Bill never understood why Blair disliked him, but her inexplicable hatred made him dislike her just as much. Luckily for them, they come to realise it was all just a misunderstanding.
REDAMANCY
(n.) the act of loving someone that loves you; a love r...
Since my mom died, Christmas had never been a fun time for me. I tried hard to be happy, or at least act happy, for the rest of my family, and I was usually pretty successful, but I think they could tell I was never truly enjoying myself.
This year was no different. I didn't get as many gifts as my cousin, Carl, because he was younger, so I finished opening mine quicker. As I sat watching him open the rest of his gifts, I couldn't help but think how much better this morning would be if I was opening gifts with my parents, a cup of hot chocolate sat next to me and my mom and dad cuddled up in the couch, my mom taking pictures of my reactions to my presents.
"Do you wanna head upstairs and get dress, B?" My aunt asked. She could always sense when I needed alone time, and I really appreciated her for it. I don't think I'd ever purposely call her mom, but there had been a few vulnerable moments where the word had been on the tip of my tongue. After all, she was my mom's twin sister.
"Yeah. Thanks, Andrea."
She gave me a nod and I headed up to my bedroom, sitting at my vanity with my head in my hands, trying not to cry before I began getting ready. I liked getting ready for the day, so I hoped it would distract my mind for at least a little while.
When I was done getting ready, I was about to head back downstairs when I ran into Carl in the hallway. I greeted him, expecting him to just let me go down. He was tall for his age, taller than me, so I had to look up at him slightly.
"You okay?" I asked.
"Do you have to ruin every Christmas?" He said, causing me to gasp, "Don't act so shocked, Blair. Ever since you turned up at our doorstep five years ago, nothing's been the same."
"I didn't exactly choose to."
"Right, but you choose to mope around every Christmas and ruin the mood for everyone."
"Ruin the mood? Excuse me for being upset that-"
"That your mother didn't love you enough to stick around?"
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"News flash, Blair, it's been five years, maybe it's time you grew up and stopped dampening the day for everyone else."
At that, I shoved Carl out of my way and stormed past him, out of the house, finally letting the tears I'd held in all morning fall.
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BILL'S POV December 25th, 2007
Once I finished getting ready, I looked out my window and saw that it was actually a nice day. Not nice as in warm, but nice as in pretty. The snow fell perfectly on the ground, making for an untouched white sheet. I decided I had enough time for a walk before dinner, so let Tom know I was going out before leaving the house.
It was obviously pretty deserted considering everyone was inside with their families. I looked through a few windows, seeing parents putting together their kids new toys, teenagers setting the table as their parents cook, little kids giggling excitedly over their gifts. Christmas was always perfect for me.
As I was taking in the air, the scent of food being cooked and Christmas candles burning, I heard a faint sniffing from near by, like someone was crying. I wondered who else would be out at this time on Christmas morning, looking around me to find the source of the sound. My eyes eventually landed on the trees beside me, where I knew a bench was slightly hidden from the road.
I walked over to see who or what the sniffling was coming from, my eye landing on a brown haired girl in pink and white clothing, half of her hair tied back with a pink bow. She was shaking, and I didn't know whether it was from the cold or from crying. It was pretty obvious who it was.
"Blair?" I asked, walking over to sit next to her. She looked up at me, attempting to quickly wipe her tears.
"Bill!" She said, feigning happiness, "I didn't expect to see you today. What are you doing out?"
"I could ask you the same question."
"Just needed some fresh air."
I sighed, looking her up and down. She looked so sweet, and I could smell her signature scent as the wind blew slightly. Usually when I looked at Blair, I felt lust, but not today. Right now, I just wanted to scoop her up into my arms and tell her everything was okay, and that whatever was upsetting her would pass.
"What's on your mind?" I asked her.
She smiled a little, seeming happy that I cared. "Nothing, I just- I had a fight with my cousin over some family stuff. I needed to get away from him for a second."
"Your cousin? Carl?"
I didn't know Carl personally, but he was friends with Dan's little brother, so I'd met him once while over at his house. He was a little annoying, in all honesty.
Blair nodded. "I don't know why I'm getting so upset at something a fourteen-year-old said, he probably doesn't know it was bad."
"Fourteen-year-old's can tell right from wrong. If you don't mind me asking, what'd he say?"
"I'd have to tell you the whole story for it to make sense."
I placed my hand on top of hers, causing her to look into my eyes. Her eyes were red, coated with pink glittery eyeshadow that had smudged slightly in the corners from the tears, which had stained her cheeks. Underneath her eyes was slightly puffy, and her cheeks and nose were red. I couldn't tell if that was from the cold or her crying, but it was obvious that whatever Carl had said had made her really, really upset.
"I have time," I smiled.
Blair told me the whole story, of her dad dying in the army, and her mom taking her life not long after. She told me about her family, and how she'd lived with her aunt and uncle since she lost her mom. It all made me so upset, and so angry at Carl. But instead of expressing my anger, I pulled Blair into a hug, holding her as tightly as I could around her shoulders. She hugged back, her arms wrapping around my waist.
"I'm glad you could tell me," I said, "Don't ever listen to Carl. He's being immature. You don't ruin Christmas. In fact, you've made mine a lot better by showing me so much trust."
