A Mendes Christmas // Shawn Mendes

part three

december 15th 

When I woke up this morning, the whole world felt different. It hadn't hit me quite yet what the events of last night were. It was that early morning bliss where you had no idea who you were or where you came from.

I turned over and cuddled into the duvet, feeling the warm air from the vent above my head stream down on my body.

I looked at the clock, and it was nearly eight thirty. I had to get groceries but there was no way I could go out in this snow. I barely had any food left to last me today, let only right out to the twentieth when the snow fall was predicted to ease.

My phone began buzzing on my bed side table, so I crawled under the covers to the other side of the bed and picked up my phone.

"Hello?" I croaked.

"Hey, it's me," Grace exclaimed, "Lola said you were low on food. Kyle is going to the shops quickly. Is there anything you want?"

I wanted to give him my whole shopping list honestly. The one thing that I needed the most though, was toothpaste and hair care.

I told her to also get me a few microwave meals so that I could get through the week, as well as the toothpaste and shampoo.

"He said he'd drop it over at yours in about an hour. Is that okay?" she asked.

"That's fine!"

**********

Kyle took far longer than an hour. In fact, he took four.

Without saying much, he quickly unloaded the shopping bags onto the floor of my apartment, and kind of left my to my own devices without saying much.

When I was unpacking, I noticed the receipt was over fifty dollars. Probably something I couldn't afford for a while now.

Kyle never asked for money though, which I was thankful for.

I walked over to the cupboard in the other corner of the room, the one near my bed. Inside there was a box that I had left in the cupboard since January when I moved here, gaining dust on every growing day.

I pulled the box out, and ripped off the sticky tape that kept it closed. I felt like I was getting into the Christmas spirit already, and living in this big city especially helped.

Inside the box was my makeshift little Christmas tree, that stood up to the height of my kneecap. Beside it in the box, were countless little decorations I had collected over my lifetime back at home. I had only brought out the ones that meant the most to me.

I carried the little tree over to the window and placed it down, connecting the fairy lights to the nearest power point. It only took me a few minutes to put the simple decorations on the tree, but it was the best I could do being so far away from home.

It was times like this, that I missed my family back home. Back in Pennsylvania, I had a sixteen year old brother, and two parents. My family wasn't big or close, but they did bring my happiness at this time of the year.

I always loved Christmas growing up, but being here – and being alone – it almost felt like it wasn't celebrated when you lived alone. In a wry attempt to get myself into the Christmas spirit, I connected my phone into the stereo in my apartment, and played the first Christmas playlist I could find on Spotify.

I returned back to the kitchen, where I unpacked the grocery bags and filled my freezer with microwave meals, that would be my staple food for the next few days.

I threw the plastic bags into a drawer beside the garbage bin, just in case I would ever have to use them again.

**********