Sequel (Advent Calendar 2016)

THE 23RD OF DECEMBER

The 23rd of December

...

"The car won't start," Kristen says as she enters the cottage.

They've agreed to sleep in the cottage one night, and then stay at a hotel until there are flights to LA again. That's not gonna happen, apparently.

Rob looks up at her from the couch. "Because of the weather?"

She looks at him with a blank expression. "No, Rob, because there's no gas. Of course it's because of the weather!"

He looks at her, mouth slightly open, not sure how to respond.

"Then what do we do?" He asks, ignoring her outburst.

"Well, we don't have that much of a choice, do we?" She says, sitting down in the recliner next to the couch, her eyes darting around the room.

Rob sighs. "No, I guess not. I'll call my Mum, tell her I'm not coming to England," he says, getting up from the couch. Kristen looks at him with an expression he's not sure what means.

"Say hi to Clare from me," she mumbles before Rob disappears into the hallway.

"I will." Dialing his mother's phone number, he puts his phone to his ear as he walks into his bedroom.

...

"I know, Mum, it's bloody annoying."

"Isn't there a house nearby? Someone you can call that can come and get you? A helicopter?"

"Mum, trust me, if there was a way I could get away from this fucking cottage, away from her, I would."

"So I take it it's still a mess between the two of you?"

"Yeah. It was okay for some time, but then it just got fucked up again. She can be such a pain in the arse, Mum, it's so frustrating, you have no idea."

"Rob, I know things are rough right now, but you shouldn't speak of Kristen that way."

"Ugh, I know. But sometimes, just for a nanosecond, I wish we'd never met. Things would be much less complicated then."

"I know you don't mean that, son. You loved Kristen more than anything in this world. You were ready to start a family and marry her. Those five years you two were together were the best five years of your life, and you and I both know it. Your break-up might be one of the worst things that has ever happened to you, but the reason why it is that, is because your relationship is one of the best things that has ever happened to you. So get your head out of your arse, Rob, and start listening to your bloody heart, for Pete's sake."

Rob gapes, taken aback by his mother's words.

"Mum, I..."

"Just go talk to her. Ring me when you have more information on when you're coming. I love you, bye!"

Before Rob can do anything, his mum has hung up on him.

He sighs deeply. Throwing his phone on the bed, he walks out in the hallway. When he sees Kristen only one metre away from him, he's slightly started.

"Oh, hey Kris."

"Hey," she mumbles, her voice croaky, almost breaking. "I just came to, uh, give you this," she says, handing him a cup of hot chocolate. He takes it and looks up at her. There's something wrong with her eyes, they look somewhat... glassy. "I'm sorry you're not going to England," she says, looking up at him. And like on the phone with his mum, she turns her back and leaves before he has a chance to answer.