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today was christmas, the day meant to celebrate the birth of jesus. father never favored this holiday too much, however, i adored it. christmas was one holiday that my father was able to celebrate with us.
it was a nice day in LA. at the coldest it was 66° so i was able to still wear a short sleeve even in the midst of winter.
our families decided that for my own sake they would come together and celebrate. it was an odd decision of course but i loved it. my last days could be spent with everyone i've ever loved. mother and father have been distant with each other but they haven't been fighting like they were. "i like your sweater adeline," my father says as he walks down the stairs.
i wore the black and green worn sweater i stole from tate over a black dress that had thin straps so i wouldn't get too hot and small black heels that strapped closed. father wore his everyday black pants, blazer, and shoes. mom came down the stairs wearing a black velvet dress and the black heels i wore for homecoming. we grabbed the food and dessert we made and i grabbed the gifts i got for tate and addy. we all walked over to our neighbors to celebrate this fine holiday. their door was wide open in a sigh of welcome. we gathered in the family room as the fireplace burned bright.
mrs. langdon and larry sat in the room already and were sharing a drink of whisky. "welcome to our humble abode," larry beams and gestured for us to sit. "tate and addy are upstairs getting ready still. they'll be down in a moment."
"can i go see him?" i asked and furrowed my brows slightly. constance nodded and allowed me to leave. i ventured up the stairs and coughed harshly before i got to his door. "tate?" he opened the door with a face full of struggle.
"she's making me get all dressed up..." he complained and fell onto his bed with frustration. "i can't do this bow tie." i laughed and made my way closer to him, shutting the door behind me. he wore black dress pants that had a white collared shirt tucked into them and a belt. over the long sleeved collard shirt he wore a black sweater vest. he looked cute. "you look really pretty adele."
"thank you. you don't look too bad yourself, mr. langdon." i helped him put his bow tie on and smiled when i was done. "are you ready?" he shook his head and hugged me, his head resting on my shoulder.
"i like my sweater on you... and just you in general." we stayed like this for a moment until addy opened the door. tate smirked to his sister but rolled his eyes slightly.
"i need help zipping up my dress." she wore a lovely red velvet dress that had a belt along with it. "thanks." we walked out into the hall and i intertwined tate and mines fingers. i know my father didn't like tate too much but when he saw us walk down together i could see that hope in his eyes.
the night went on well, we ate and talked while sitting in front of the open fire and it was a true blessing to be able to sit here with the people i call family. tate didn't seem too bothered by larry or his mother for most of the night which was amazing. "tate well he's a troubled boy but i think adele has finally made him realize his worth." constance took a puff from her cigarette and smiled to tate and me. "he's never been sweet on anyone."
"well he's certainly made adele her happiest she's been in a while. in a time like this she's in need of it," my mother says and crosses her legs.
"a time like this?" constance questioned.
"oh, has she not told you?" my mom and i made eye contact and i sadly smiled back to her.
"if you couldn't tell by my oxygen or my intense coughing, i am dying. i went to see the doctor last month after i had an episode and they explained to me that i have a life expectancy of 3-5 months. i now have 2-4 months left." tate wrapped his arms around me and held me like i was dying now. i kissed his cheek and looked back to the parents as they continued to talk about me like i wasn't there. "i got you this." i reached beside me and handed tate a cardboard box i wrapped with black wrapping paper and put a red bow on top.
"you didn't have to get me anything," he smiled and started tearing at the wrapping paper. he reached inside the box and looked back up to me. "i think i might need scissors." him saying that took me back to the day i met him. he opened the box after returning with the same pair or black scissors. "m&m's..." he chuckled and looked to me with curiosity.
"there's more, stupid." i ruffled his hair and bit my lip as he continued to look through the box.
"damn," he sighed and pulled out a navy blue jacket that was so dark it almost looked black. the jacket had buttons on the side but missed a zipper. it was one i saw in the store and i knew i had to get it for him, it just screamed tate. he wouldn't wear it to school or anything like that but it just seemed so perfect. on the shoulders there was two golden strips embroidered into it. "this is sick." it was long and honestly tate was right. it was sick. he kissed my cheek and put it back in the box.
"here, i got this for you, addy." she smiled and took the smaller box from my hands. i rested my head on tate's shoulder and watched as his sister admired the dress i got her, along with a silver necklace.
"thank you, adeline." she came around and hugged me. i wasn't expecting tate to get me anything so when he didn't i wasn't burdened with hurt feelings. i knew he had a hard time when it came to those things and i already had all i wanted in life.
later that night i decided to stay over and spend more time with tate. we sat in his room like we normally did and just talked about our lives. "oh, i almost forgot." he stood up and walked over to his desk. "i did get you something but i didn't want to let addy see it." he pulled out a black box and returned back to me. "my mom and i wanted to give these to you." i opened the box to find a pair of diamond earrings and a silver ring. i furrowed my brows and looked up to him with confusion.
"i can't take these, tate-"
"yes you can. they were my grandmas and mother wanted to give them to you." he helped me put them in even though i really didn't need the help. "and the silver ring... well that was from me. i bought it because i got myself a matching one." i kissed him with love as my eyes began to water.
"nobody has ever treated me like this before..." a shaky breath left my mouth as i pulled away from the boy i loved.
