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Christmas Eve is for Lovers

Late in the night, Christmas Eve, 1997

Chloe had been invited to the joint Johns/Gillies/Joannou Christmas party for the past seven years. Tonight, though, she was not.

She had thought, after Daniel being home for almost three days, he would have called her already. Dissolved her fears and worries. Invite her to the festive event where there would surely be singing, drinking and kissing under the stars once the ritual of opening one gift each was finally over with.

Her resolve had been worn out so thin, she feared she would lash out in anger at him if she saw him later in the week, at the shops or somewhere else about town or at the beach. She dreaded this so much that she knew she had to crash the party. There was no other option for her.

She knew with all of her heart he would surely be there. Also, her gut told her, after having driven past the Joannou's lawn for the past three weeks, that surely David Joannou had taken David Gillies' crown away this Christmas. She only allowed herself a tiny giggle about that, though. This meant that the Christmas party was definitely being held at the Gillies household.

Feeling as if she was driving herself nowhere, again, she put on the same hoodie from the other day, got into her Camry and drove the few miles to the party. She lied to her mother and told her that Daniel was sick, but no longer contagious, and that he requested she visit him so they could catch up. Her mother was so delighted with the news that she warmly held her daughter's hand and said, "No curfew tonight, love. You two have a wonderful night together."

That was the first time that night Chloe felt a dagger of black ice pierce her heart.

To top it all off, it had started to rain. Pour. Buckets.

***

"That's enough! Ben, let me in! I'm drenched!"

Chloe banged on the front door again and again. Ben didn't want to cross Daniel, though.

The rain kept falling and falling, but the girl's love would not back down.

Chris shook his head and shoved Ben aside.

"What are you doing?" Ben protested.

Chris' voice was firm. "She deserves to see him and speak with him.  She'll need the closure. Sometimes Daniel doesn't know what's best for  him or for others. We should help him by helping her."

After some eyebrow movements and the slacking of his facial features, Ben nodded and stepped away from the door.

Chloe was allowed into the house and she looked around her, shivering, impatient.

She could hear that everyone had moved to the back patio by then. It was getting late and "I'll Be Home For Christmas" was floating in the air along with jovial banter and laughs and clinking of glasses.

"Let me get you a towel, Chloe." Ben went to the bathroom and came back with a towel and laid it upon her trembling shoulders.

She muttered a quick "thank you" to the boys barely registering their presence. "Where is he?"

"Upstairs. The loft."

She tightened the towel around herself and raced up the stairs. The  door was closed. She braced herself. She didn't feel like trying to get  inside another bloody door again.

Chloe turned the knob and it opened. For once, she tasted something delicious that day.

When she entered the loft she saw Daniel laying on the sofa. One of  his arms was perched over his forehead guarding  against some kind of imaginary light with the power of a million suns. He rose to a seated  position as she walked over to sit beside him.