36.
After that the evening becomes a lot more fun. Edward and I sit down in the dining room while everyone else is watching Home Alone on TV. We're chatting, catching up and I can't believe how easy this is.
I'm actually feeling happy about this. I knew I miss having Edward as a friend but I really had no idea how wonderful it is to be talking to him again.
We chat about classes, about holiday coffee – he loves pumpkin spice lattes, I'm more of a gingerbread latte fan – and about family. He tells me about Alice, his big sister, who is spending Christmas with her husband Jasper's family, but she'll be home for New Years.
I'm actually excited about that. I haven't seen Alice since the breakup. We normally see each other on holidays and birthdays, but she lives in Texas and it's too far away for us to make the trip every week. I've missed Edward's birthday, and he and his family missed mine.
Finally our parents enter the room. I see my mom give me a look that says, 'We're going to talk about this later' but nothing happens right at that moment. The Cullens are leaving, off to celebrate a little bit of Christmas on their own. Right before we leave, Edward gives me a tight hug.
"Can I see you tomorrow?" He whispers in my ear.
"Sure, we can meet at the diner at one?"
He agrees and leaves. When I see their car disappear, I frown.
Why does it feel like we've set a date?