English Channel

Vingt-sept

[CHRISTMAS SPIRIT]

Christmas has always been Lou's favourite celebration, especially since leaving the house. Every two years, the house was full of the entire Lenormand family, with Lou's uncles, aunts and cousins from her father's side family coming back to Belle-Île and sleeping at her grandparents' house. 

The smell of freshly baked cookies and various sweets and biscuits perfumed the ground floor, the massive table was set in the dining room and many presents were lying under the Christmas trees. The children's laughter filled the house the entire day while the adults conversed in the living room. Lou could only smile when hearing the little footsteps running across the first floor of the house as the kids were playing together. 

The tradition in the Lenormand family was simple: during the apéritif, the children would open their presents and after dinner, the "adults" - Lou and Sam were still considered children - would open theirs. 

"Loulou ?" her mother called when she was done opening her presents. "I received this two days ago for you" Armelle gave her a little red box and a card with "Don't give to Lou before Christmas" written in front of the envelope. Lou was confused. She wasn't expecting any presents from anyone since she had already exchanged presents with her friends in London and in Bordeaux before going to Belle-Île. 

She decided to first open the card so she would have an idea of who sent this. She just had to look at the writing to know who it was and she immediately started blushing, under the already-knowing look of her twin brother. 

Darling, 

I know we already exchanged presents with the group in London before you left for Bordeaux but I saw this in a shop window display when I was walking and thought of you. I hope you like it. 

Happy Christmas, 

Arthur x

Armelle was staring at her daughter with a big smile on her face. Unbeknownst to Lou, the mother found a card addressed to her when she received the package. In this card, a certain British man told her what it was and why he bought it for her daughter. He might also have told her how sorry he was for ever hurting her eldest child and that he wanted what was going on between them to work. He also mentioned that it was Sam who gave him their address so Armelle wouldn't freak out. 

Opening the box, Lou couldn't believe her eyes. She especially couldn't believe that Arthur remembered that. It was a necklace. But not every necklace. It was almost identical to one stolen from her a few years ago. Lou had mindlessly told Arthur when he was looking at pictures of her in high school how terrible she felt when it got stolen because it was a present from her mother and how she had been trying to find a similar one since that day. 

The jewel she had lost was pretty simple, a thin silver chain with a little north star pendant in the middle of which used to lie a cristal. 

"It's white gold and a diamond" her mother whispered in her ear as she approached. "He must really, really like you" she smiled at her. 

MR. TV

You are crazy

I guess your mother gave it to
you then

You are fucking crazy