Saving Max

Chapter 45

I wake up with a smile on my face for the first time since Saturday. The feeling of happiness carries me light as a bird, flying me like a feather out of bed and down the hallway to my parents bedroom. I float through their open door and jump onto their bed, throwing my arms over the two of them lazily to wake them from their deep sleep. My mom lets out a small grunt of acknowledgement while my dad flips onto his stomach, his eyes opening just a crack to meet my own.

"What time is it?" He asks groggily, bringing a sluggish hand up to his face to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

I sigh and shake my head, pushing excitedly at his shoulders to wake him up even more. "It's Christmas!" I say, leaping into a sitting position to look down on him with a grin. "Time to open presents!"

"You haven't been this excited for Christmas since you were little." My mom comments lightly, no signs of tiredness in her voice even despite the early hour of the morning.

As if reading my thoughts my dad sits up next to me and lets out a deep breath, turning from his spot in bed to face me. "What time is it anyway, Bella? Whatever it is, it's not late enough."

"It's only six o'clock." I tell the two of them, jumping up off the bed to give them their space to follow suit. Neither of them do.

"It's been worse." My mom acknowledges to my dad, flipping her body around to face him as she speaks.

"Yeah, when she was eight." He mutters, still throwing his feet over the edge of the bed despite himself. "I'll go start the coffee. Bella, since your so excited, why don't you go start to get all the presents out from under the tree and putting them into piles."

I nod eagerly and sprint from the room, hearing the hushed whispers instantly start to fall from my parent's lips upon my departure, probably trying to decipher my sudden change of mood.

Truth be told, I didn't even realize that my mood was lifted until I got back from shopping with Damien yesterday. After I had told him about everything that happened to me in the park, a huge weight seemed to be lifted off my shoulders. It became even easier to talk to him after we started shopping again because I didn't feel the need to hide anything I was feeling from our conversation. We laughed as we walked between the shops, and even went into a few antique stores together to try on some of the funniest clothing we could find. When I returned home a few hours later, I couldn't think of any reason to be sad.

I knew that Caden and I had separated for good, and while that was till hard to get over, I also knew that my life would keep going without him. I had a great time yesterday with Damien, and it showed me that my life was still okay, even if one thing went bad.

I started to find my happiness without Caden, and I loved every second of it.

I knew I needed to start getting over him, and I made the first step in doing so with Damien. My life will go on with or without Caden, and all I did yesterday was kick start the process. It's amazing what can happen when you stop feeling sad and sorry for yourself and actually step out into the world and realize how amazing life is. As long as you focus on the positives and the things that make you happy, everything negative and sad will seem insignificant in comparison.

"I'm ready, guys!" I shout to my parents, taking a few steps back on my own to assess my piles with a satisfied nod. "Come on, come on! We're not getting any younger!"

"Yes, that fact is becoming painfully obvious." My dad deadpans, shuffling slowly into the room with a snarky smile on his face and taking a seat in front of the three piles on the floor. My mom is right behind him with a laugh falling from her lips, taking her own seat in the more sensible option of the recliner right next to our tree.