlocking of the front door snapped her back to the present, indicating her mother was home and it was time to continue with the preparations. Nozomi trotted down the stairs to greet her, and was met with a firm hug and an enormous grin. Christmas surely had the same effect on Ayako, as she dropped everything to embrace her daughter and praise the house, along with how beautiful she looked.
"Everything is lovely, including you, dear," she complimented, kissing Nozomi's forehead. "I'm sure our guests will be pleased."
"I'm glad you like it, Mother." Ayako picked the bags back up, opening them for Nozomi to see.
"I did some last minute shopping and picked up some more creamer for the coffee and an apple pie, because the Lord knows I couldn't bake a pie to save my life," she said as she flicked her hand up. Nozomi just chuckled at her and took the bags to bring them into the kitchen. She put the creamer in the fridge and threw the pie in the oven to warm it before their house was filled with hungry people who gave up on trying to keep with their diet during the holiday season. Her mother went upstairs to do some touch-ups, leaving Nozomi to lean against the counter, taking a chocolate chip cookie from the nearest plate. She turned it around, examining every delicious detail. A bright smile stretched from ear to ear, showing teeth as she broke off a piece.
The temperature outside was in the negatives, but Nozomi stood with Eli in her kitchen with her sleeves rolled back and her hair tied up off her face. A few days until Christmas, and Eli had invited her over to help bake festive cookies for the occasion. Her grandmother was old and her muscles were weak, but every year she made it tradition to bake with her grandchildren, plus Nozomi that year. She slowly stood up from the stool at the island, placing a hand on Eli's arm as she spoke softly in Russian to her. The blonde nodded, and Alisa helped their grandmother put her coat on.
"What did she say?" Nozomi asked, pausing her whisking and watching the two leave out the front door. Eli leaned over to look in through the window on the oven, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear that fell in front of her face. It was not until she decided that the cookies were most likely finished that she answered.
"She and Alisa are running to the store to get some more red icing. Help me take this batch out?" Nozomi handed her 2 potholders, opening the oven door as she pulled the tray out with both hands. She set it down on the stove top and tossed the potholders to the side. She made a little "whew" sound as she wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. Baking was tough work.
Eli addressed another tray of cookies beside that one, which had been taken out earlier. She pressed the tip of her finger into the middle to dent it ever so slightly, testing the temperature. That one cookie would vouch for the rest of them, because they were all dumped onto a large decorative plate.
"Harasho! Bring the icing over here so we can start doing this set," Eli commanded, pointing an authoritative finger at her best friend. Nozomi saluted her and grabbed the mixing bowl.
"Good thing your grandmother and sister went to pick up some more, because there's really not that much-" An act of embarrassment caused by negligence was why Nozomi had been unable to finish her statement. Knocking her hip on the oven door left partially open, she stumbled into Eli and was only an inch or so away from her face; her body was incredibly close to the other girl's. Nozomi dared not let her eyes dart to her soft lips, her honey-colored hair that would only compel her to trail her gaze down to the plumpness of the top of her full, enticing chest. The low-cut shirt she was wearing made the temptation all the more difficult to resist, but Nozomi was quick to act. She scooped some icing onto her finger, and swiped it across Eli's cheek. Sexual tension was masked by laughter and juvenile play.
"You bitch!" Eli said, taking some icing of her own and smearing it in Nozomi's pigtail. She tried to run away, but the blonde grabbed her from behind to contain her movements. Eyes were wet with tears from laughing too hard and soon they were covered in red, white, and green that was intended to go on the cookies, not themselves. 10 more minutes of chasing each other around the kitchen and attacking one another with cookie toppings was soon put to an end when Eli's grandmother walked in with Alisa by her side, a small plastic bag hanging on her arm.
"Khorosho…"
"Nozomi! Can you get that? I'm almost ready!" Nozomi's mother called to her from upstairs, snapping her out of her reminiscing. She hadn't heard the doorbell, but it was safe to say her family had finally arrived. She popped the cookie in her mouth whole, brushed the crumbs from her hands, and went to the door to get the night started. On the other side was a porch full of aunts, uncles, cousins, and her grandparents from her mother's side. Nozomi swallowed.
"Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed, a sudden wave of excitement rushed through her. She was met with a flurry of hugs and cheek-kisses and soon her house was full with immediate and extended family members. Ryouta and his mother had even arrived; Nozomi threw her arms around Ryouta as soon as she saw him. The two had become quite close recently, due to common interests and Nozomi's decrease in communication with the girls from Muse. It was partially her mother's doing, putting a ban on her contact with them, but generally she just stopped talking to them. She couldn't even remember the last thing she said to Nico. The more Nozomi thought on it, the more she wondered if she was really ever friends with the others; she wondered if they had even liked her at all. Had she been too forward? Too… intense?
With a shake of her head in attempt to clear the thought, she and Ryouta stood in the kitchen among the plethora of sweets. Nozomi didn't want to dwell on any negativity now, she just wanted to enjoy her holiday with loved ones. Ryouta tucked a strand of blonde hair behind his ear, eyes darting around the room. Nozomi noticed this, bringing a hand up to her mouth as she giggled.
"Ryouta? It looks like something's on your mind." He stuck a hand in his back pocket, revealing a small box wrapped in decorative paper.
"I know you said you didn't want anything… but I kinda just had to." He thrusted out the box towards her, biting back a grin. Nozomi took it in her hands and gingerly tore the wrapping. Inside was a silver necklace with a single gemstone, which she could only assume was an amethyst.
"Ryouta it's lovely, thank you!" She gave him a quick one-armed hug.
"So, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," he began. Nozomi handed him the necklace, turning around and sweeping loose strands of hair from her neck. The boy's hands were cold as he hooked the clasp to the tiny ring.
"There's this guy at my community college…" Ryouta trailed off as some people started to fill in the kitchen. Nozomi turned back around to face him, gesturing to go upstairs. Ryouta followed behind her as they started down the hall. Approaching the stairs, Nozomi stuck out her arm to stop him. It was her mother, and Ryouta's. They stood just beside them, listening to their conversation as they sat on the step.
"...is good. Really, I think you're doing the right thing."
"Yes, I suppose. I just think there must be some sort of… reason behind it."
"Well Ayako, you realize that she's never had a male figure in her life, right?" A pause.
"She's never met her father, you only have a sister, and her entire education was in all-girls schools. Her whole life was spent with other females! Don't you think-" Nozomi turned in the other direction, walking back into the living room that was congested with family members. Ryouta took her face in his hands and wiped her tears with his thumbs. Nozomi knew exactly who and what they were talking about, and she couldn't help but let it get to her. There she was, crying, the one thing she hoped to ultimately avoid that day. Nozomi was grateful to have Ryouta with her, and she was just grateful to have met him in the first place. With a tight hug, the joyful feeling had returned and everyone gathered by the tree to open presents.
Nozomi was left to herself, everyone had gone home and her mother decided to go out with her friends once again. She had been doing this quite often lately, spur of the moment "Girls' Nights." Nozomi was all alone in the house, cleaning up the huge mess that their guests had made. She decided that had been too much holiday spirit for one night, and was ready to crash. Being all by her lonesome on Christmas, and the events leading up to it, didn't really motivate her to feel enthusiastic anyway. She was bent over picking up leftover wrapping paper and stuffing it into a garbage bag, along with half-eaten food and vacuuming the crumbs from the couch. The house looked similar to the way it was before everyone had arrived, so Nozomi decided to call it a night. As she was storing the vacuum back into the closet, the doorbell had startled her. Who could that be at this time of night? She guessed one of her aunts or uncles left something here and came back for it.
Opening the front door, she felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of a blonde ponytail.