Quandary | Noah Sebastian |

twelve

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, tossing my phone down, and stood from my place on the couch. I returned to the kitchen where my mom and Victoria were having a lively conversation. Not wanting to impede, I simply went back to my task of making eggnog for the holiday, having only the eggs and sugar whipped together. Mom insisted she would start heating the milk in the saucepan while I took Noah's call, but I told her to let it be, knowing our conversation would be short-lived.

"Everything okay?" Vic asks after I slip by them to grab the milk and heavy cream from the refrigerator.
"Just peachy," I mumbled, measuring the dairy, and pouring it into the pot. I set the burner on medium before turning to the cabinet to grab the nutmeg, "Noah's flight was delayed. Supposedly needed to land elsewhere due to the snow here."

I hear my mom hum sympathetically, placing her hand on my upper back to rub. I shouldered her hand away, not wanting to be touched as I started to stew in aggravation and disappointment. "You know he'll be here, honey," she says calmly. "He's a man of his word."
I laughed dryly, sprinkling the spice into the milk. "Sure, he is."

The room became thick with tension, and I felt their eyes on me while I worked away at the eggnog. I kept mine and Noah's dirty laundry packed away with a smile on my face whenever they'd ask how we were doing, but I felt that the façade I displayed was soon going to be torn down. Vic knew me too well for this to go by without some sort of discussion.

Still, I tried my best to keep my walls up and finished putting together the eggnog, placing it in the fridge after covering it properly. I took a deep breath and tacked on a grin before turning to them. "Why don't we open presents?" I asked, hoping to ease the discomfort in the room. I watched my mom's face light up, and she nodded before making her way into the living room where the tree was.

"Liv..." Vic calls my name softly, and I can see the worry strewn across her face when I bring my attention to her. Eyebrows pulled together and lifted, hazel eyes soft as they searched mine for a snippet of what was in my head. I pressed my lips into a saddened smile and averted my gaze from hers, trailing behind my mom before she had a chance to say anything.

We all sat in front of the tree in our matching pajamas, something we always did no matter our age, and handed each other our appropriate gifts. As we tore off the gift wrap, balling it up and tossing it at one another like children, I was able to keep my worries at bay with the laughter that bubbled out of me. The doubts I had were buried deep in the crevices of my mind, forgotten about as I took in the moment for what it was.

I held one of Vic's now-opened gifts in my hands. It was a Homesick candle, the state it represented of course being Virginia. It smelled heavenly; notes of pine needle, fir, and sandalwood. Immediately I'm blanketed in the comforting warmth of childhood memories—my mom's soothing voice, my dad's embrace that I missed dearly, late-night adventures with Vic and Ricky. With a smile, I closed my eyes and inhaled the aroma one more time before putting the lid back on and thanking her. I already couldn't wait to go home and burn it.

Her second gift was less sentimental, but it made me laugh—it was so her. Inside the box sat a silver chain, laid across a card that read 'I'd Help You Bury The Body'. Looking at it closely, there were beads so small that they were nearly flush against the chain in what appeared to be no pattern in particular. However, according to the card, they were strung in a way that displayed the message in Morse code.

I smiled over at her after slipping it onto my wrist, being met with a shit-eating grin. She winked, and I immediately pulled her into a tight embrace. "I knew there was a reason that you're my best friend," I giggled, resting my chin on her shoulder.
She squeezes me and slowly rocks us side to side, "Don't fucking forget it, Liv. Miles and time zones away, I'll still find a way to stab a bitch."