Dream Catcher (amnesia) - h.s.

26: Christmas: presents & family

You can only avoid Christmas for so long. It's the 21st of December and I have mastered to avoid the subject completely. Harry must have felt that I didn't want to think about it. But now that it's only days away and we haven't planned a single thing, I give in when he carefully asks again what we should do for Christmas.

'Tell me about what we normally do.' I tell him, and the answer's so different from the answers I've given him over the last weeks, that he raises his eyebrows in surprise.

'Go on, tell me.' I say, and the look his face softens.

'On Christmas Eve, we're normally just at home together, having a quite casual dinner, watching some Christmas movie and giving each other our presents-'

'Oh my god. I haven't even thought about presents.'

'It's okay, we can just skip it this year.' He reassures me.

'No, I don't want to. I'll figure something out. Maybe one of the girls can help me. It'll be fine. Go on.'

'Then on Christmas Day, both our families come to stay over, so your mom and brother, though you know Ben probably can't come over from Australia, and then my mom, Robin and Gemma.'

'Do we do all the cooking?'

'No, just partly. We all make one dish. I think this year it's our turn to make dessert.'

'Ohh, I love dessert.' I smile. 'And Boxing Day?'

'We always have a huge breakfast and then all our family goes home, and the evening's for the other family.'

'Which is?'

'The boys and their plus ones.' He chuckles.

'Oh, that's lovely.' I say. In my new life I celebrate Christmas with One Direction. How casual.

'So let's just do exactly that this year?' I suggest.

'You're sure? Because we don't have to if you don't want to.'

'No, I want to. Remember what the doctor said? We should do all the things we're used to doing.'

'Okay, if you say so. I'll let the family know.' He says.

'Let me do mine. I think my mom will be so happy if I call her. And it's been a while since I've talked to Ben.'

'You do know he's not going to make it, right?' Harry carefully asks.

'Yeah, and I get it, plane tickets are expensive. I do really miss him.'

'I know you do.' He rubs my arm. 'I know you're not exactly looking forward to Christmas like you are every year. But we're going to make the most of it, okay?'

'Yeah.' I whisper.

Harry's off to meet with the boys in the afternoon. They're probably going to be writing, because Harry's had quite some ideas. I've got the house for myself so I take the opportunity to call Leah.

'Hey, An! How are you?'

'I'm good, actually. Not really looking forward to Christmas though, but it'll be fine.'

'Why? You love Christmas!'

'I know, but it's just so different this year.'

'Yeah, I know.'

'So I haven't really thought about Christmas until just now and i realized that I don't have presents. Do you feel like going Christmas shopping? If there's still anything left in the stores?' I chuckle.

'Yeah, sure, I'd love to!'

After agreeing on a time and place to meet Leah later, I quickly call Gemma to ask if she has any ideas on what I could buy for Harry. She tells me he's obsessed with vinyl, and I remember the record of the Beatles in Harry's childhood bedroom, and I immediately have an idea.