Mary Orleans has dreamt of a white Christmas since she was a child. Every Christmas they spend at home in Australia, between sheep and heat. Just one Christmas in New York, that's all she wants.
Lenny Darwin hates Christmas. The cold, the family, th...
"I'm fine. I'm just confused.", I answered Lenny and recalled myself. I grinned crooked. "Surprise?" I said. He didn't show much reaction. "After all, your room is fine." I nodded, a little disappointed. "Are you finally coming?" asked Sina, who had appeared in the door frame. 'Sure.", I confirmed. Lenny nodded too and was about to go to her when she stopped us. "Wait!" she grinned wide and I was afraid of what she had to tell us. I was an idiot, too. She pointed at the ceiling and I buried my face in my hands. I didn't expect Lenny to walk into that room anytime soon. "This is definitely a mistletoe branch!" exclaimed Sina. Lenny's gaze fell on the ceiling, then on me. "I'm sorry.", I nodded. "This is a stupid tradition, Sina.Lenny said. "So I think it's a bad idea to disobey Christmas traditions. It's supposed to bring bad luck." Lenny just rolled his eyes. I bit my lip. "Sina is probably right."
Lenny looked at me surprised. "Sure?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "There's nothing to it."Oh, and how I lied. Kissing Lenny was more than nothing. Apart from the fact that I had a boyfriend – I liked Lenny. Somehow, in a messed up way – but I liked him. There was a lot going on. So Lenny actually did what he was told. He leaned over and kissed me. Just gently, but it was perfect. More than perfect. His lips were soft and warm, his cheeks slightly red. I felt like I was in a movie. The kiss was way too short. And I almost returned it. But I managed to pull myself together. Lenny looked at me and bit his lip slightly. Goddamn it. Where did the little girl go that was madly in love with Josh? Who couldn't wait to be twenty-one to marry him? I must have lost it on the flight here. And, worse still. I had taken my heart back to give it to another.
Sina cleared herself and ripped me out of my thoughts and thus interrupted the much too long eye contact between me and Lenny. "Can we go then?" Lenny was the first one out the door, and I followed him. The rest of the afternoon we hardly spoke to each other, as I followed Sina and she taught me how to skate. Lenny made his rounds on the ice rink and waved at us every time he passed us. Only when I was able to stand safely on both feet and actually moved – a bit wobbly, but nevertheless – did Sina leave me and began to do her rounds. Eventually, I left the train from exhaustion and watched from the gang. Lenny eventually got off the ice and stood up to me to watch Sina play with another girl. "She is so cute."I said at some point to break the silence." Lenny nodded. "I am so proud of her. It wasn't easy for her." I nodded sympathetically. " Ice skating is one of the moments when she really blossoms and can forget everything. That's the only reason I go here with her sometimes." I watched her start a race against the other girl.
"I will come here with her a lot. It's beautiful to see her so happy." "Are you happy?" Lenny asked me suddenly. I glanced across the hall and finally looked at Lenny. "I don't know. But maybe I could be happier if..." I interrupted my sentence and looked at Lenny. He looked down at me and again the redness appeared on his cheeks. Then I kissed him. This time right, sudden and even better than before. This time, the kiss was not tied to any obligations. This time I knew there was no going back. And that I would hurt Josh so much. But at that moment, I didn't care.
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