and i love her ▸ tate langdon ✓

18. codine

I feel like I'm dying and I wish I was dead
If I live till tomorrow, it'll be a long time

-

December went by quickly and when Christmas came around, Tate and Marceline decided to get each other a gift.

They sit on his bed, swapping the present boxes they held. The box Tate gave Marceline was wrapped in silver wrapping paper and the sticker said 'Mars' in fancy writing. The box Marceline gave Tate was wrapped in green paper with little animated Santa's on them and had a red bow with 'Tate' written on the top.

"Open yours first," Tate says to her.

Nervously, Marceline peels the wrapping paper from the box. She pulls it open and sees a small stuffed animal on top of a book. She pulls the stuffed animal out, Tate watching her closely and feeling happy as he sees the excited smile on her lips.

"This is so cute," she comments, holding the stuffed sea otter in her hand. It had always been her favorite animal. Setting it aside, she grabs the book next. The book was '1984' by George Orwell.

"I read that book last year and I figured you'd really like it," Tate explains to her. She looks up at Tate, smiling brightly. "Thank you. It's really sweet," she says.

Tate just smiles, his heart pounding loudly. "Open mine now," Marceline says, biting her lower lip. Tate concedes, unwrapping the box and looking inside to see all four Nirvana albums on CD.

"I remember you saying you wanted them on disc so I decided now would be the perfect time to get them for you," she says, shifting where she sits as he shuffles through the CDs. He smiles, chuckling softly. "I love it," he says.

Marceline's eyes fall into her lap, glad he liked her gift. "It's really nice, Mars. Especially since I don't get gifts like this on Christmas. I get, like, socks," he says.

She looks up at him, a residual smile on her lips as they lock eyes. "Well, you deserve gifts," she replies kindly. Tate bites back a grin at her comment. She leans in and wraps her arms around his back, hugging him.

Tate freezes, feeling her head rest on his shoulder. He soon hugs back, noticing how her hair smelled like peaches and cream and how warm she was.

She pulls back, her hand remaining on his leg. "I'd love to stay but my dad is taking me to some dinner at my grandma's house. I'll sneak out and meet you tonight. 'Kay?" she says, hopping off his bed and grabbing her gifts.

He nods in agreement, watching as she walks out of his room.

-

Marceline had been thinking about this for a while. She needed to make sure it was the right decision.

Ever since Christmas, she hadn't stopped thinking about breaking up with Daniel. She missed her old self and Daniel wasn't good for her. He was a nice guy. A standard and polite gentleman.

But it wasn't the right fit.

Tate's mom and Larry had left for Florida yesterday and it was now Marceline's birthday. She sat through the horrible birthday dinner and got home around six. She had been spinning this yarn that she had a friend-- who was a girl-- who she kept hanging out with.

Her father was oblivious to the truth and went along with it. So, that night, she told her dad that she was going to be spending the night with this friend who in reality, was Tate.

She had a plan. It might've been a little stupid. Maybe even a little juvenile. But in the end, it worked out for both parties.

Walking into Tate's house, she found him in his room, his eyes drawn in on some type of comic book. He looks up at her, her abrupt entrance into his room drawing his attention. Nirvana's 'Nevermind' album plays softly, killing any chance of awkward silence.