Paper Hearts

THEN:Chapter 15

“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?”  - Bob Hope

Eden:

My Nan and Grandad arrived just before dinner, and Ollie looked still the more surprised (and slightly tearful) when they, too, gave him a couple of small presents. It was that unending gratefulness that made me love him most that day, the way he appreciated every little thing because he didn’t have much to appreciate normally. I wanted to give him a family Christmas before he went away again, something to remember me by, something to make him smile – and it worked, too.

I lay across the sofa with my head in his lap, his fingers threaded through mine, the ridiculous fluorescent paper hat that he just would not take off slipping off of his head every five seconds. We were watching the Christmas specials on TV; Mum was passing round the chocolates; my Dad and Grandad had fallen asleep and were snoring on the other sofa. I loved Christmas – it was pretty much the only time of year that my family wasn’t crazily dysfunctional. I think that’s only because you kind of have to make an effort at Christmas – though God only knows why. I mean, we’ll probably all go back to yelling at each other tomorrow. But for that day, it was perfect.

Ollie reached out to stroke my hair, “You want to go home soon?”

I craned my neck up at him, smirked, “You just want to know what your Christmas present is”

“I think I have a pretty good idea”

“Oh trust me, it will surprise you” I struggled to sit up, beginning to grow sleepy from the early morning we’d all had, “Is it ok if we head off in a bit, Mum? I’ll be back the day after tomorrow anyway, in the morning”

Mum covered her disappointment with a smile, “Of course. Let me cut you some more of that Christmas cake to take with you, there’s piles of it left – “

By the time we managed to escape twenty minutes later, Ollie was holding an armful of neatly-wrapped Christmas cake and a tin of leftover truffles, while my arm was being weighed down from carrying our presents.

“We probably won’t see you again until next time you get to come home, Oliver, dear” Mum kissed his cheek, “Do take care of yourself. We look forward to having you back again soon”

“I look forward to coming back” Ollie grinned, “And thank you so much for having me stay, you don’t – you can’t imagine how important it was to me, to have a normal Christmas again. It was really...special. Thank you”

“Anytime”

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“Ede? If you don’t hurry up, I’m going to fall asleep before I’ve had a chance to so much as glimpse at this present” Ollie called out from the bedroom. I rolled my eyes.

“It’s worth the wait!” I called back through the door, hoping I was right. I’d felt pretty uncomfortable buying the barely-there lace underwear and the sheer black stockings that matched – most awkward purchase of my life so far, in fact – but I was determined that Ollie ought to have something to remember when he was alone...even if that something had been initiated by my complete and utter mortification.

I eyed myself anxiously in the mirror, suddenly feeling more than a little bit ridiculous. I relied on Ollie to tell me that I was attractive – I still didn’t actually believe it myself, not back then – and I had never hoped more that he was right.

“Eden, seriousl-oh my God”

I looked up at him from under the curtain of my hair, expecting to want to duck back behind it and hide again, but he was looking at me so intensely that I couldn’t quite bring myself to look away.