The Christmas Note | ✔

Twenty-Five

Eric.

It was Eric all along.

He was the one who knew all those things about me. He was the one who left all the presents on my down. He listened, he put serious thought into what we was doing, he surprised me. I lay in bed the covers taking over my body as I stare up at the black ceiling. I glanced over at the red numbers next to my bed.

"It's Christmas." I smiled to myself whispering the words softly into the dark abyss. It truly was Christmas. My heart leapt with joy, I was so excited for Christmas for the first time since my parents passed away. I tried to close my eyes, I needed to get some sleep before the excitement of the day. Eric was picking me up just a little after lunch. My stomach twisted and turned until eventually I was able to fall asleep.

A loud banging noise was enough to shoot me out of bed as I rushed for the baseball bat underneath. My body hitting the floor with a loud clatter. I popped up on my hands and knees trying to crawl back to the safety of my covers, the baseball bat in hand. The knocking sounds came again as I was finally successful in the journey back to my bed. I cowered against the bed frame before glancing over at the clock. It was half past noon.

"Shit." I muttered to myself. I knew what was going on now. I jumped from my sheets tugging at my shirt. I tried to fix my hair as much as I could before unlocking the front door.

"Hey, Amber what took you so long?" Eric said as he rushed through the front door and into my loft. I spun around shutting the door on my way. "Oh, you just woke up." He paused catching sight of the mess in front of him.

"I'm so sorry, I was too excited to sleep last night, I'm not even sure when I passed out." I fiddled with my tee shirt once more. I felt awkward in my own skin, Eric's eyes dancing across my body.

"No, no, no, you look beautiful." He closed the distance between us wrapping his arms around me gently. His lips pressed against my forehead. My whole body felt warm as a tingling sensation exploded throughout. "No go get ready, I will wait out here for you." He smiled once of those stunning smiles, I hadn't realized how handsome he actually was. His bright blue eyes penetrating mine. I tried to remember every little detail about them.

"Thank you." I mumbled before heading off to my bedroom to get ready for the day.

------------------ A Few Hours Later ------------------

"Are you sure you want to introduce me to your family?" I paused for a moment fiddling with the bottom of my red dress. Eric reached over in the back of the taxi cab, his hand laying gently on top of mine. He looked at me, like actually looked at me. The kind of looking at someone where your eyes are stuck and you never want to look away, you just want to take in every detail of them. "What if they don't like me?" I mustered up enough strength to ask under his stare. My voice was fragile and soft, barely audible above the whirring of the car engine.

"Of course i'm sure, they will love you." He squeezed gently on my hand. "Plus, my mother has been asking about you for a week now. Every since she found out about the notes." He smiled once more.

"You told her?" I chuckled, slapping him gently in the stomach. "Why would you do something like that?"

He shrugged. The cab driver pulled up in front of a small house near the edge of the city. It was small and decorated heavily with Christmas lights.

"Is this your family home?" I took in every detail from the fully shoveled driveway to the flickering between the green and red lights hanging above the windows.

"Yeah, this is where we grew up. My sister Sara and I." Eric quickly jumped out of the cab heading to my door to help me out. I took his hand taking a step into the snow on the side of the road. Eric quickly paid the cab driver before taking my hand in his. He led me up the driveway towards the front door. Knocking quickly making sure to avoid the wreath hung neatly.

The door swung open quickly as an older woman welcomed us into what I assumed to be her home. Her hair was in curls on top of her head, her floral shirt of reds and greens tucked neatly behind her apron. Perched on her nose a pair of reading glasses. He had flour on her cheek like she had been baking.

"Oh Eric honey you made it." She beamed pulling him into an embrace. A few seconds later her arms were sprawled open heading in my direction. "This must be the lucky lady, she is stunning." Before I could even react or respond she was pulling me into an embrace. I felt welcomed, my nerves subsiding as she pulled away taking a good look over me. My hair curled, my lips red, my eyeliner simple. She took in every last detail of me before pulling us through the entrance into a living room.

"Guys, she said yes!" His mother squealed as people sat gathered around the fireplace in their coziest of pajamas. I panicked at the excitement in the room. What did I say yes to? Was I the girl she was talking about?

"What did I say yes to?" I whispered to Eric, his hand still wrapped around mine. He leaned down to whisper back in my ear.

"She is just excited you agreed to come. She doesn't know how to announce things. One year she accidently gave up my dads surprise present, another she told all the kids who was dressed in the Santa costume. She just gets excited." He smiled pulling me closer into him.

------------------ Eric's POV ------------------

She looked so beautiful in the warm glow of our Christmas tree. I felt like the luckiest man in the world. Her just standing there next to me, her hand in mine. I looked over everyone in my family, smiles across everyone's faces. My sister Sara with her two kids huddled next to the tree. My uncle, my aunt, their children sat nicely on the couch. My father, and mother hand in hand as they stood next to the kitchen door. The trees was lit up, the only light in the house as my mother had covered all the windows with dark material. On Christmas day, you live by the tree. Unless you were her of course. She would spend most of her time in and out of the kitchen bringing everyone cookies, pralines, and of course our Christmas dinner.

We all sat around the table laughing at the stories we shared. Catching up on everyone's events from the last year. My hand still holding hers. I was scared that if I let go this moment would slip away. After dinner we all settled back in the living room, the kids bouncing off the walls finally able to open their presents.

"Here, this one is for you." I smiled handing Amber the beautiful red bag. I didn't want her to feel left out. Inside was nothing but a tiny box, holding the final letter. She smiled up at me taking a seat on the couch to open her present.

"I feel bad, I never brought one for anyone here." She paused for a moment taking a look around the room. I knelt down beside her.

"Don't worry about that, it's been taken care of." Amber shot me a questioningly obviously unaware that I had bought gifts for everyone in my family. I labeled them as if they were from Amber last night after I got her response. Technically she had given everyone in this room a present.

"Thank you so much for the sweater Amber, how did you know I would love it?" Sara beamed as she held up the large green sweater. Amber smiled at me finally realizing what I had done.

"Thank you." she mouthed before turning to open her very own present. She pulled the box out, a small engraved jewelry box I had made for her. Her name written across the top of it. Her eyes were glowing as she opened the note reading the words. She smiled at me one last time before I grabbed her hand pulling her from the couch.

"Where are we going?" She questioned. I didn't say much but I knew of a hidden decoration my parents always left at the bottom of the stairs. I stood with the girl of my dreams inches away, my hands on her biceps. I pointed up towards the ball of mistletoe. Her eyes caught on as she began to smile wider than I have ever seen her smile.

"Merry Christmas Amber." I whispered as I grabbed her face pulling it closer. My lips tingle for hers. My heart beating at a million miles per minute. We had finally arrived to the greatest moment of my life. She smiled as her lips come crashing against mine, and as we kissed the whole world seemed to disappear. This kiss was all that mattered.

------------------ The End ------------------