"Wait…" I furrow my brow slightly, "What?"
Jean rolls his eyes, "Tch."
"No, wait… you?" I try to put together what he has said as his cheeks change a few shades darker of pink.
"I liked a guy!" he blurts out.
I sit there silent for a moment. I had no idea. I look up to Jean, he has his face turned away from me. My Jean… he liked a guy? Why didn't he mention this at all?
"I didn't know you liked guys too…" I say quietly, "I'm sorry, it's just a bit of a shock to find that out from your boyfriend out of the blue. Why have you never said anything about it?"
Jean's shoulders instantly slouch and he puts his palms to his forehead, his fingers brushing through the edge of blonde hair that hangs down. I instinctively reach out to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"How am I supposed to tell my girlfriend that I used to be in love with a guy?" he murmurs.
"You loved him?" I say a little shocked, "W-what was his name?"
He looks up to me his amber eyes slightly glistening gold with the threat of oncoming tears, "Marco."
"That was really fun!" I say as I turn to look at Bert and Reiner over my shoulder.
"Ha! You bet! Jean, I never expected you to let Trinity beat you so easily, are you becoming soft?" Reiner teases as he slaps Jean's back.
"R-Reiner…" Bert smiles nervously.
"As if! I haven't bowled in forever! Give me a break, anything else I would have whooped her butt!" Jean says as he smirks down at me.
"Hey!" I say with an angry pout as I punch him lightly in the arm.
"I'm kidding Trin!" he laughs as he leans down and kisses me, "I'm kidding," he whispers to me.
"That's right!" I nudge him with my elbow. He snorts in response.
"Alright ya love bugs, well Bert and I are going back to my house," Reiner says as he winks at the both of us his hand slowly moving down Bert's back.
"Oh!" I hear Bert exclaim as his cheeks suddenly burn red.
"Well then, you two have fun," Jean says as he laughs.
As we are walking away I turn and wave, "See ya later!" I say as I see Reiner pull Bert down into a kiss. The taller boy completely flustered by the action, flails his arms. I can't help but giggle as I hop into Jean's car.
Marco, from what Jean had described, was a tall guy. He had tan skin, black hair, a muscled body, but not too muscular.
I bit down on the eraser of my pencil as I tried to remember what Jean had described.
For Christmas, I wanted to do something special for Jean. I haven't drawn anything since my mother had passed away, so I thought it would be a nice surprise if I drew something for Jean.
I couldn't get the conversation about Marco we had out of my head. Jean grew up with him. They attended school together all the way up until their sophomore year of high school. Marco suddenly moved away, leaving Jean behind. Alone. One of his worst fears.
I've never seen Marco before, so trying to draw him was an entire struggle on top of my rusty skills. I feel like I'm forgetting something important…
"Freckles!" I exclaim as the answer comes to me. I slowly add them below his round brown eyes, spreading across his cheeks.
I sigh as I stretch my arms out after what seems like hours of drawing. I lift my finished portrait up. A smile creeps upon my face as I look at it. One couldn't help but smile at the delightful freckled face of the boy on the paper. His smile practically goes from ear to ear. Jean had told me that Marco was always smiling. That he was optimistic and positive, and really knew how to help someone when they were down.
My heart slightly flutters as I think about how much it must have hurt Jean when Marco left…
I grab my phone and look for his name. I press the call button. He picks up after the second ring.
"Trinity!?" he answers quickly, I can tell that he was sleeping, "Everything okay!? Why are you calling so late?"
"Everything is fine," I check the time. Oops, it is almost two in the morning! "I just… I wanted to hear your voice."
I hear him sigh through the phone, "Well you won't be able to hear it if you give me a heart attack babe."
I laugh a little at his remark, "Shut up."
"You know tomorrow is Christmas Eve, you're coming over for dinner right? Couldn't this wait until tomorrow?" he yawns.
"Yeah, I'm coming over," I say with a slight sigh, "I'm sorry for waking you, I'll talk to you tomorrow then?"
"Of course, baby," he yawns again, "I'll text you when I get up, okay?"
"Okay…" I look down to my drawing and smile, "Goodnight Jean."
"Goodnight Trinity."
Before having my dad drop me off at Jean's house I placed my drawing of Marco in a frame and wrapped it. My heart flutters slightly, I hope he likes it…
"Ready Trinity?" my father calls from the bottom of the stairs.
"Yeah! I'll be right down!" I reply. I take a quick glance in the mirror.
Jean had told me to dress nice, that his family likes to dress up on Christmas Eve so that they can bum around on Christmas day. I decided on a red dress with quarter sleeves. The circular neckline shows just the edges of my collarbones, no cleavage of course. At my waist the dress flows out, the hem resting just above my knees. I'm wearing my mother's snowflake necklace to top it off.
I smile at myself in the mirror, "Perfect."
The door opens after I had rang the doorbell.
"Trinity! Glad you could make it!" Jean's father says as he steps to the side, "Come in!"
"Thank you for having me," I say politely back.
"Jean is still getting ready, I swear the boy takes longer than a woman, no offense," he chuckles as he leads me into the kitchen.
"Oh Trinity!" Jean's mom exclaims as I walk into the kitchen, "You look lovely!"
"Thank you Mrs. Kirschtein," I smile to her, "Need any help with dinner?"
"Oh! Why yes!" she smiles as she takes me by the elbow over to the stove, "Could you mash the potatoes for me dear?"
I nod before getting to work. Jean's mom hums Christmas carols as she pulls the turkey out of the oven.
"Already making my girlfriend into a slave?" I hear Jean's voice.
"Jean! Don't be absurd!" his mom laughs.
"I asked if she needed any help," I smile over my shoulder to him. My hands stop moving as my lips part slowly.
Jean is leaning against the doorway to the kitchen in a red button up shirt, his sleeves rolled halfway up his arms. His shirt is tucked into black dress pants that hang perfectly against his hips. His hair is combed neatly on his head, and he looks absolutely handsome.
He smirks at me, his eyes gleaming. He knows exactly what I am thinking… I quickly shake my head and return to mashing the potatoes, hiding my blush behind my hair.
"I think if you mash them anymore, they may turn into liquid dear," Jean's mom says with a laugh, "Thank you," she says before grabbing the pot from me, "Why don't you help Jean set the table in the dining room?"
"Sure!" I say a little too excitedly as my voice squeaks. I turn and follow Jean after he hands me a few plates.
"It's been quite some time since my Jean has had anyone over for a holiday dinner," Mrs. Kirschtein says after taking a sip of wine.
"Yes, you must be special," his father follows.
I can feel my cheeks heat up.
"Come on, mom, dad," Jean says with a slight scowl, "You're embarrassing her."
I shake my head lightly, "Oh no, it's fine, really," I look across the table to Jean. He eyes me for a lingering moment before continuing to eat.
"The food is delicious, thank you again for having me over," I smile.
"Oh no problem at all sweetie! You make our son so happy, it's nice to see him with a smile on his face around the house," she pats Jean's shoulder as she says this.
"Mommmm…" Jean groans, his ears slightly reddening.
I stifle a giggle before finishing my food.
"Alright, ready?" Jean asks as we sit on the floor of his room, holding each other's gifts behind our backs. I nod my approval.
"One," he starts.
"Two," I continue.
"Three!" we say in unison as we exchange our gifts. Jean quirks an eyebrow as he holds my gift. The gift he gave me is a small rectangular box.
He looks to me, "Ladies first, go ahead Trin, open it." He smiles.
After ridding the box of wrapping paper, I look to Jean before lifting the lid. My eyes start to water as I see what is inside. A silver bracelet, with a small charm hanging from it. It's not just any charm, it's a snowflake. Exactly like the charm on my mother's necklace. I bring a hand to my mouth.
"Do you like it?" he asks a little worried.
"I love it Jean…" I whisper, "Where did you find this? It's a perfect match to my mother's necklace," I bring a hand up to the necklace around my neck.
"I went to a small jewelry shop, and the moment I saw it, I knew I had to get it for you," he smiles as he reaches up to brush my cheek with his thumb.
"Help me put it on?" I ask him smiling. He nods as he grabs the bracelet from the box. I extend my arm out to him. He gently clasps it around my wrist. I bring my hands up to his face and pull him into a kiss.
"Thank you," I murmur against his lips.
"You're welcome," he smiles as he leans back, "My turn?" his eyes brighten up like a child's.
I giggle, "Go ahead."
His hands still the moment the paper is gone. His mouth drops open slightly, his eye widen a fraction. His knuckles start to turn white from the grip he has on the frame.
"I-I know it's not much, and it probably looks nothing like him…" I start.
"Trinity…" Jean says quietly, "You drew this?" he looks up to me, amber eyes meeting blue.
I nod slightly nervous.
"I-it looks just like him…" he says as he looks back down at the picture.
I stay silent as I look away feeling a little flustered.
"Thank you," I hear Jean right before he leans close to me. He places kisses all over my face. My cheeks instantly turn a dark shade of pink. He cups my cheeks between his hands and looks straight into my eyes.
Without skipping a beat, he says, "I love you."
My eyes widen, my heartbeat races and my stomach flutters with butterflies.
"W-what!?" I ask in shock.
"I love you Trinity, I know it's a little soon, but this…" he reaches down to hold the drawing in his hands again, "This helped me confirm my feelings… I love you."
"Jean…" I say, "You do realize what you're saying right?"
He looks back up to me, nodding, "Yes."
"Jean… I.." I honestly don't know what to say, I'm speechless.
"You don't have to say it back," he reassures me, "I only want you to say it if you mean it, I don't want it to be a lie."
"Okay," I say quietly. He leans in and gives me a passionate kiss. He holds the back of my head as he deepens it.
He parts only to say, "Thank you," before bringing his lips back to mine. He pulls me onto his lap in a tight embrace. My head resting against his chest, I close my eyes as I listen to his steady heartbeat.
AUTHORS NOTE:
I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. I had some personal family stuff come up right at the beginning of this week, and it really messed things up. I hope I didn't disappoint any of you with this chapter.
I already know how I'm going to end this series, is that weird? Don't worry, there are still plenty of chapters before I get to the end.
What did you guys think? Leave a review. Hopefully I'll get back on track with the next chapter on Monday, until then...
See you next time.