XXXVIII.
The snow falling outside reminds Zach of the first Christmas he spent with his friends. He glances at the snowflakes falling from the sky, as if they were fleeing something or someone. As his thoughts strayed back to that morning, he could hear Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song" playing softly on the radio. He recalls getting up around 12 o'clock to assist Chase and Lucas with the Christmas decorations and wrapping the remainder of the presents that needed to be wrapped.
"When is everyone expected to arrive?" Zach asked Lucas, who was sweeping the living room.
"6 o'clock," he said. Chase dashed down the hall and entered the kitchen.
"What happened to your girlfriend? She's supposed to be here helping with the dinner "He yells as he panics while looking for the pots and pans.
"Please, Chase, slow down. She's already on her way," Lucas replied as he entered the kitchen and began to sweep it. He put his hand on his brother's shoulder to reassure him everything was ok. Chase was always concerned with things not being completed on time. They were juniors, and it was their first Christmas apart from their parents, so Chase expected everything to be great. When his brother touched him, he calmed down and got the eggs from the fridge.
He suddenly froze in place.
"I've got to contact that girl of yours," he cried, "we forgot the flour!"
Chase dashed upstairs to call Aaliyah.
Zach recalls the emotions he had that day. He remembered chuckling at Chase's distress about the missing flour and the dinner not being ready. He liked helping Lucas clean the house while listening to Christmas music on the radio. He had missed witnessing Aaliyah hurry into the house, all casually carrying a new bag of flour and a bag full of other ingredients. He recalled the sensations of warmth and refreshment. For the first time in a long time, he felt in command. There was nothing to be afraid of or worried about. For the first time in a long time, he felt content. That day, Aaliyah was the polar opposite of Chase. He'd freak out, and she'd solve it.
"Zach, let's go play in the snow," Aaliyah suggests, taking his attention away from the events of that day.
She is wearing her jacket, scarf, and mittens with a smile on her face. Zach nods and gets dressed. Aaliyah has already left before Zach had finished putting on his last shoe. He chases after her, scooping up snowballs and hurling them at her. Their laughter fills the cabin, the door is flung open, and Chase appears. Aaliyah throws a snowball at Zach, but he ducks, and it lands directly in the chest of Chase. Zach and Aaliyah appear to be sorry, but when they see Chase's expression, they burst out laughing. Chase scoffs and enters the house to get dressed as well. Eden and Tony emerge from their rooms, finding Chase getting ready to go outside, in which they could hear Zach and Aaliyah laughing and see them flinging snowballs at each other, nearly hitting one of the furniture inside.
The rest of the group followed Zach and Aaliyah outdoors to partake in the snowball war. It was the most fun they'd had in weeks, given the fact that they were college students who had to study constantly. Eden throws a snowball at Zach, which lands squarely in his face, making her chuckle. Zach wipes the snow from his brow and chases her down. Her chuckles come naturally to her, and Zach can't get enough of them.
He encircles her waist with his arms and picks her up from behind, whirling her around. She puts her arms around his neck, hoping he won't drop her and, if he does, that he won't be the one to fall down with her.
As Zach takes a step forward, he trips and falls on top of Eden, causing both of them to burst into laughter.
Eden chuckles as she tries to free herself from his hold. "I knew you were going to fall," she says.
