Everything in Between

Chapter 5

December 2017

It's safe to say the best way to start Christmas break is not by listening to Zach sing holiday tunes while trapped in a vehicle with him. Any other way is better, trust me.

"– in a one-horse open sleigh," he sings, smiling over at me from the driver's side. "Come on, kid, join in."

He continues to sing along to Jingle Bells, tapping his thumbs against the steering wheel. Zach's voice is surprisingly not terrible. He can carry a tune, but his jolly holiday spirit and Christmas playlist are getting on my last nerve. 

"I'm about to jump out of this vehicle if you don't shut up," I warned him. "You are way too excited about spending Christmas with me."

He beams at me. "I love Christmas."

"You remind me of Buddy the Elf right now."

He laughs and continues to sing along, purposely belting out every lyric like an idiot while he drives, and his practiced joy tickles me, and I can't help but tease him one more time: "Zach tries to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup. Zach treats every day like Christmas."

"Okay," he says and then shoves my shoulder, so I know he's playing around. "So, what? I love Christmas. And I am not going to be Buddy-shamed by you. Christmas is a magical time. And my family sucks at Christmas, so I'm hoping the Murphy's know how to do it right."

Zach turns down the stereo – waiting for me to respond. I glance over at him; he's rocking a five o'clock shadow, and his big brown eyes are gleaming with a playfulness I haven't seen before.

The best and worst part about being in this close of a proximity to Zach, even if it's just a short period of time, is that I know he isn't purposely trying to make me feel vulnerable. He isn't a mastermind. He just honestly makes it impossible for my heart not to feel exposed when he's near me.

It's not because I like Zach more than a friend. It's because our kinship and connection to one another have grown so strong these past few months that it's hard to ignore.

I look away from his beaming smile and down into my hands. "I'm sure your parents rocked Christmas when you were a kid."

He shakes his head, looking straight ahead. "You would be appalled at a Zimmerman Christmas."

I turn to him, frowning in disbelief. "Come on; it can't be that bad."

"My mom never decorated the house with Christmas décor," he says. "My dad never hung Christmas lights on the house." Zach clears his throat before turning his attention back to me. "We had a Christmas tree, but it matched our living-room décor. It was silver and blue and hardly festive."

"Are you about to tell me your parents' are descendants of the Grinch?"

Zach barks out a laugh. "No," he says, "But they both have hearts about two sizes too small. And oddly enough, we did have a dog named Max when I was a kid."

Now it's my turn to bark out a laugh.

"I don't know, Christmas was never a big exciting or magical event in my family. But then I'd go to my friends' homes, and their families all had these elaborate decorations and big festive trees. And Cece's family had this awesome Christmas tree with all these cool Hallmark ornaments that her family had collected over the years. I remember being so enthralled with them. I asked my mom once if she'd get me a batman ornament to hang on our tree. Do you know what she said to me?"

"You're a nerd."

"Ha. Ha. No," Zach begins, "She said it wouldn't match the decorations. I was seven."