Omens In Your Skies

Not So Merry Christmas

I have the next couple days off so I figured catching up on housework would keep my mind occupied. Most of my cleaning took up a good chunk of the afternoon and as night set in I packed up my laundry and drove it down to the laundromat. It's rainy and dreary as I drive into town more. It's basically empty all around with it being Christmas night. While my laundry is going I'm stuck watching the rain bead up and roll down the windows. Hugging my cardigan closer to me I sigh and turn my back to the windows.

These fucking machines take forever, and by the time I'm finished it's after ten. The rain had quit thankfully, as I'm loading my bags into the car I see a group of guys dressed in black all walking down the street laughing and carrying on. When they pass by me one of them stops.

"Evie." I hear the muffled voice through the ski mask. It's then that I notice those symbols on their masks.

"H-Hi?" I close my trunk and step closer to the driver door opening it.

"It's Saul. See." He lifts his mask and laughs.

"Hey." I give a somber smile, then look around the group not recognizing the eyes I'm looking for.

"You okay? Is something wrong?" He tilts his head with a concerned look.

"Nope, fine. I'm great actually. Anyway, I have to get home."

"Oh yeah! Gotta have Christmas dinner." He smiles a cheesy smile.

"Right Christmas dinner." I nod while ducking down into the car.

The guys all leave but Saul keeps turning around to check on me. I put the car in gear and drive home. Mary decided to get together with her co-workers at the last minute, so home all alone it is.

Now one in the morning I finish putting clothes away then sit at my computer. Pulling up the search engine I type in the description of the symbols I've seen on the ski masks. There isn't much other than explanations on the meanings, nothing about a gang revolving around them. On social media I click around and try to see if I can find anyone with the symbols as well. There was one picture I spotted, but it was a graffiti photographer taking the photo. Not even mentioned in the comments about anything either, just nonsense. My phone rings and I jump out of my skin.

"Mary what's up."

"They—they won't let me leave Evieee! I'm fucked up and they took my keys."

She starts talking to someone in the background then her attention is back to her phone call with me.

"Do you need me to come get you?" I sigh.

"Pweaseee roomie!! I'll text you the address."

"Okay, turn your location on too."

"Okay! Thank you gurl!" She giggles then hangs up.

Throwing on my coat and shoes I hop back into the car. Her directions didn't make sense as expected, but her location corrects it and I add it into my gps. She must've spotted my car cause out and off the porch she comes running, but trips and flops onto the grass.

"Mary!" I ran up to her helping her up.

"Evieee I knew you'd come!" She rubs the dirt off her face and hugs me.

"I'm here for you, now get in the car. Did you need anything out of the house?"

"No. YES! My purse!" She corrects herself.

I close the passenger door and rush into the house. Looking for her bright pink purse I spot it on a side table next to the couch. When I reach in to grab it my wrist is stopped.

"Is that yours?" I hear a man ask.

When I turn to look at him I notice it's the guy that broke into Gurei's house.

"I-I-it's my friends." He looks me up and down then smiles.

"I know you from somewhere."

"Maybe, can't say the same." I step back and smile.

"Merry Christmas." Turn and rush to the car.

"Fuck!" I hit the steering wheel and scare Mary awake.

"What happened?!"

"Nothing, let's just go home." I mumble, noticing my body tense as it's ever been.

My phone rings with a random number but I don't answer. Carefully I get Mary inside and to bed. Meanwhile I brew a hot cup of spiked cider and make it strong enough to put me to sleep.
I spend my morning nursing Mary's hungover ass in bed. She definitely drank way too much and I'm pretty sure is still mildly drunk.

"Evie...Evie you're the best friend ever. Thank you for helping me out last night." She says before drinking her water and taking another aspirin.

"I'm not going to leave you there. You know I'm here for you." I smile and take my leave.

Why was that man at her party? It was a work thing, I wouldn't think he would be at a work function. There was another missed call on my phone, it's the same number that called me last night. Setting my phone down on the coffee table, I relax. When my eyes open it's dark in the house.

"Shit I passed out that long?!" I jump up and turn some lights on and go to check on Mary.
She's watching a movie and is still cuddled up in her bed.

"Hey, how ya feeling?" I ask, still groggy.

"Better. Just a headache now." She pats her bed.

"Evie, is something wrong?"

Unsure of how to explain any of what I'm going through I stare down at my hands nervously playing with her comforter.

"Is it the reason Nico didn't stay?" She presses.

"Kind of, yeah."

"Talk to me. I won't be biased, I promise I'll just listen." She holds my hands. My tears drop from my eyes onto our hands and her face saddens.

"The day you came into me on the kitchen floor, G-Gur.. I mean Nico stopped things between us." I wipe my eyes.

"He just said it wasn't a good idea to keep things going due to his job and time and.. there's a lot. So he left. I didn't see him for weeks, I didn't run into him anywhere like I had before. Then on Christmas Eve at the bar he was there, and we.."

The memories of us together make me blush and I look up at Mary's face. She's invested and nodding, when I paused she got what happened between us.

"You slept together?"

"Mhm. That's when I invited him to the house but he was unsure about it. I felt used, but he insisted it wasn't like that. He showed up after I got here and we spoke more. Everything was fine, until I tried to pry into his work life and he got defensive and closed off. So I officially ended it and told him to go." I shook my head and rolled my eyes at myself.

"Obviously you're not okay with your decision. You said you didn't trust him, is that true?"

"I trust him, I just feel like it's an intense and dangerous relationship to pursue. I regret telling him to leave. I could tell he wasn't okay with it, but he agreed it was for the best."