Boyfriend by Christmas

Chapter 13

Red team lines up to get their food first. Once we've all settled down at the table, blue team is allowed their turn at the buffet. Garrett wasn't lying – even after my team attacks the buffet, there's plenty left for the blue guys. And then some.

At the table, I don't exactly know what to do. I try to gage it based on what the rest of the family is doing but it doesn't work. Half of them start to eat before they even sit down. The other half waits with hands on laps for the rest of the family to be seated with their food.

I decide I should be in the waiting camp. That seems the polite thing to do.

Thankfully, when Garrett sits down, he waits too. As soon as everyone is seated, Sheila lifts her wine glass and taps it lightly with her knife.

"I am thankful to be here another year with all of you," she says. "Old and new." She smiles at me, lifts her glass in the air, and takes a sip. The rest of us follow and then everyone digs in.

At my house, we do have one Thanksgiving tradition. Everyone has to have one thing, other than family, friends, or health, to be thankful for. My mom says that clichés are never okay, not even on a holiday.

I disagree. Sheila's speech is probably the same every year, minus the last part. But it's true every year too, I'm sure. Even if it's cliché, it's beautiful. My mom would have rolled her eyes inwardly and sighed as the drinks clanked. I tear up instead.

"Hey, you okay?" Garrett asks quietly. The family is too interested in their food to notice.

"Yeah," I tell him. "Just thinking about how different this is. My mom would have hated that speech. I think it was the most meaningful thing your aunt could have said."

"The family has changed a lot over the years, especially these last few years. People have been divorced or passed away. I think Aung Sheila acknowledges that we won't all always be together for the holiday, so she's grateful that we are today."

I wipe a stray tear from my eye. "See? Beautiful."

He smiles. "You're on my thankful list this year," he says.

"You're at the top of mine," I respond quietly.

Under the table, Garrett's hand finds my knee and squeezes. I shiver at the touch and expect him to pull his hand away quickly the way he usually does when he touches me so intimately. But he doesn't. Instead, he holds it there all throughout dinner. It isn't until it's time to get up for dessert when his hand finally pulls away. I feel the absence like I just lost a limb.

After dessert, Garrett and I escape to our room to watch television since we don't have clean-up duty.

"Once everything is clean, it's family movie time."

"What?"

"Not, like, family movies. But like, we watch a movie together as a family. Downstairs. You don't have to join if you don't want to, though. We could stay up here..."

"Not a chance!" I say. "What movie?"

"Miracle on 34th Street," he says. "I know it's a total cliché but we like to finish off Thanksgiving by kicking off Christmas."

I bite my lip. "Can I be honest?"

"You hate the movie, right? Or you're sick of family traditions? It's okay. We can hide up here..."

I put my hand on his arm to stop him. "None of the above," I say. "I was just going to tell you that I've never actually seen that movie before."

He gasps in mock horror. "You can't be serious? It's a classic!"