Subtle Endearment

29. Christmas Surprise

Kira

"Kira brighten up some, it's Christmas Eve," a soothing voice says from beside me.

"I'm just a little tired is all," I say, putting down the cookie dough ball I'd been rolling. "Grandma, can you pass me the bowl," I ask.

My grandma, brother and I have been baking cookies for the past hour now. Malik and his massive sugar tooth had insisted that we needed cookies for Christmas so we'd spent the last couple hours buying supplies and were now making cookies.

"Yeah, I wasn't going to say anything but you look like you've been dumped several times over," Malik sneers.

"Yeah, thanks for that," I say, taking the bowl from grandma.

"So are you going to tell us what's going on or do we have to keep guessing? It's been two days, usually you would've said something by now," grandma says.

"It's nothing, really," I say.

"Well if that's it, I'm going to go watch some tv," Malik says, hooking his thumb at the large tv in the living room playing a Christmas movie. Grandpa sits on the couch watching the movie intently as if he hadn't seen it a million times before.

"Malik seems to be doing a lot better now," I observe as the boy takes a seat beside grandpa.

"Yeah, the therapist say he's improved a lot. He's come to terms with their deaths... but what about you?" grandma asks.

"I'm doing fine, I think I'm still processing it but I've come to terms with dad's death," I say.

"And what about your mother?" grandma asks as she slides the cookie tray into the oven. I pause as the question rings in my ears. What about my mother?

"I know I shouldn't talk ill of the dead but I told my son to stay away from a woman in the mafia. It's a shame Malik will never know the truth. You went through so much, Kira. It's okay to take some time to yourself and sort out your emotions," grandma says, rubbing my back.

I was happy, I was so happy when I got the call. Am I a bad person for only grieving my father and disguising it as grief for them both?

"I'm still sorting things out but there's a lot more to it, grandma," I say, allowing her to wrap me up in her warm embrace. The door bell sounds and we both turn our heads. "Who can be here at this hour?" grandma asks. She shuffles to the door, her gray ponytail swinging ever so slightly as she does.

"Is Kira here?" I hear a voice say. "May I know who's asking?" My grandma asks. "Ian... her boyfriend," he says.

Ian?

"Kira, your boyfr-" I swing open the door before she can get the words out. Ian stands at the door frame dressed in a suit holding a bouquet of roses. That's so cliche.

"What are you doing here, Ian?" I ask.

"I missed you," he says, handing me the bouquet of roses. He hands my grandma a decorative bag with wine in it. "This is for you, ma'am," he says.

"Oh, thank you?" she says confused, glancing from him to me.

"Grandma, this is Ian," I say just as confused. "Are you sure?," she asks, noting my uncertainty. I shake my head, "yes."

"Nice to meet you, Ian," she says before walking off.

"Get up, James. We have a guest," I hear her say to my grandpa.

"Hold on Veronica, it's getting to the good part," he responds.

"What are you doing here, Ian?" I ask as the fake smile I'd had before suddenly falls.