Juliana Woodland and Nate Jacobs have been best friends for as long as they can remember.
They are now in their junior year at East Highland High School and things are starting to get complicated.
*Had this story up on my old account and it got dele...
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As always thank you so much for reading and the feedback! Here's part 40🩶
Juliana's mom, Maria, always had a soft spot for Nate. It was the way he would pull out her chair ever since he was a kid when he was over for dinner, and the gentle charm with which he would ask about her work or if she needed help with anything around the house.
But the main reason was because she knew how much he loved her daughter and could depend on him to take care of her, unlike her own father. That was why she always treated him like family and welcomed her into her house with open arms, including for holidays and celebrations.
Despite everything that had happened between Juliana and Nate, this Christmas Eve was no different. The three of them sat in the Woodlands living room, surrounded by twinkling lights and the faint scent of pine.
Juliana and her mom had gone all out, as usual, with help from Nate. He did the more difficult tasks like putting up the lights and bringing the tree home to set up after following Juliana around for ages until she found the perfect one. She chose a towering one that nearly touched the ceiling, that was now decorated with ornaments that had been collected over the years.
Juliana and Nate always spent the holidays with each other's family's, planning around her mom's busy work schedule. This year Maria was off on Christmas Eve, so they would spend it with her, then go to the Jacobs house on Christmas Day.
The familiarity of this annual tradition with Juliana and her mom always brought Nate comfort, a stark contrast to the tumultuous waters he often navigated in his own home.
As they sipped on eggnog spiked with just the right amount of whiskey, Maria couldn't help but beam at the sight of the two of them together, her heart swelling with a motherly affection that was as genuine as it was misguided.
The conversation drifted to memories of past holidays, and Nate found himself thinking about his own family, and how much at ease he was with Juliana and her mom.
"It's always so great being here during Christmas." Nate said, sipping his drink.
Juliana reached over and squeezed his hand, her thumb brushing over the knuckles in a gesture that was both comforting and loaded with meaning.
Without him saying it, she knew that he meant compared to his own house. His relationship with his dad had gotten even worse recently and she was aware that he was dreading having to be with his own family the following day. She wasn't looking forward to it, either.
"You two always make it look like something out of a Christmas movie." He chuckled.
"Well, it wouldn't look half as good without you doing the heavy work." Maria laughed.
Her laughter was the kind that filled the room and made you want to laugh along, even if you didn't quite get the joke. She had a way of making everyone feel included, a trait that Juliana had gotten from her.
