Part 14 (25-12-08) Ian gives away the Christmas food to Bianca and her family because they have nothing and invites the Masoods round and they cook. Heather, Shirley, Minty, Gary, Darren and Dawn end up with nothing for Christmas and so they break into the café to get something to eat. Darren has acquired a mass shipment of vests which he can't sell it being winter and all.
"Ian what have you done with our Christmas dinner?" Jane asked her patience running thin.
"I gave it to Bianca." He admitted smiling to himself "They needed it more than we did." He explained.
"Over two hundred and fifty quid that cost!" Jane spluttered out.
"What price for the love of your family and the community." He said eerily serenely.
"Are you the real Ian Beale?" Christian asked very unimpressed.
"Yeah!" He reassured them. "Don't worry we're not going to go hungry." He said enigmatically.
A few minutes later Jane opened the door to the Masoods who were standing on her doorstep with arms laden full of food.
"Well hello." She said confused. "Merry…ummm."
"Thursday." Zainab filled in moodily. "Merry Thursday." Then they were ushered into the house.
"It's a shame we're not still doing stand-up comedy." Tamwar muttered to Jane. Holding up Syed behind him. "Quality material."
Christian was surprised to say the least when Syed walked into his living room and grinned at him. His favourite person was going to be with him on his favourite holiday. He took the food from him and stashed it in the kitchen.
"What are you doing here?" He asked incredulous to the situation.
"Didn't Ian tell you?" he smirked wickedly.
"No."
"We're here for Christmas lunch." He explained gesturing towards the food.
"Curry? At Christmas that's about as traditional as…"
"A bunch of Muslim house guests at Christmas." Syed pointed out. "Now come on you'll have to show me what's what I don't want to make a Christmas faux pas." He said with mock gravity.
"What you mean like pull the crackers at the wrong time?" He suggested.
"Or put eggnog in everyone's tea." He laughed happily. Christian slid one arm around his shoulder, it seemed that he was spending more and more time doing that.
"Well don't you worry, I've got you." He said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice.
!
The Masood family all focused their eyes diligently on the food as the police left trying their best to ignore the awkward situation that had arisen. Syed was sat next to Christian and was making sure that everyone else got served first.
"Oh have a heart Ian, it's Christmas we've got nothing to eat." Heather pleaded.
"So that means you can break into my café and hep yourselves to a fry up!" Ian pointed out.
"We left a fiver in the till." Gary pointed out sulkily.
"Oh go on get out I'll send you a bill when I've assessed the damage." Ian sighed as Zainab piled up Syed's plate despite his slight protest which she ignored.
"Smells nice." Shirley said quietly.
"And there's a few spare chairs." Heather put in.
"That's for my kids!" Ian replied calling upstairs. "Come on you guys dinner."
"Lets' leave Mr Beale to it then, the bins haven't been emptied all week." Gary said laying on the guilt as thick as he could. "There's bound to be something to eat in there."
"Don't look at me." Jane shrugged.
"Or me!" Zainab agreed.
"Mum." Syed interjected and Christian leant back in his seat sure of what would soon follow. Zainab may be able to resist the imploring looks of the gaggle in the living room but there was no way she could resist that look coming from her first born. "We do have more than enough." His voice was practically a whisper.
"That's the spirit, Syed." Ian agreed loudly. " It's Christmas after all, and they are our neighbours. Come on!" Soon everyone was pulling up chairs, Heather even gave Syed a big kiss on the cheek, much to his embarrassment, as way of thanks.
"Your all heart you." Christian muttered to his friend.
"Must be the season." He grinned back.
!
They were just sitting down to watch some TV after the big meal. Christian and his mother were on the armchair with Syed perched just to the side on one of the arms.
"Perhaps a seat for the person who fed you all?" Zainab moaned standing up and looking at the others, Syed's first reaction was to jump to his feet and offer up his but luckily Minty gave her the armchair and he sat back down.
"Do you remember I was one of the wise men?" Christian asked his mother.
"Oh he was good. Do us a bit." His mother commanded. Dutifully he cleared his throat and put on a childish and over dramatic voice.
"We have followed the star to Bethlehem to find Jesus in the manger." He simpered. Syed started to laugh behind him earning him a quick shove nearly making him fall off his seat.
"A star was born that day." His mother said proudly. Syed reached from behind and ruffled Christian's short hair affectionately.
"You wear a vest for that part?" Minty asked.
"Y'what?" Christian asked confused.
"When you played the three wise man did you wear a vest?" He dared to ask again.
"Of course not." Christian laughed. Syed however shared a look with Christian's mother sensing where this was going but not being able to stop it in the slightest. "Why's that funny?" he asked starting to get annoyed.
"Do you ummm…have many vests in your wardrobe?" Darren asked.
"Not that many." Christian bit back. "What you trying to say I wear a lot of vests?"
"No." Darren shook his head trying to keep in the giggles.
"Well they're useful especially in the winter aren't hey mum?" Christian sought help from his mother who stayed out of it.
"So are you wearing one now?" Masood asked gently.
"Yeah." He looked down to check and Syed had to battle against his own amusement to keep quiet.
"Can we have a look?" Masood asked straight faced.
"You're stupid did you know that." Christian muttered cattily and stormed off grabbing a bottle of wine as he left while everyone else laughed happily.
"He's not a happy bunny is he, Linda?" Dawn said to Christian's mum after the grown man had spent the last half an hour sat alone at the table in absolute silence before slinking off into the kitchen.
"He's never liked being teased." Linda replied, Syed's gaze followed his friend and he got to his feet.
"I'll go have a word with him." He said quietly, Linda grabbed his hand halting him slightly.
"Oh you are a good lad, my son doesn't deserve you." She told him with a smile.
"What are friends for?" he shrugged and entered the kitchen. Christian was stood by the sink with a very full glass of white wine in his hand. His only acknowledgement of Syed presence was to roll his eyes and turn away. "You ok in here?" Syed asked.
"Fine thanks you can go in and join the rest of the fast show in there and have a right old giggle at my expense." He bit back.
"It was only a bit of light teasing, Christian, calm down."
"I know, I guess I'm just more sensitive than I look." He admitted starting to melt under the chocolate gaze centred on him.
"Besides why shouldn't you wear lots of vests." Syed told him running his hand up Christian's arm his fingers dipping intimately enough for Christian's breath to catch as he traced the lines of his muscles. "You once told me 'if you've got flaunt it' remember. And well that lot in there are all beer bellies and double chins, or else skinny little weeds like me, Tambo and Darren. If they had one ounce of what you had, Christian, they'd be in nothing but vests as much as they could. Now have you finished sulking?" he asked.
"Your good you are." Christian told him pushing into his shoulder with his own.
"Living in my house I get lots and lots of practise." He grinned cockily. "Now come on there is a room full of your friends and family trying to enjoy this bizarre holiday and they need you to do that." He tugged softly at Christian's arm and he came willingly back in however they only made it half way across the kitchen when Gary came in.
"Look we all just want to say how sorry we are for the vest cracks. Everyone knows how hard you've worked today…" he half pushed the door open leading back into the dining room. "in fact we think your…."
"Simply the vest!" Everyone cried at the same time with some vests one of Darren's fairs gave him instead of money over their clothes. Even Gary went and joined them pulling off his jumper to reveal a vest underneath and they started to sing badly so the tune of simply the best. Christian looked shocked and turned to Syed who shook his head as confused as he was.
"You're about 'that' funny." Christian said holding up his fingers pressed together. Syed cringed and sighed behind him obviously thinking he was going to have to start pacifying him all over again. He stormed back into the kitchen shutting the door on Syed, keeping him out. The young man turned to the group trying to keep his face a picture of disapproval but as he ran his eyes over the crowd he couldn't' help the little twitch at the corner of his mouth, but he didn't join in when the others started to chant his name and then cheered as he reappeared sour faced from the kitchen.
"That's not a vest." He said looking disapprovingly at them before sliding his dark shirt off leaving his white vest to show off his sculptured arms. "This. Is. A. Vest." He flung it to Syed who caught it before laughing softly but keeping out of it slightly his arms folded leaning back against the table as the rest of the group giggled with Christian. Showing off Christian kissed his biceps for the crowd. "Bow down pretenders." He commanded as some strange king of the vests to the gaggle. After a few more giggles things calmed down, the vests went back into the black bag they had come from and people started talking about having cups of tea. Christian, in much better spirits now, suggested that he make them. Syed leapt up to help him earning a proud kiss on the forehead from his mother.
"Cheered up then?" Syed asked pouring water into the kettle as Christian got out cups, tea, milk and sugar.
"Yeah sorry for being so grumpy, not exactly the Christmas I was hoping to show you, I didn't really teach you anything did I?"
"Christian, I was only kidding, I'm Muslim, not culturally dumb, most of my friends have celebrated Christmas, I know the deal, Ok? I know the stupid song about the reindeer with the nose, and I know about coal in stockings and…and…" His eyes flittered around looking for something and his eyes fixed on the mistletoe that hung from the window in-between up. "mistletoe!" He leant over and lifting himself up ever so slightly pressed his lips to Christians right cheek, a quick brush of rough stubble and soft, oh so soft, lips on his skin and all he wanted was to pull him by the back of his head and touch their lips together, to taste the inside of his mouth with his tongue, to let his fingers rub against the back of his neck. Instead he just swallowed and tried to keep his legs from giving way. It was pathetic, Christian Clarke floored by one poxy kiss on the cheek. "So you see not so ignorant as you might think. Whereas until you met me I doubt you could have told me what Ramadan was!" he mock scolded as if the world hadn't shifted dramatically in the last few seconds.
"Sy…" he didn't even know what he was going to say.
"Hey I've been sent to help by mum." Tamwars voice came from behind them. "Well her actual word were that I should get in and help by brother and that I should learn from your example. I tried to tell her you were making tea not curing world hunger but you know mum, you're her little golden boy." Tamwar muttered darkly.
"Well I'm glad for the help Tim-tam." Syed ruffled Tamwar's hair with a grin. "Now lets see if I remember this, it's three sugars for Heather and Shirley, two for Gary, Minty, Darren and Dawn. One for Jane, Ian and dad both want coffee, white no sugar. Me, you, Mum and Christian all want tea no sugar." He reeled off too quick for Christian to follow. He stopped to think for a second. "Is that right?" he questioned to Tamwar.
"Linda wanted a lemon water, and you forgot Peter and Lucy." Tamwar corrected him instantly.
"Of course, one more tea without sugar and one with one sugar." Christian stared at the Masood boys with a little bit of awe and suspicion. They looked at him questioningly then laughed lightly together.
"Mum doesn't like to repeat herself." Tamwar explained.
"If our house does only one thing it's give you a good memory." Syed finished for him setting up the order.
"And a high tolerance for insanity." Tamwar added on. When everyone was sat with their teas and coffees Christian looked around, Syed was next to him and his cheek still tingled for that little brush of his lips. He felt surprisingly warm inside surrounded by people, friends, family, not a bunch of strangers in some bar or on some beach. He felt at home for once. He raised his cup in toast and was joined by everyone surrounding him.
"To a very merry Thursday!" He called and it echoed out from everyone. Catching Syed's eyes and seeing the smile in them he thought to himself just how glad he was that he had come to Walford.