Christmas morning I woke up next to Leo on the couch, since we had fallen asleep during The Santa Claus 2 after watching the first movie. I smiled softly at how he had his arm wrapped around me, a blanket draped over us. I was glad he was still zonked out, so that he wouldn't notice that I had cuddled up to him in the night. I carefully moved from his grasp, yawning as I went into the bathroom to get ready real quick. It was still fairly dark out, so I figured I wouldn't be in anyone's way. I was grateful that I had packed my regular clothes, makeup, and hair supplies, so I wouldn't have to run back home. I finally stepped out in a fluffy, white sweater with blue jeans, my dark brown hair curled with my bangs pulled straight back with a scarlet bow in the back. I had even went all out with red lipstick and gold eyeshadow for the holiday, blushing when I nearly ran into Leo.
"Sorry, I was just getting ready for when we go to see my family," I almost stammered. He just looked so attractive with his hair messed up. He gave me an equally adorable smile as I caught him subtly checking out my outfit.
"That's alright. I was just getting up to see where you went. What time do you have to be there?"
"We should get there around ten in the morning. We usually snack and then have lunch and spend the whole afternoon together," I explained as he nodded.
"I better start getting ready then. It's already 9 o'clock," he softly chuckled.
"Really? Was I in there that long?" I was in shock, since I was positive I hadn't been in there more than forty minutes.
"No, but it seems earlier, since it's still kind of dark out."
"Oh yeah, I forgot it gets that way in winter for a minute," I slightly laughed, feeling a bit embarrassed, since it had been that way for weeks already.
He shot me a soft smile before slipping into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. I went ahead and headed for the kitchen, finding Ned standing there in his blue, plaid flannel pajamas sipping on coffee.
"Hey, you want some," he offered. "There's no way I'll be able to drink all of what I made."
"I guess I'll take a little bit, thanks," I warmly smiled, sitting with him at the kitchen table. "Are you okay with Leo going with me to see my family today?"
"Yeah, I'll be with mine tonight. So, did you and Leo get back together?"
"No, we're still just friends, but I didn't want my family to know about the breakup yet. I thought it would be easier if he just went with me today."
He slightly nodded as silence settled between us for a little bit, only the hum of the refrigerator greeting us. "For what it's worth, I think you two were great together. I even tried to convince Leo to give it another shot, but he's set in his ways."
"Yeah, I was hoping he might change his mind too," I quietly admitted, the sadness seeping in again of how we were no longer a couple.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset," he apologized.
"No, it's okay. I've just been pretending like it doesn't bother me, but off and on I feel it again."
He barely nodded as I sipped my coffee in a Santa Claus mug, the silence between us comfortable as I waited on Leo.
Eventually we were getting in my car to head over to my aunt's house. The drive over was completely quiet, and we ended up being some of the first people to arrive.
"Hi, it's so good to see you again," my aunt warmly greeted us, my relatives seeming much more accepting of Leo this time around. Even my parents lit up the second they saw him, offering him snacks from the small table. It wasn't long before we were both seated in the living room, munching on crackers and a little bit of the cheeseball, along with fresh vegetables with ranch. Leo was laughing as he told funny stories from when he was on movie sets, including the time he ended up getting a scab so noticeable that they had to postpone filming. He seemed to fit right in as he sipped on his green punch, more of my family members coming into the room just to hear his tales. The entire visit went on like that, through lunch, and even opening gifts. My parents even gave Leo a couple of nice sweaters that he really appreciated. I was in a daze most of the celebration, not coming to my senses until people were beginning to leave. I went over to help clean up the snack table as Leo joined me.
"You have a good day today," I casually asked him.
"Yeah, were you alright? You didn't talk much," he pointed out.
"It was a nice day. My family really loves you now." A soft sigh escaped my lips as I cleaned the crumbs from the table cloth.
"I thought you wanted me to come," he stated, sounding slightly irritated.
"I did, but did you have to get along so well with everyone?"
"Would you rather that I was mean to them? Is that it?"
"Don't start a fight here," I whispered, my heart rate picking up as a few people passed by.
He bit his tongue to prevent himself from arguing more, not uttering a single word until we pulled into my driveway.
"If you didn't want me there, you should've said," he told me, barely glancing in my direction.
"I did want you there, Leo. I just didn't expect for everything to fall into place so well."
He rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms, the car still warm enough since we had just turned off the heat.
"Don't act like that. Look, seeing you with everyone just showed me how it could be, but you don't want to be together. All you want to do is just kiss me when it's convenient and then leave," I sadly pointed out, now staring down at my own hands.
"I don't know what else to tell you, Brielle. You know how I feel, and you know I'm not going to change my mind. I can't keep having this same conversation with you."
I breathed deeply in as I thought of what I needed to do. "You're right. Thank you for giving me the best Christmas Eve and coming with me today, but I think this time we really need to end things here." I struggled with taking the key necklace off as I held it out to him. "Here, you can give this to someone that really deserves it."
He carefully closed my fingers around it again as he shook his head. "No, you keep it, Brielle. You are someone that really deserves it. I'm sorry again for hurting you. But I do think you're right about ending things here. I'll never forget you." His ocean eyes lifted to be met with mine, and those words he just spoke made everything more painful.
"I'll never forget you either," I whispered, unable to speak any louder. I reached over to give him a tight hug as he soothingly rubbed circles into my back. "I hope you have the best new year and so much more."
"I wish the same for you," he gently said, kissing the top of my head before he stepped out of the car. I sadly watched him walk to Ned's house before going into my own.
It was torture avoiding having anything to do with Leo the remainder of his stay, but we both knew it was for the best. I became curious when I got home one evening and saw them heading off in Ned's car. I wondered if they were going out to eat or maybe to flirt with women somewhere, which pained me to think about. I decided to just do my Christmas puzzle of the North Pole and Santa's Workshop at the card table I had set up by the window. I just happened to hear the engine of Ned's car when he returned, my heart leaping into my chest. I was puzzled though when Leo didn't get out of the vehicle with him though. That's when it dawned on me that maybe Leo went back to California early before New Year's. And that's when it truly sank in that I might never see him in person ever again.
A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though the ending was a bit sad again. The next chapter might end up being the last one, but I won't know until I start writing for it. Please remember to comment, vote, and follow. Thank you so much! <3
