I look in the box with anticipation.
At first I’m not sure what it is… a bunch of electrical cords (?) Then I notice the tiny lights and I smile. There is a note inside that has slipped down to the bottom:
Whenever we used to watch movies online at the same time you’d point out that girls in teen movies always have twinkling lights in their bedrooms, even if it wasn’t Christmas. You said you always wanted to have a room like that. So I thought you might want to decorate your room with lights, since you never got to this past Christmas. And I would love to help you put them up,
-Morgan xox
I hug the note and smile. I love it!
I really did want to decorate my room with lights, SO bad! And DC knew that.Morgan knew that! The best part is that he remembered.
As I pull out the lights to inspect them I remember the late nights we would stay up online watching movies. Morgan is actually super funny. He would message me silly comments about what was happening in the movie. I laugh now, remembering a joke he made. I do remember commenting on the twinkling lights in the girl’s bedroom.
I can’t wait to get started! With all the lights that Morgan has put in this box, coloured and white ones, I should be able to cover every square inch of my room! He wanted to help me decorate. That's why he asked to come over to my house.
I run over to my desk and open my laptop. Morgan isn’t online yet. I decide to write him anyway. He will see it as soon as he logs on.
I opened the gift! Thank you <3
I can hardly wait to get started decorating :D
And I’m going to leave the lights up all year round ^_^
I’m sorry I didn’t let you come upstairs and that I didn’t go to the donut shop with you.
Do you want to help me put up the lights in my room?
I’ll clean my room tonight and maybe your mom can drive you here tomorrow afternoon.
My mom works all day on Saturdays so it will just be us :)
Then I add:
And the poem is WONDERFUL!
The paper is bumpy from getting wet, I guess from when I threw the folder in the snow
it’s even more beautiful with the bumps
because when I see them I will always remember that you forgave me
and you still gave me the poem anyway.
No one has ever written a poem for me before…
Sorry I’m so shy (in real life)
and so slow to see how wonderful you are.
But here’s a virtual hug from me (h)
Thank you
I’m actually a little nervous about him reading it all but I send it anyway.
Now for my room!
I look up ideas online for how to set up lights. In the end I don’t think it matters how you set them up, they will look festive and fun no matter how I do it!
By the time my mom gets home I have six garbage bags outside of my room and I’m in the middle of vacuuming. I can tell she is surprised and doesn’t know what to think. Each time she’s about to say something to me she changes her mind and says nothing. Finally she just leaves to go make herself tea, like she usually does after a long day of work.
Janessa and Vanessa come home too at some point but they don’t disturb me. In fact I notice they start cleaning up too; Mom works on the dishes and my sisters clean the living room area.
As I work I can’t help but feel proud of myself for starting a daunting task and actually keeping at it. The more I do, the more energized I feel. My room looks amazing!
It's past bedtime when I’m almost done (I just have the blinds on my windows to dust) and my mom comes in my room and announces that she’s going to pick up a few groceries with Vanessa.
“This looks great,” she says, giving me a hug. I feel like I’m 10 years old again for some reason. I want to tell Mom that I’ll try to help more with dishes and stuff from now on, but I feel too choked up to speak. I don’t think I’ve been hugged or given a hug in a long time because it makes me emotional now.
Mom and Vanessa leave and I use a special duster, which traps the dust instead of spreading it into the air, for the blinds in my room.
After checking for a reply from Morgan and not seeing one, I decide to start putting up the lights. I just can't wait until tomorrow. An hour and a half later I have hammered probably a hundred nails into the ceiling and Mom comes home.
I don’t show her the lights right away because I didn’t exactly ask her permission to use nails on the ceiling. Instead I turn off the twinkling lights and lay down on my bed. I haven’t felt so satisfyingly tired in a long time. It feels good. I cough each time I take in a deep breath.
I drift off to sleep without even knowing it. Sometime in the night Viros makes a ding sound that wakes me. It's my favourite sound in the world.
DC -Hi! I just got your messages
Me -Hi :)
DC -I’m at my brother’s place
Me -At the dorms?
DC -No, he moved into a basement suite this year with his college friends
Me -Nice
DC -We’ve been playing on the play station this whole time…
-I finally got onto his computer to sign in
-I’d love to come help you put up the lights!
Me -Ummm…
DC -You put them up already?
Me -It looks AWESOME!
DC -Then I’d love to see it :D
Me -Well you’re welcome to come anytime (I cleaned my room)
DC -Just a sec…
(pause)
DC -I’m stuck with my brother all weekend cuz my parents went on a trip. He says he can’t take me anywhere tomorrow but he’ll take me over tonight if I want. Except it’s after midnight already
Me -Okay
DC -Okay?
Me -Ya
DC -Okay what?
Me -Okay come over
DC -Won’t you get in trouble?
Me -I dunno, maybe you can drive by and I’ll open my blinds lol and turn on the Christmas lights I put up so you can see from the street
DC -lol, where do you live?
Me -Oh that.. actually I live, we live, in the building here, at the office, upstairs.
DC -Oh. Cool.
Me -Cool?
DC -Ya ;)
Me -When is your brother going to bed?
DC -That's the cleaning office where I dropped off the present to you today right?
Me -Yeah…
DC -That’s only like 2 or 3 blocks away
Me -Really?
DC -Yep
(pause)
-Be there in 10
DC logs out
YOU ARE READING
Boy Charming
Teen FictionAlanna is an introvert who loves to daydream. Her best friend, and online crush, is a boy that she's never met... but he may be closer than she realizes...
