Passionate Exchange

Chapter Fifty

It's the Christmas break and you know what that means, food, gifts, and a hell of a lot of Christmas movies. However, this year it means something more than that. It means seeing my family after four months.

This is the longest time I've spent away from them. It's been hard. I've wanted more than anything to hug them and physically have them in front of me when I talk to them instead of across the world on the other end of the phone. I'm lucky to be able to spend the holidays with them still.

This year also means Archer and Penny meeting my family. I never had any people who I wanted to meet them before. Yes, there were a few people who I talked to in school, but we never hung out enough to go over to each other's houses. I'm hoping my dad doesn't embarrass me too much.

We all step out onto the icy path in front of my house with our luggage next to us. It's strange being back here after so long. I used to see the exterior of this house every day and think nothing of it. Now, it's different.

Everything still looks the same. The brick wall around the front is covered with frost and the metal gate is slightly more rusted than it was when I left. The plants in the garden and along the window ledges have seen better days but I expected that. My dad's never been one to water plants. They'd probably be dead if it weren't for the rain.

The black-painted door of the small, terraced house is beckoning me to open it and step inside, to see my dad and Sadie for the first time in what feels like forever.

"Before we go in, I have to warn you," I start, biting my lip anxiously. Why am I this nervous? They're just meeting the two most important people in my life. It isn't that big of a deal.

Archer grips the handle to his luggage tightly and jokes with a shiver, "is your dad a notorious serial killer who's going to kill us in our sleep?" Steam clouds around him from the cold winter air.

"He's definitely not a serial killer," I laugh, my eyes creasing with amusement. "He is incredibly sarcastic though. People tend to get offended by some of the things he says so just know he's not insulting you."

"Anything else we need to know?" Penny asks. She rubs her hands up and down her arms. I can tell that she's trying to hurry this up and get inside. I don't blame her, it's freezing.

"Nope, that's all."

We drag our luggage behind us and into the house without another word. Sadie's the first one to come running to us. A beaming smile's spread across her features and her blonde hair's sprawled across her shoulders. Her arms wrap around my waist, pulling me into a warm embrace.

"Sadie!" I chorus delighted to finally see her after so long.

She squeezes me tighter, and I let her, "I missed you." She breathes. Her voice is muffled by our embrace, but I still manage to understand her.

"I missed you too." I smile. Now that she's in front of me I feel like the air has finally been released back into the room.

She pulls away and I hold her at arm's length, my hands on her shoulders. "You're hairs shorter." I pick up a few strands of her hair before dropping them back onto her shoulders again. It was half-way down her back the last time I saw her.

"You like it?" She twirls to show me the back, almost stumbling forward when she stops. I catch her instinctively to stop her from falling. We both giggle to ourselves. I'm not the only clumsy person in this house. Sadie's almost as bad as I am.

"I love it."

I step out of the way so she can see Penny and Archer behind me. "These are my friends, Penny and Archer." I point to each of them as I say their names. She gives them a slight wave before running around the corner and out of view.