‘Who’s that you’re waving to, daddy,’ his daughter asked as he sat down again.’
‘Just a young lady I happen to know,’ he responded casually, handing the drinks around and enjoying his family’s confused faces.
‘Uh-oh, mom, daddy knows a young lady.’
‘You trying to get me in trouble again?’ he asked, taking a sip of his coffee. It tasted good, a taste that reminded him of a conversation he’d once had with a young lady. She’d confessed her love for him, then they’d finished their coffee and moved on.
Bonus Book - All The Love in Christmas
All The love in Christmas
A Christmas Romance Short Story
Jaime Darelle
Chapter 1
“Taylor Swift or Backstreet Boys?” she asked in a hushed voice, staring up at the clear sky.
“You like Taylor Swift.” he replied, shifting his glance from the sky to her.
“You say who do you like?” she turned her glance to the star-filled portion of the sky.
“You know who. It is like the tenth time you are asking. I will not start liking Taylor if you just keep asking.” he said smirked, crossing his arms behind his head as they lay on the freshly mown grass in the small garden beside her backyard.
“But she is so awesome!” said Becky as she got up and sat on the lawn, trying to convince Chris to agree to one of her choices, like she always did.
“Drop it, Beck. Backstreet boys are unbeatable.” He got up too as he dusted away the grass from his t-shirt and taking a shred out from Becky’s hair as she kept talking.
“C’mon. She has class and her songs are…” Becky unable to finish her sentence was cut off by Chris.
“Beckyyyyyy, Becky stop!” Chris was in no mood to repeat the conversation they had a dozen times already.
Becky said “Okay.” and pursed her lips and looked away from Christ. Her back was faced towards Chris.
“Seriously? You are not gonna talk to me now? Eh?” Chris knew better than anyone how to play with the moods of Becky. “Okay, I am gonna go then.” Just as he stood up and turned around to leave, he knew what Becky would do.
“Nooo!” Becky shouted as she stood up in a flash to restrain him with a hug from the back. “No, I was kidding, Backstreet Boys are good!” Just like that, they had hugged until their bones were tired. Chris smelled her delicate wrists and hands that were locked around his chest. It reminded himself of how beautiful she was.
What made these two inseparable was their unconditional friendship they had for each other, more than what love could bring them. What made them happy around each other was the strength of their bond, their unbreakable yet unique bond. Becky was a happy go lucky girl that had Chris, a decent guy who, with all his heart, loved Becky. Becky had fallen in love with Chris too and she could not estimate when her love for Chris began to germinate. She was sure she had fallen in love with him at some point in their friendship which she treasured more than anything. When they were together, everything seemed alright. They had never been a conflict too big to resolve in the world. It looked like war and hatred never existed. They were unannounced lovers, in which they wished to have and love each other without worrying about the future. They rarely expressed love, but when they did, actions were the medium rather than words. Their eyes, their love-filled caressing gestures, and their smiles were enough to convey their feelings for each other. They knew they loved each other and they knew it was a beautiful thing.
Becky had a noble background that consisted of a wealthy father, who invested and invested and then earned money while at the same time running a dozen businesses. On the other hand, Chris belonged to a typical middle-class family that had no family members that were stable enough to earn a fortune. Yet Chris’s family had food thrice a day and were grateful for it. Despite financial differences, Chris and Becky were addicted to each other, never letting any minor problem affect what they had primarily.
In the past, Chris had let her play football in the neighborhood field when they were 10 despite their houses being a kilometer apart and entirely different in shape, size, and décor. Becky lived in a mansion which a dozen rooms, a backyard, a big garden, a small garden, orchards, gardeners, chefs, and servants that took care of everything. Chris, on the other hand, had an entirely different life. His little apartment bore two bedrooms, a drawing room, and a kitchen. He did not have a servant or a gardener, as there was no garden to take care of. His father was a hardworking man who earned with all the effort he could do with his hands in order to provide an education for Chris. He did not travel from country to country like Becky’s father, but he was happy as long as he saw Chris happy.
Chris and Becky grew up together nonetheless, playing football in the neighborhood field. Chris taught all the tricks and techniques he knew too little Becky. Becky soon became his favorite friend to play football with. After matches, they would share a Coke and talk about football while sitting on large stones that lay beside the field. Being in a friendship had not been so amazing for either of them until they met each other. Along with her company, Chris loved her smile. Along with his smile, Becky totally enjoyed his company. She was alone when he was not around, alone even if she had people to talk to. To her, there could not be anyone better than him to share her day with.
Chapter 2
There is a saying, one cannot always have what they desire in life. This became true for Becky and Chris. In the beginning, Becky and Chris went to the same school and the same college. They were habitual of having each other around all the time and could not even think of separating. Yet, when college was almost over, Becky’s father summoned her to his room and had a conversation that shocked Becky.
“I want you to go to the American National University but you can choose any program you want to study.” her father said in a rough, dominating voice.
Becky had stayed silent for a while. She tried to make up the meaning of his words. “You want me to go away? Far from here?” she said as she had astonishment and disbelief written clearly on her face.
“I want you to study in the best university, be it here or somewhere far away. It is for your own good. You cannot imagine how valuable your degree will be if you are known as a student from the American National University.” he said in the response to his daughter’s difficult question.
All Becky could think about at that moment was the fact that she will have to move far away. Her father had wanted her to go to another state to study in the best university. She knew that when her father wanted something, it was near to impossible to not give him what he wanted. Becky did not say, but in her heart, the only person she was worried to go away from was her best friend, Chris. ‘How am I gonna be so far from him?’ thought Becky.
“Am I clear?” as her father cleared his throat and asked when he got no reply from Becky. Still sitting with her hands folded in her lap, Becky did not say a word and before he could ask or push any further, she stood up and left his room.
The next day when she met Chris, they both sat on a bench in the nearby park. Becky told him what her father had told her the night before. Before sleeping the previous night, Becky had thought that she will convince Chris to join her at the American National University. She thought she will talk to Chris and everything will be alright since he will go with her wherever she wanted.
“We can both go there, right?” Becky asked him. She sat on the edge of the bench while Chris had his back neatly rested. His face showed a mixture of confusion and sadness.
“Becky. I am afraid I will not be able to,” he said as he looked down at his crotch, utterly helpless.
“But… why?” Becky knew why, but her words jumped out of her mouth.
“You know why. Dad can barely afford the university here. There is no way dad or I could shoulder the burden of all the expenses of ANU.” he said as silence followed afterward. “Why do you not talk to your father? Tell him you want to stay here and study? He will listen to you.” Chris sug
gested, after failing to think of any way to join Becky at the ANU.
“He will not. I know.” Becky said and rested her back on the bench as if a child request for their favorite candy had been rejected. Both of them sat there quietly on the bench, clutching fingers and looking at the people around them, thinking. Chris was still trying to think of a way he could afford to go to the ANU, it was of no use. At the same time, Becky was thinking of ways to tell her father she does not want to go but it was of no use either. Both of their minds were not yet ready to think of the time when they will part ways. How terrible would that be? Living without each other, spending whole days without once looking at each other, not hearing each other’s voices and giggles every day, and not being able to do anything about it. How terrible would that be?
The remaining weeks of college had passed and every single day had brought the scary thoughts of being far away from each other. Eventually, college ended and selecting universities was what everyone was doing. Chris’s father was proud of him and was willing to pay for his college, but Chris knew he could not pay for ANU so he never asked. Becky tried, for the last time, to tell her dad that she wants to stay but he would not listen. He wanted her to go to another state and that was final. She had a long and loud conversation with her dad. Tears took place her eyes and her voice broke trying to convince him but it was futile. Becky was leaving.
Chapter 3
“How far is it?” Chris asked in a low voice as Becky was not too far, for now.
“6-hour drive. Or maybe 8.” Becky replied in a whisper, adjusting her head in his lap. They sat in Chris’s small boathouse. Two hours passed, talking and wondering, regretting and crying. They had both been crying silently all, this time, Becky whispered to him that she does not want to go away. At that moment, Chris broke into visible tears. “Chris. Babe. Don’t.” She faintly tried to stop him from crying as she, herself, wiped tears off her face.
“Why is this happening? I cannot do this. Why do you have to away? Why can I not come with you? If only my dad had a better job. If only things were easier for us. Why…” Chris silently continued his cries but soon broke into another loud cry.
“I don’ know… I don’t know…” Becky actually did not know what was happening, why was it happening, how to stop it from happening, and how to stop him from crying as it was equally difficult for her. She had never seen Chris cry before; until now he had never been so sad about anything in his life. Becky now knew how much he loved her. She knew that he did, that was visible all the time, but what these tears spoke was words even she could not handle. Becky hugged him as they sat on his bed, crying, sobbing, and silently wishing for a miracle that her dad’s mind changes or makes it possible for Chris to with her.
It was their last night together; in his boathouse, where they often stayed until they were exhausted. Becky was scheduled to leave the next day and the pain of the thought of her going away was too much to bear. Chris, too, realized how he is used to listening to her voice and seeing her smiling face every day. They would meet, even if they did not have anything particular to talk about. They were like open diaries to each other in which any page of the diary could be read with details by the other. They were like magnets that stuck to each other for reasons too complex to understand. They were lovers. They were Chris and Becky.
A part of their beings had now accepted the fact that they had to part ways, and that nothing could be done to change it. The hours they spent sitting next to each other, lying next to each other, resting their heads in each other’s laps, talking and crying until they finally understood. They understood that it was a test, eventually, their minds came to emotional sanity when they were finally able to decide what to do next and how to stop themselves from doing anything that makes the decision difficult for the other. After they sobbed and hugged for hours, they finally sat and talked about what to do next. They talked about how to deal with what life has brought in front of them.
Soon it was time for Becky to leave the next day and the day in which Chris will spend the first day without her.
“Nothing will change,” Chris told Becky when she finally stopped crying. She rested her head on his shoulder while holding his arm. “We’ll stay in touch, okay? Nothing will ever change. We will talk every day. We will miss each other, that’s for sure, but we will never forget each other. Nothing will change.” Chris told her but also to himself. His promise gave hope and waited for her to agree. He desperately wanted her to agree with him because she was the one who was going to have an entirely different life. He was afraid she will get too busy for him.
“Yes. Nothing will ever change. We will never stop talking. I cannot stop talking to you… I’ll miss you…” Becky said. Her voice grew more silent as she cried again. Chris, with a broken heart, hugged her once again.
“It’s okay, Beck, it’s okay.” Becky absolutely loved when he said her name. It made her feel special, only when he says it. The words voiced by Chris were embedded deep in her ears, and she loved it. And she cried more because she realized she was going to miss it, for God knows how many years. The thought of going away from Chris had made her think too little about her study program at the ANU. It was not her decision to go anyway; her father had set everything up for her.
Yet, if it was not for Chris, Becky would have loved going to another state in the hope of finding new friends, as her life would have been dull without Chris. But things were different. She had Chris, who she had become so used to that even the thought of leaving him brought tears to her eyes. But life, sometimes, throws you stones that you have to dodge.
Chapter 4
Becky decided she wanted to an airplane to the college, but her cousins insisted they wanted to drive her to her university. The ride with her cousins made her think less about Chris and the fact that she will be away from him for a long time. It lessened the pain. She did not feel like sharing her deep found sadness with her cousins. She knew that nobody could console her for the pain she had; the only way her depression could be reduced was if the car turned around and took Becky back to Chris. With every second the car moved forward, Becky felt more and more distant from Chris. The tears she shed the last night spent with Chris almost started again, but it was stopped due to the presence of her cousins. But, it did not stop her heart ached, thinking of the life she was going to step in.
Becky was arranged to stay in the university’s hostel with a roommate. Her father had insisted that he arranged a separate room for her but she said no. She wanted to try living with someone. She thought it was best to start to prepare to get used to someone other than Chris.
Her cousins dropped her at the university where they bid farewell and turned the car around to head back. Becky felt jealous of them, they headed towards the direction Chris was at.
Finally, she was there, standing outside of the American National University, a place empty of Chris.
Her first day away from him started as she had expected. A day filled with boredom with the exception of one thing. Her roommate, Clara, was a party animal. Becky had already settled in her room when Clara entered wearing a summer dress. At first, Clara looked like she would mind her own business. However, she started talking to Becky, and she knew that Clara was hardly ever going to stop.
“I’m gonna show you around the campus. I’ve seen it. Sit’s so cool!” It was hard to say no to Clara, she may be talkative, but she had a kind heart. Unlike Clara, Becky talked less and replied with the shortest words her mind could come up with. Becky was like this majorly because her days were passing by without having to see his face…
Chris had called her as soon as she reached the campus. Their conversation had mostly been small talk and take cares. Both of them were at an awkward stage where they did not know, for now, what to say. So they just let it be, hoping not to hurt the other even more.
Two days after staying at the hostel, setting up the room, and going through the course books their classes started. In those two days, Clara
and Becky got along very well. Becky felt good sharing things about her with Clara. However, she was not yet ready to talk about Chris, so she did not bring it up. Chris joined a university too, back at home, spending hard days without his love, his eye-candy, Beck. Although they talked on the phone every day, they both knew that it will be years until they meet each other again, which made them sad each time they heard each other’s voice.
A week had passed since she moved. Seven days without Chris felt like an eternity to Becky. She was at a point of breaking into tears. The only thing that stopped her from crying was Clara’s presence. Yet, Becky’s emotions kept bottling up until, she could not hold back her tears any longer.
“Too hard?” Clara asked in a bold but soft voice as she sat next to Becky and wrapped an arm around Becky’s shoulder. Becky nodded and broke into tears that she had been holding on for a week. It was late Saturday night when the two started talking about their life in the cities and where they came from. It was impossible for Becky to not mention the guy who taught her all about football and all about happiness and life, who had a face that was enough to lighten up Becky’s mood. Clara rubbed Becky’s back and comforted her, but after a long pause when Becky said his name, another cry followed. At this point Becky was crying like a baby, her head was in her hands.
Clara was a sincere party lover and a real friend. There was no way Clara could see Becky cry like that. Clara had a plan so she got and told Becky to get dressed.
What the Heart Desires Page 13
