Lights, Camera, Action

Holidays

NINE - HOLIDAYS

ALYSSA’S POV

October was about to come to a close, and I still had no idea where Mark and I stood. I knew what I wanted, but not what he wanted, so we continued to have a strange friendship that felt like more, but oddly wasn’t. I tried to mostly focus on the channel with Aubrey. We went Halloween shopping together and made a vlog of it, which had become a bit of a tradition on our channel. We also hosted a kick-ass Halloween party at our apartment which Mark showed up to, but nothing changed between us. I mean, it was difficult to talk things through when I was the host to a bunch of people at my place. It wasn’t like we were alone. All I could do was act like everything was perfect. But really, wasn’t it almost perfect? Mark and I were hanging out, talking, and occasionally, more than that. The only thing missing was the relationship aspect, but maybe I shouldn’t worry about that. Maybe what we were now was all we would ever be. Maybe I should get used to it.

November arrived and I quickly transitioned from being obsessed with Halloween to going crazy over Christmas. I couldn’t wait until Thanksgiving passed, because then it would be socially acceptable for me to show how excited I was for the winter holiday. But even more so, I was glad to be going home. As much as I loved LA, I missed my hometown in Indiana, where we got all the seasons, sometimes in just one day. It didn’t truly feel like winter or Christmas until the first snow, which I was told by David that I had missed. However, I still got to see some of the fluffy white flakes when I went home for Thanksgiving, which made me happy.

“Hey, it’s good to see you!” I was greeted by my parents when I arrived at my childhood home. Both them and David hugged me, but the only one to almost crush my bones while doing so was David. Typical. As much as we wanted to hate each other sometimes, we couldn’t.

“So, how’s it going with Mark?” he wondered as I got settled in my old bedroom. Of course he would ask that.

“It’s fine,” I said shortly.

“And that means…?”

“We’re friends, everything’s fine between us. A little awkward at times, but it’s okay. I don’t mind it, really. I’m just glad we’re still talking and hanging out,” I clarified.

“Are you sure that’s what you want? After what he did to you?” David wondered. I rolled my eyes.

“Oh, come on. I know I was being dramatic that day when I talked to you, but it was just as much my bad as it was his. We both chose to initiate something, and I never told him I was looking for any type of relationship. It’s not a big deal, David.”

“Alright, alright. Sorry, I’m just still a little protective over my baby sister,” he apologized.

“I’m twenty-three years old, and there’s only a two year age difference between us. You don’t have to treat me like your baby sister anymore,” I shook my head, laughing a little.

“It doesn’t matter how old we are, it’s my job to make sure you’re okay. I apologize for being the best brother ever.”

“Wow, okay. I wouldn’t go that far…”

“Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Lys!” This was typically how our conversations went. They started out serious, but never ended that way. That was just the type of relationship we had, I guess.

In between spending time with family and helping my mom decorate the house for Christmas, Mark and I texted. We talked every day without fail - it was just a habit, I think, for one of us to text the other at night and ask about each other’s days or even just send some funny pictures or videos we found online. It had become routine, to the point that I would get worried if it got late and he hadn’t send me a message yet. We were both busy with our families, but the good thing about it being Thanksgiving was that we had plenty of stories to tell about the crazy things that our relatives said and did, plus it was an excuse to send each other pictures. He took selfies with his dogs and nieces and I sent him pictures of the decorations and the snow. The few days I spent in Indiana passed by quickly, and when it was finally time for me to head back to LA, I really didn’t want to go. It felt so much like Christmas already, and it never really felt that way to me in California. A place with palm trees and no snow just didn’t quite put me in the Christmas spirit. So, naturally, Aubrey and I went hard with Christmas decorations in our apartment, many of which she bought on Black Friday, which I was not brave enough to attempt to participate in.

Multiple Christmas trees. Lights. Wreaths. Candy canes. Vases filled with ornaments. All of these things could be found in our apartment, and we had holiday-themed candles lit and Christmas music playing as well. It was perfect, and it put me in a much better mood overall when it actually felt a little more like the holidays. I truly couldn’t wait until Christmas. Well, except for the fact that I hadn’t gotten gifts for people yet. I had to get something for my parents, David, Aubrey, Webster, and now Mark too…I was in for a huge shopping trip.

Hey guys - sorry for the short chapter - it's more of a filler chapter than anything, but the next one will be better, trust me! Please vote if you enjoyed this part anyways and leave me some comments. Thanks for reading :)