Started With a Tube

Started With a Tube - Chapter 15

Started With a Tube - Chapter 15

Christmas doesn't hold the same magic this year.

As much as my parents try to make it special, I can't respond to it. They know about Alec now as well and mum cried when she heard. Dad went upstairs for a while. Mark patted me on the shoulder awkwardly which just made me hate him a bit.

Mum and dad invite Alec's family over for Christmas dinner because they feel like it's a nice thing to do and they accept only slightly reluctantly. I don't think any of them are up for cooking. After the night Alec told me about his cancer, he hasn't been feeling great. That was five days ago.

Today is Christmas and after a morning of opening presents and 'family time', Alec arrives with his mum, dad and little sister. His older brother has still to make an appearance in England, but I don't have my hopes up. The guy doesn't even care that his brother has cancer, I don't think he'll be exactly a great person.

They bring gifts, but Alec tells me I'm not allowed to look at mine until later, so he puts my present from him in my room. I guess he wants me to open it when we're alone. It's nice to see him and I try not to let myself be sad, which is an almost impossible task.

He kisses me in front of our parents and I don't care and none of them mention it. We watch It's a Wonderful Life before we eat and I usually like the film but I don't think I'll be able to watch it after this without remembering Alec. Then again, I don't think I'll be able to do anything now without remembering him. I begin to enjoy myself at dinner though, because I see everyone else managing to laugh so I try to too. And it works.

"It was like six years ago!" Alec cringes and I nudge him teasingly with my elbow.

"You puked?" I laugh.

"It went all over the Christmas tree in the theatre," his mum tells me and I laugh even harder.

"That was the end of my acting career," Alec sighs dramatically.

"You were an innkeeper," his dad reminds him and his tone of voice sends me over the edge and I'm laughing so hard I'm crying. And Alec takes my hand in his and he laughs too, but less vigorously. My mum clears away the plates and Mark helps her and she puts a box of chocolates in the middle of the table for us to share. Alec lifts a random one from the box and tells me to eat it.

"What if it's gross?" I ask.

"That's the best part," he grins and so I eat it and it tastes like coffee but I prefer tea so all in all I don't enjoy it that much. I give him one but it's a truffle so he says it's great. Typical.

"Can we leave the table?" I ask mum and she nods, happily dancing around the room with my dad. Alec and I escape upstairs and when I shut the door he hugs me tight.

"This has been such a nice day," he murmurs into my hair.

"I agree," I nod. "Did you really vomit all over the Christmas tree?"

"Please can we not talk about it?" he grins.

"What shall we talk about instead?" I ask.

"Presents?" he suggests and I smile.

"I want to give you yours first," I say, going over to my desk to get it.

"Yours is under your bed so don't look," he warns.

"Not going to," I assure him. I turn and hand him over the wrapped box. It's large, bigger than a shoebox but not by much, and the gifts inside weigh it a bit. We sit down on my bed and Alec removes the lid of the box.

"It's a memory box," I explain. "See, here's our tickets from the London Eye, and the book I was reading that time in the café, and a menu from Nando's, and yeah, other stuff." He sifts through the items in the box quietly and comes across the sealed envelope. "Don't, uh, don't open it yet."