Stage Fright

Chapter 63 ~ Soulmates

Josh

"Wake up, Josh!" I hear and I see Anna standing over my bed, shaking me around. "It's Christmas, get up, get up!" She yells and I groan rolling away.

"Anna, it's eight a.m. I'm tired." I mumble rolling away. "Can't Christmas start at ten instead?"

"No way, I won't let you stay in this depression bed anymore." She insists, whipping the blankets off of me. "I know that you love your girlfriend and you didn't want to leave her, but she's more than safe with her dad. Get out of bed, mom and dad are already up."

"Okay, okay." I groan. "Just give me a minute or two."

I roll over and grab my phone seeing my picture of Heather and I on my lock-screen. I open my messages with Heather and send her a quick Merry Christmas text. We agreed to talk around noon today and I was looking forward to it. 

Ever since we left each other on Monday we'd been talking nonstop. I hadn't taken my ring off and when I missed her, I'd read the passage she had etched inside. I brought her letter with me, I hadn't read it yet, I figured I should when I really got weak and missed her.

This was terrible timing, the last thing I wanted to do after everything she'd been through was leave her. But I knew she'd have her dad and that gave me a lot of comfort. I knew she missed me too, she'd FaceTime me every night and I couldn't believe how gorgeous she looked over the other end. 

But when we'd hang up I'd feel the cool side of the bed where she usually slept and it reminded me she was on the other side of the country. I missed having her body next to mine, feeling her hand glide over my chest when she woke up.

I didn't know I could miss someone like this, I didn't know I could be this in love.

"Josh!" Anna calls and I sigh, forcing myself to sit up. "Hurry up!"

My twenty-year old sister everyone, as excited about Christmas morning as a five-year-old. 

I pull on a sweater and brush my teeth before, dragging my feet down the hallway. When I was younger, I used to love this. It made me feel like my family was still all together. The one saving grace about my parents divorce was that they actually got along quite well. They never fought, they respected each other, they just weren't in love.

"There he is." Dad says, sliding a mug of coffee down the countertop and I smile gratefully, taking a sip. "Why so tired?"

"I chatted with Heather for a while last night, I wanted to make sure she fell asleep." I admit and he smiles.

"You really love Heather, don't you?" He asks and I smile with a nod.

"Yeah, I love being here with you guys but......this is just bad timing." I try and explain and he nods. 

"Well I think it's sweet you're trying so hard to be there for her." Mom says, giving me a hug. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." I repeat and she smiles. 

"Let's sit and open some gifts." She insists and I join everyone around the coffee table.

I couldn't help my worrying or my constant thinking about her. I wanted so badly for her to be alright and I was praying she was actually getting some sleep.

"Start with the Santa stuff." Mom encourages and I sigh, opening my presents. 

"Mom we're twenty and eighteen, we know Santa isn't real." Anna says, pulling back the paper on a gift and I chuckle.

"Then give me the presents back." Mom teases and we all laugh.

The older you get the more practical your gifts get, I got toiletries, socks, more clothes, books. But I liked them all, I knew I'd actually use them.