December had me under the weather.
Sheets of ice stretched across the streets,
blending to accumulate powdered
snow that plows pushed
to either side of the road.
I sat in my Jeep. The engine idled.
I placed my hands directly in front
of the vents blasting hot air.
Christmas lights blinked
through neighborhood homes.
Silhouettes expanded over shrubs
and lawns as the rays retreated for the evening.
I gathered the guts to ask Leah on a date,
only to spill over my weak knees
at the last minute.
I wondered which way to head.
Alone for Christmas wasn’t the gift
I thought it’d be.
I needed to change Leah’s mind.
Hell, I changed the Hades out
of insecure fascination with self-pity.
It was time I followed through with calling Leah.
I wanted to get my parents to piss off.
I nodded before a grin set in
at the thought of letting Mom know
I didn’t need her dating advice.
I reached to place the car in drive,
but someone knocked on the passenger window,
startling me out of juggling concepts of thoughts
that lacked context.
I grabbed my chest and shot a narrow
gaze at the window.
“Unlock the door,” a voice said.
“Leah?” I arched a brow.
“Were you expecting someone else?”
“I didn’t expect anyone,” I said, reaching to unlock the door.
Leah pulled the handle, slid into the seat, and closed the door.
We both stared at each other.
Leah placed her hands in front of the vents.
“Uhm,” I said. “Can I help you?”
“I need a favor.” Leah tucked her long, red hair behind her ear.
“I’m listening.” I shrugged.
Leah motioned. “Just hear me out,” Leah said. “This is going to sound crazy.”
“I have something to ask you, too.”
“What?”
I gestured. “You first.”
“No, you first.”
“I need… I would like for you to come home for Christmas.”
Leah laughed. “You want me to pretend to play your girlfriend for Christmas?”
“I knew it was a bad idea,” I said. “Never mind.”
“No,” she said, motioning for calm. “I need the same favor.”
I shifted in my seat and narrowed one eye. “You?”
Leah embraced my hand. “I’ve loved you since middle school.” She wiped away a tear with her free hand. “Been a total fan, girl.”
We laughed.
The Christmas lights edged homes as the darkness defined the horizon.
“I…”
“Yes,” she said, leaning in.
“I’ve always liked you, too,” I said. “There, I said it.”
Leah winked at me.
“What?” I blushed.
“My mom has always loved you.”
I tilted my head with a confused glance.
“She was hard on you because she knew you were the one for me.”
“How’d she know?”
“After I got busted for smoking pot…”
I sank into my chair and waved my finger with a smile. “I remember that.”
“I’ve never forgotten it,” she said. “Because of the pot, she read my diary.”
“And that’s how she found out?”
Leah nodded. “That’s how.”
“What do you say we spend time here for Christmas?”
“Just us?”
“Just us.”
“Sounds like the best Christmas ever.”
Well, come unwrap me,” Leah said, biting her lower lip.
I shut off the engine, and we went inside.
We whispered sweet nothings by the fireplace,
and unwrapped each other in ecstasy.