Chapter 15, The Promise Rings
Another year had gone by, and that secret love triangle that had been a thing amongst Tommy, Zack and Kimi for roughly three years, was no more. Zack moved back at the end of January, right around the time when Tommy and Chuckie would be getting their driver's licenses, and right in time, for them to take a road trip to see their favorite band in concert. Unfortunately, a punishment in school delayed them getting their licenses, so Tommy snuck out with his learner's permit, and while they drove to the concert, they faced a terrible blizzard, that caused them to skid off the road into a forrest.
While stranded, Tommy and Zack were confronted by Chuckie about how Kimi really felt, and the two boys now knew of the secret love triangle that had been going on for the past few years. This caused a fight to break out, that for Tommy, cost more than a few friendships. His stupidity led him to taking Zack's Reptar skateboard out on the icy roads, which caused him to get into a terrible accident, that left him with several fractures that eventually healed, and a lifetime of eternal blindness, never to see the light of day again. However, while poor Tommy was now blind, and without a girlfriend, Zack got the opposite end of the ordeal, as now, he had Kimi to himself. Realizing this, and with it being his first Christmas back in the place he called home, Zack decided he wanted to make it special. Unfortunately, he had only turned fifteen a couple of months ago, so didn't have his driver's license yet. Little did he know though, that Kimi, had a similar idea, and unlike Zack, she had her driver's license for a hair over three months come Christmas time.
One night at the dinner table, Kimi overheard her father Chaz, telling Kira and the others about his first Christmas with the rest of the gang. They all went up to a cabin in the mountains, and to try to make Christmas special for Chuckie, he dressed up as Santa and came down the chimney. While this didn't exactly work out, only scaring Chuckie more, when the real Santa Clause showed up at the door, it made the holiday worthwhile. Overhearing this memory though, gave Kimi her brilliant idea.
"I know just what I wanna do this Christmas for Zack." Kimi thought to herself, as she finished the food on her dinner plate that late October evening.
Noticing she was lost in thought, her mother spoke up.
"Is something on your mind Kimi?" Kira asked.
"Oh nothing. I was just, thinking about an idea of something I wanna do special for me and Zack's first Christmas together since he moved back from Wheeling, West Virginia that's all." Kimi replied, as she started helping her mother clear the table.
"Well, what did you have in mind Kimi Chan?" Kira asked.
"After hearing dad's story about that Christmas he spent up in the mountains, I was wondering if for one weekend, I could borrow the car, and take Zack up to a cabin in the mountains? I've been saving my money from working at the Java Lava, so I can afford this. Please?" Kimi asked.
"I'll have to think about it dear. You and Zack would be all alone. I also don't know if his aunt will let him go off like that with you by yourself." Kira replied, as she started washing up dishes.
Kimi just let out a reluctant sigh, figuring it might not work out. In the event she and Zack were stuck on somebody's living room couch at another dopy Christmas party that season, she figured she'd better have a backup plan. So come sometime in November, when she had some time off work, and not too much homework, she went out to the jewelry store at the mall, and picked up a promise ring. She found one with an emerald stone in it, which was Zack's favorite color.
Meanwhile, Zack had no idea of this cabin surprise that Kimi was planning, but after what they had been through together for the past nearly six years, he didn't wish to lose Kimi again, so one day in mid to late November, when he was by himself, he asked Chuckie and Nicole to drive him to the mall, as he was still practicing driving, getting lessons from Stu since his aunt was totally blind, and not much use for this job. Stu however was working on a deadline to finish up an invention by, so was a bit too preoccupied for a driving lesson at the moment.
"What do you need to go to the mall for Zack?" Chuckie asked, as they rounded the corner into the parking lot.
"Oh, just, picking up a little something special for Kimi." Zack replied.
One would think Chuckie would be paranoid with Zack going out with his younger sister, but as expected, the seventeen-year-old had matured a lot since that carving in the wall incident so many years ago at Halloween, that he didn't really care. Plus, he remembered what Nicole had told him after the winter carnival dance in seventh grade, only putting Zack in place of Tommy. If his sister did marry Zack someday, it would make them brother-in-laws, which could be fun.
"Wow! What did you have in mind?" Chuckie asked.
"Something special, but I'd rather, keep it a secret, if you don't mind." Zack replied, as Chuckie switched off the car and he, Nicole, and Zack got out and walked into the mall.
Chuckie didn't say anything more, and he and Nicole went off to the cinema to catch a movie they were going to see, while Zack headed straight for the jewelry store, where he, too, picked up a promise ring for Kimi. Only the ring he got for her, had a saffire stone, to match the earrings she received last Christmas, and a pair she wore a lot, even though she and Tommy were no longer a couple. She still enjoyed the gift, and because of how long she had known Tommy, they'd always be friends, even if their friendship wasn't as strong anymore since the breakup, she wasn't going to get rid of something just because the guy broke up with her. Besides, she always liked Zack a lot more in a romantic sense than Tommy. She more or less, used Tommy while Zack was too far away to cuddle with.
Another thing that Zack noticed upon getting home from the mall that night, was his aunt was on the phone, talking to Kira. Unknowingly to Zack, Celeste was letting Kira know that it was ok for her nephew to go up to this cabin in the mountains that Kimi wanted to take him to for Christmas. Luckily, Zack didn't overhear that part of the conversation, since Kimi wanted to keep it a surprise.
Finally, Christmas eve came, and Kimi stopped by Zack's place at around noon time that day. Zack was already dressed in his holiday best, wearing a bright red sweater, blue jeans, and white sneakers, while Kimi showed up at the door, wearing a dark green sweater, blue jeans, and black sneakers.
"Ready to go my little dumpling?" Kimi asked, as Zack opened the door.
"Where are we going?" Zack asked.
"Just, somewhere special. Oh, but you may wanna pack some winter clothing, and a few overnight things. I'll wait for you." Said Kimi, as she walked into the apartment and took a seat on the living room couch.
"I'll try to pack quickly." Zack replied, as he rushed off to his room, and got a small bag of things together, as well as the promise ring he had picked up for Kimi, which he stashed away in his jean's pocket.
Unknowingly to Zack however, Kimi had secretly spoken with Peter, and asked him to head up to the cabin that morning, and help get things ready, as in the end, she didn't have quite enough money to rent the cabin overnight, so Peter chipped in some money, which Kimi agreed to pay him back once she had enough. Soon, Zsack had his stuff packed, and came back into the living room, where Kimi was waiting, and watching A Charlie Brown Christmas on TV.
"I'm ready Kimi." Said Zack, as he picked up the remote off of the coffee table, and switched off the TV.
Ordinarily, Kimi would have been annoyed with such a rude jesture, but instead, she smiled, took Zack's hand, and the two of them, walked out to the car in the driveway, and piled in.
"Ok Zack, close your eyes." Said Kimi, as she started up the car and pulled out into the street, heading in the direction of the mountains.
Zack knew why she wanted him to do this, so he obeyed without questioning her, and before he knew it, the car had stopped. He figured when it came to a complete stop, it was safe for him to open his eyes.
"Ok Zachary, you may open your eyes now." Said Kimi, as the blond opened his eyes and looked around.
He was amazed at the white blanket of snow that covered the ground. It felt like a winter wonderland. A minute later, Kimi and Zack got out of the car, where Kimi came around, and took Zack's hand, as they walked together through the snow. Having a little bit of fun, Zack, now wearing a winter coat and gloves, picked up some snow, made it into a snowball, and playfully threw some into Kimi's face.
"Hey!" Kimi cried playfully, as she picked up some snow and threw it into Zack's face.
The two of them giggled for several minutes, as they continued to throw snowballs at one another, thinking back to the last time they ever did that. The last Christmas they were together before Zack moved away, after that Christmas concert at school.
"Wow Kimi, does this remind you of something?" Zack asked, as they finally stopped throwing snowballs and headed in the direction of the cabin.
"Sure does." Kimi replied, as she stopped right outside the door, turned to Zack and smiled.
Then, she leaned over and whispered something in his ear.
"The last Christmas we were together." Kimi whispered in his ear.
Zack nodded in agreement, as they both turned their attention back to the door of the little brown cabin, which was beautifully decorated with a wreeth, covered in holly and berries.
"Ready to go inside my little dumpling?" Kimi asked.
"Sure." Zack replied, blushing and smiling.
Kimi opened the door, where they were both met with the aroma of gingerbread cookies, pine needles, as a Christmas tree beautifully decorated with strings of popcorn, lights, and tencil stood in the corner of the room, as well as the glowing warmth of a fire in the fireplace. Peter, who was there, overseeing to everything, was currently in the kitchen, finishing up the gingerbread cookies, which had another minute to go in the oven.
Once inside, Kimi led Zack over to a red couch that sat across from the fireplace in the living room, had him sit down, remove his coat and gloves, and she took that along with his overnight bag, and asked him to stay put. He didn't mind, as he was cold, and wanted to warm up. Kimi went off to the small bedroom where she stashed their stuff, then went out to the kitchen, and quietly told Peter it was safe for him to leave, giving the couple a bit of privacy. She also thanked him for helping her get the place ready, and for his financial help.
"It's no problem Kimi, happy to help." Peter whispered into Kimi's ear, so that Zack wouldn't accidentally overhear them talking.
Peter then snuck out the back door, and Kimi got the gingerbread cookies out of the oven, and placed them on the counter to cool. Once this was done, she headed back into the small living room, where she took a seat on the couch next to Zack, who was engrossed in a game on his phone. So as to not seem rude, she gently tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. Zack looked up from his phone to see that Kimi was sitting next to him, so he stopped his game, put his phone away, and leaned back, snuggling up close to her, as the two of them quietly enjoyed one another's company for several minutes, as the fire continued to burn in the fireplace, warming the room. Finally, they couldn't stand the silence anymore, so Zack turned to Kimi with a smile, and spoke up.
"This is by far, the best Christmas present, anybody could have ever given me. This cabin, and just us, alone together. Thank you Kimi." Said Zack.
"My thoughts exactly. You're very welcome Zachary. Merry Christmas." Whispered Kimi, as she reached in, and the two of them, shared a kiss with one another.
After they finished their kiss, both, Kimi and Zack pulled small jewelry boxes out of their pants pockets and presented them to one another.
"Is that for me?" Kimi asked, looking down at the small box that sat in Zack's lap.
Without saying a word, Zack opened the box, took out the ring, and grabbed Kimi's hand, slipping the ring on to her finger. Kimi stared down at the saffire stone that sat up top her finger, then back up at Zack.
"Oh Zachary! It's beautiful!" Kimi exclaimed.
"You're welcome Kimi. Whenever you wear this ring, I want you to be reminded that this ring, means my promised undying devotion, to be your boyfriend forever." Said Zack.
Kimi sat there, smiling, realizing what Zack had given her. A promise ring, something she was sorry he hadn't given her before he moved away a few years ago, but it was official. They were now a couple, and she couldn't help but be silently happy over this news. Once she had a few minutes to take it all in, she presented her ring to Zack. Just as he did a few minutes ago, she opened the box sitting in her lap, took his hand, and slipped the promise ring on his finger.
"And this, Zachary, is for you. A ring promising our undying love to one another." Said Kimi, as she slipped the ring on to Zack's finger.
He stared down at the emerald stone that sat before him, then turned his attention back at Kimi and smiled.
"Thank you Kimi." Said Zack in a soft tone of voice, as he leaned in, and the two of them, shared another kiss.
They then cuddled up together on the couch, as the sun started to set in the sky, casting a beautiful red glow on the snow outside the window, as Zack and Kimi curled up together, and fell asleep in one another's arms, as the fire died down in the fireplace. Several hours later, the two awoke and Kimi made Zack a delicious dinner of miso soup and chicken and dumplings. And for dessert, they decorated their gingerbread cookies, and traded them with one another, just as they did so many years ago at that advent workshop.
Before they knew it, Christmas day was there, and they had to leave the cabin and head to Peter's Christmas party. They did just that, where the rest of the gang, all except for Tommy, who sadly awoke with a terrible migraine headache, so he stayed home that year on Christmas, saw the promise rings that Zack and Kimi exchanged with one another, and congratulated them. Even Jesse made it to the party that year, as he had moved back from Connecticut not long after Zack returned from Wheeling back at the beginning of the year, but while Zack had been away for only five years, Jesse had been away for eleven years, not being with the gang since preschool.
"Congratulations Zack my man." Said Jesse with a smile, as he high fived Zack.
"Thank you Jesse." Replied Zack with a smile, as the two boys walked up to a refreshments table, and got themselves some punch.
"Wow Kimi this is great!" Exclaimed Lil, as Kimi showed her the promise ring.
"I know Lil, I've never been so happy in my entire life. I have to say, this had to be by far, one of the best Christmases I've had, in a very long time." Said Kimi with a smile, as she and Lil shared a hug, and sat down on the couch with plates of cookies, as the two girls enjoyed one another's company, and listened to the Christmas music that Peter had playing quietly on the stereo in the background.
Soon, Jesse and Zack returned to the couch, Zack sitting on the opposite side of Kimi from Lil, and putting an arm around his girlfriend, while Jesse sat down next to Lil, who was now his girlfriend, and he, too, put an arm around her and smiled. Across the room on a love seat, sat Dil and Phil, the homosexual couple, who started going out earlier that year, as the two of them shared their love for one another, by grossing everyone else out by sending wods of spitballs at each other. And then, walking into the room and sitting down in two easy chairs with plates of cookies and cups of punch were Chuckie and Nicole, who shared smiles with one another and started dining on their Christmas snacks. Peter, who was still single at this point, walked into the room, and looked around at his friends and couples that sat around him, enjoying their snacks.
"Merry Christmas everybody." Said Peter, as he took a seat on a stool near the stereo, and changed the CD to the Beach Boys Christmas album.
"Merry Christmas!" Shouted everyone else in the room in unison, as they cheered and went back to enjoying their snacks, silently enjoying one another's company.
And this, ends chapter 15.
Author's Note: I do apologize for taking so long to get this chapter posted. I started it earlier in the day, only to develop some writer's block, not to mention, I was growing tired, so I took a nap, which lasted nearly seven hours, telling me I more or less, slept at an odd time from 2:30 in the afternoon, up until 9:10 at night, but do I really care? No, I don't! I am on vacation, so as far as I'm concerned, if I wanna goof up my sleep schedule, that's totally fine by me. Also, in that chapter, I made references to my story, Driving Disaster, as well as the Rugrats episode from season 2, The Santa Experience, and the All Grown Up episode from season 5, TP + KF. Hope you all enjoyed that chapter, and now that I'm on break, and there's only ten days until Christmas, let's see if I can stick to releasing one chapter a day in this story as originally promised for the rest of the Christmas season, up until Christmas eve, when I'll release two chapters, just to play it safe. Also, I'll be releasing some other new stories this week, as well as completing another one that's been on the list to get completed over the Thanksgiving holiday, but didn't due to my cable going out, screwing things up at the time. So, to put it simply, be looking for more stories from me, very soon.