With a swift movement, Chris shut the door behind him and immediately stalked to the radiator on the left, hovering above it to try to get his hands and face warm. Even the ten-minute walk from the tube station had proven to be too cold in the abnormally freezing temperatures of this late December evening. It was somewhat expected since it was winter after all, but unlike the previous years, during the last week the thermometer had barely moved from the below zero degree mark. The fact it had been constantly snowing for days had not helped matters.
“Jesus,” the 21-year-old lad from Devon whispered furiously rubbing his hands together, trying to bring his stiff and numb fingers back to life.
The blond-haired young man on the sofa tore his eyes momentarily from the television and shook his head.
“Forgot your gloves again?”
“Yeah,” he let out a gormless laugh.
“Wanker,” he chortled.
“Are trains still delayed?”
“Delayed?” Jonny humphed. “They’re cancelled. Northbound, Southbound,Westbound. They’re all cancelled. If it keeps snowing like that we’ll be able to get home just to celebrate the New Year…if we’re lucky, that is…”
“Shit,” Chris slowly approached his friend and unceremoniously plonked next to him on the worn-out sofa. “What are we gonna do Jonnyboy?”
“I guess we’re stuck in London for the time being,” he sighed.
“Brilliant. Just brilliant. Almost broke and now this.”
“Maybe it stops snowing in a few hours and the railways will be clear?” Jonny ventured in an obvious attempt to comfort him.
“I wouldn’t be so optimistic, Jon,” Chris bit his lip, breathed in heavily through his nose and discarded his woolen hat and coat, disappointment evident in each of his brusque movements.
Great. He had been really looking forwards to going home, he hadn’t been to Exeter in about six months, had not seen one of his brothers for ages or his cousins and everyone would be there for the holidays. Now he’d missed Christmas with his family. Instead of spending it with his loved-ones enjoying a nice home-cooked meal, he would have no choice but to stay here in their old flat with very little money and no one to celebrate it with. Fantastic!
He let out a long disheartened breath.
He’d never been alone during the holidays, not even his friends would be there in London, all of them were away with their respective families, as expected. If only he had listened to his mum and had travelled with Phil two days ago! He sighed, now he wouldn’t hear the end of it when he called her to let her know.
Oh and his dad! When his dad hears of it. Fuck.
“It’s you and me then,” Jonny suddenly said.
Chris turned his head as in a trance and gazed at the other man. How silly of him! Of course! So engrossed in his misery had he been that his foolish brain had apparently missed a very important detail: Jonny would also be here, he realised and little by little a smile drew upon his face.
“Can you cook turkey?” his friend asked in jest.
“No!”
“Me neither.”
“I’m not sure we can even afford to have turkey!” he laughed.
“We’re fucked, aren’t we?”
“Pretty much Jonnyboy.”
“Oh well…,” the guitarist shrugged. “At least we won’t have to endure long and boring conversation with our aunts and uncles who we barely see. There’s always a bright side,” he finished in a light tone although Chris detected some regret behind the nonchalant statement, for Jonny had also been looking forwards to going back to Wales to see his parents.
“Yeah.”
It wouldn’t be that bad after all, he decided, at least Jon was here as well.
