New Beginnings || New Limits [Prequel]

17| Christmas Cheer

***

Although most of my week was plagued with the guilt I felt for my insensitivity towards Daniel's feelings, spending Christmas day with Roy was like that guilt didn't exist. For years it has always been Roy and I spending the holidays together, I had never celebrated any holidays before I had met him. It was always our tradition to watch a movie together. Last year is was Casablanca and this year it was When Harry Met Sally, all movies chosen by Roy. The only movies Roy's seemed to like were of the romance genre, which was a fact that I always found amusing but never chose to comment on.

"Do you think it's true?" Roy questioned softly never taking his eyes off the screen as he took sip from the hot chocolate.

Already feeling the pull of sleep I rested my head on his shoulder, not feeling the need to finish the movie. This end s movie we had seen many times before. "Is what true?"

"That men and woman can't be friends."

"We're friends."  I replied though friends would be grossly simplifying our relationship.

Roy sighed and for a moment I thought that he was about to drop the conversation, but I knew him better than that.  He simply wasn't the type to let a conversation go so easily. "It's... more complicated for us."

I wanted to question why it was different. But for some reason I also knew that the answer was something that I shouldn't hear. Or maybe it was something that I wanted to remain blind to for just a little bit longer.

"You were invited to that fancy Queen Christmas party." He stated suddenly the change of subject odd. Especially when he always attempted to avoid all mention of Starling's elite families. Living in Starling meant that you were either living pay check by check, or living in a large mansion at the edge of the city. Roy had always grown up with next to nothing, that created a deep resentment against Starling's wealthy in him.

"I was."

"Why didn't you go?"

I shifted away from him to meet his eyes. He simply seemed curious though I couldn't understand why when he knew the answer. "We always spend Christmas together."

"You always force me to go to those rich asshole's parties, why was this one any different?" He countered his statement surprising me as because it was something that I hadn't really thought of myself. But now that he was voicing it out loud I knew the answer.

Of course Roy saw right through it all, he knew me too well. I knew that it was due to the fact that I couldn't possibly make the decision between Roy and Daniel, but also because I still doubted whether or not I felt ready to meet Daniel's parents. "Because Daniel wanted me to go with him. I couldn't take you and go with him... he's jealous of you."

"You didn't have to spend Christmas with me."

"It's not an obligation for me Roy." I said quickly unsure where all of this was coming from. Roy has always made his distaste for The Queen's and Daniel clear, his instance on me going to the Christmas Party was odd. "You're my family. You spend Christmas with your family."

"I don't want you to have problems with that rich boyfriend of yours because of me." Roy stated as he stood, the film officially forgotten. I felt as something shifted between us, and it frightened me. There was no way of knowing whether it was a good or bad change, it was something we wouldn't discover until it was too late.