Wren Ridley
Christmas was always full of traditions in the Ridley household. There was the matching pajamas, which seemed more ridiculous as the years went on, the pictures in front of the tree, which always took way too long because Dad couldn't get the timing on the camera right the first few tries, the breakfast, which always left us so stuffed for the entire day that we sometimes had to save Christmas dinner for the day after. But my favorite one as a kid was getting to open one gift on Christmas Eve.
When I told Landon about this when I picked him up from the Hansons's house, he got all nervous.
"Please don't tell me your parents bought be gifts," Landon rushed out from the passenger's seat.
His face was flushed and his lips were swollen from our tiny little make out session that just ended. He looked so cute like that, it made me want to kiss him again.
I shrugged. "A few things."
Landon groaned, hitting his head back on the headrest.
"Don't be grumpy, it's Christmas," I said, starting to drive away.
"I'm not being grumpy," he said in a grumpy tone. "I just don't want your parents spending money on me."
"Well, it's Christmas," I said. "It's the most capitalistic holiday of the year. Money will be spent."
Landon crossed his arms over his chest with a pout, which he didn't realize I found endearing.
I understood his aversion to people buying things for him. He didn't want to feel like a charity case, but what he failed to realize was that sometimes people just wanted to do nice things for other people. It was like he couldn't comprehend someone wanting to do something for him without expecting anything in return.
"Are you going to be mad if I tell you I bought you gifts?" I asked him.
He darted his eyes over to look at me.
"Gifts? As in multiple?" he asked.
I nodded. "A few."
"How many is a few?"
I shrugged, which only sparked his annoyance. He let out a deep breath and looked away from me.
"You're so annoying," he said. "Really, I don't know why I even like you."
I grinned at that. "You like when I annoy you, that's why."
Landon looked back at me and rolled his eyes, but he didn't deny my statement. He tried to hide it, but he did like when I annoyed him. He found it quite charming.
When we pulled up to the house, I could tell Landon was nervous. His posture was rigid, his jaw set tight. He wouldn't look at me, staring straight at the house.
"Fox isn't here yet," I told him. "He's spending some time at Elijah's before he comes home."
"Okay."
That didn't seem to make him feel any better. He still sat in the same position, now with his hands gripping the tops of his thighs.
I reached out and put one of my hands over his, causing Landon to turn his attention to me. His expression was so soft it made me want to pull him out of his seat and into my lap. I didn't do that, of course.
"You don't have to be nervous," I told him. "My parents already like you."
"I don't know how," he bitterly replied.
"Because you're such a nice boy," I said with a grin, bringing my hand up to pinch his cheek. Landon rolled his eyes again, swatting my hand away.
"Don't do that," he muttered.
"Come on," I said, opening the door. "Let's get inside. I'm sure my parents are staring at us from the window and wondering why we're taking so long."
Landon reluctantly followed my lead and got out of the car, grabbing his things from the back.
When we got in the house, my parents were standing in the living room trying to act like they hadn't been watching us. I knew they had just by the looks on their faces and their proximity to the window. Behind them, Ian was sitting down on the couch, his eyes glued to the television.
"About time you guys came in!" Dad exclaimed with a laugh.
"Leo!" Mom shouted.
"Told you," I told Landon with a nudge. "They were watching."
Landon forced a smile onto his face, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"We weren't snooping!" Mom lied with a wide smile. "We just saw the car pull in. Anyway, Landon honey, put your things down. How are you?"
"I'm good," he said, though his voice was a little higher than normal. "How are you?"
Mom took his bags from his hands and set them down before giving Landon a tight hug. He froze for a moment before returning the gesture. It made me think about how rarely the two of us hugged. I didn't even know if he liked hugs. All I knew was that he wasn't prepared for one of my mother's bear hugs.
"Don't suffocate him," I told her.
"Oh hush," she said, pulling away from him. "Fox and Elijah should be home any moment. Then we can put on our jammies, open a present, and watch a Christmas movie! Food's on the way!"
I nodded, grabbing onto Landon's arm.
"We're going to get settled and we'll be back down," I said, leading Landon up to my room after he picked up his things. He and Ian shared a look as we walked by, but nothing else.
"You guys have so many..." Landon trailed once we were in my room. "Traditions."
I placed his bags next to my closet and turned to face him with a shrug.
"My parents love their traditions," I said. "They're going to make us take pictures in front of the tree. And then they're going to pretend to be taking suggestions for what Christmas movie we watch, but we'll end up watching The Grinch like every year."
"It's nice," Landon said. "For Christmas to be so joyful like it's supposed to be. It's never been like this for me."
It hurt my heart a little to hear him say that. I didn't like thinking of Landon before I knew him, suffering with his parents.
"What is your sister doing for Christmas?" I asked. I couldn't imagine what kind of boring, depressing Christmas she would have to sit through tomorrow.
"Going to church probably," he replied. "And then having Christmas dinner."
"Would she like to come here?"
Landon seemed surprised by my question, his eyes widening slightly.
"I don't really know if she could," he said after a moment. "She has her ways of sneaking around though, so maybe."
Landon and I got changed into our matching pajamas and waited to be called down for dinner. When the time came, the rest of my family was already downstairs, with the addition of Elijah and Ian, all wearing the matching pjs.
"Hi Landon!" Elijah greeted cheerfully.
"I never get that kind of greeting from you," I said, to which Elijah rolled his eyes.
"That's because no one's ever that happy to see you," Fox responded from beside his boyfriend.
"Hey! No being mean. It's Christmas!" Dad chastised.
"Would it really be Christmas without those two biting each other's heads off?" Robin asked with a laugh.
Mom forced all of us into the kitchen to get plates of the Chinese takeout she ordered before going back to the living room for gifts and a movie. She already had mugs of hot chocolate for everyone waiting.
"Glad to see you listened to me," Raven said quietly, bumping her hip into mine.
I didn't want to be reminded of how I ran off to Raven's apartment just to get away when Landon left me. But I should have known she was going to remind me of that. I didn't say anything back to her.
My parents had turned the living room into the perfect spot for a movie night. They had the couches arranged around the TV and bean bag chairs and pillows on the floor for the rest of us who weren't going to fit on the couches. I sat down on the floor between Raven and Landon, the coffee table in front of us.
Landon seemed to be nervous with this many people, especially with most of them being my family. I brought my hand down on his thigh, giving him a reassuring squeeze.
He relaxed slightly even as Mom started passing around presents to everyone. He reluctantly took the gift from her and set it down in his lap.
"You can open it," I told him. "She's not going to make everyone go one by one and watch you."
"Oh," he said, seeming to relax. "Good."
Mom handed me my present and I immediately tore it open, hoping it would make Landon feel better about opening his.
"Matching blankets. How cute," I said after Landon opened his, realizing my parents had coordinated this gift for us. "Perfect for a movie night."
Landon grinned at me, rubbing his hands along the blanket to feel the softness.
About half way into the movie, I got up to get some water from the kitchen. I noticed Fox follow me in there, but I wouldn't say anything until he did. The two of us hadn't really spoken since he called me after James and Stella had messaged him. I didn't know what to say to him, but he clearly had something to say if he was following me in here.
"So, things are good with the two of you?" Fox asked me as I grabbed two glasses from the cabinet.
"Yes, more than good," I replied.
He nodded, leaning back against the counter as I filled the glasses with water.
"Look, Wren," Fox started with a sigh. "I may have overreacted on Thanksgiving weekend."
I snorted, turning to face him with a grin.
"May have?"
He glared at me, but it was short lived.
"I didn't know you cared so much about him," he said.
"It wouldn't have mattered if you did know," I pointed out. "Me caring about him would have had no impact whatsoever on how you reacted."
I was so scared of his reaction, so worried it would tarnish the relationship my brother and I worked so hard to build. Our relationship was fragile enough as it was, and maybe it was even more fragile than I thought it to be. Fox wouldn't even talk to me when he found out about Landon. It made me realize that the two of us treated each other badly. It wasn't just me, it was a two way street. I didn't think Fox realized that.
He couldn't even deny what I said. He knew I was right.
"I'm sorry for how you found out," I said, which seemed to surprise him. I wasn't one for apologies. "I'm not sorry for being with him."
"No, I know," Fox said, putting his hand behind his neck in discomfort and looking anywhere in the room but at me. "I guess, I... well."
Fox wasn't good at apologies either.
"Do you have something to say?" I asked him.
"I guess... I'm sorry," Fox finally spit out. It was like pulling teeth.
Our apologies hung in the air like neither of us knew what to do with them. I didn't think either of us really expected, or really wanted, an apology from the other and now neither of us knew what to do with it.
Luckily, we were saved by Ian coming into the room.
"Elijah's trying to cuddle with me," Ian said.
Fox rolled his eyes. "He's asleep."
"Still trying to cuddle with me," Ian replied, then turned to me. "Since when are you gay too?"
"Ian, always so pleasant," I said, grabbing the glasses of water from the counter and going back to the living room.
I set the glasses on the table in front of Landon and me and got back under the blanket the two of us were sharing. Landon smiled over at me and the two of us sat close for the rest of the movie.
***
Landon Reilly
Waking up on Christmas morning feeling excited was a new experience for me. I always knew what to expect from Christmas. We would eat breakfast, open gifts, go to church, have dinner, and the day was over. Sure, there were some years we got some really good gifts, but we were never allowed to play with them on Christmas.
There was one year I got an iPod, and I didn't get to use it for a whole week because every time I asked to use it, my father withheld it even longer.
At the Ridley household, I really didn't know what to expect, but it was already infinitely better than any Christmas I had at home just based on last night.
Wren was beside me, his leg thrown over my waist and his head resting on my shoulder. He stirred awake a moment later, rolling off of me to stretch.
"Merry Christmas," he said, his voice deeper and gravely from sleep, stretching his arms over his head.
"Merry Christmas," I responded.
"Breakfast is cooking," Wren said.
Now that he mentioned it, I could smell all sorts of things cooking from downstairs. I could hear the faint sound of sizzling on the stove.
"Should we go downstairs?" I asked.
"In a minute," Wren replied, lying back down.
"I sent a message to Livi last night," I told him. "She hasn't gotten back to me."
"I can text her too," he offered.
It might be easier that way since he could text directly to her phone while I could only send messages to that old iPod.
After a few more minutes in bed, Wren and I got up and went to the bathroom before going downstairs to breakfast.
Wren's youngest brother, Colt, was already sitting at the table with a plate of food in front of him when we got downstairs.
"I think I'm getting a laptop this year," he told Wren as we sat down with him.
"Oh, you do?" Wren asked him. "What makes you think that?"
"Dad's been hinting at it," Colt replied. "He's not good at keeping secrets. Plus I think he's given up on me playing any more sports, so I won't be getting more of that junk."
"Wait, you don't believe in Santa anymore?" Wren asked.
Colt shot him a displeased look.
"I'm thirteen, not three," he said.
"Fox believed in Santa until he was fifteen," Wren said, and I couldn't tell if he was lying just to be funny or if he was dead serious.
"Shut up," Fox snapped as he walked into the dining area with Elijah's and Ian behind him. "No, I didn't."
"It's okay if you did, Foxy," Elijah said, wrapping his arm around him. "It's cute."
"I didn't," Fox repeated.
The rest of the family came into the dining area
and we all ate breakfast together, which was nice. This breakfast was full of all kinds of food and talking and laughter. Nothing like any other Christmas breakfast I'd ever had.
Then when we were done we went into the living room for a picture in front of the tree. Wren's mom kept readjusting everyone so we would all fit in the picture while Wren's dad propped his phone up on the couch before running back into the picture to make it before the time ran out. It took multiple takes, but he eventually got a picture he was satisfied with, and then it was time for the gifts.
I had put my presents for Wren under the Christmas tree last night. I felt nervous about him opening them, but it was too late now. Wren's parents had already started handing out the gifts.
Wren's sister, Fawn, had already torn open her first one and was squealing in excitement about some skincare stuff.
Then some gifts got placed in front of me, and I hesitated before picking one up. I started with a gift from Wren's parents. They had gotten me some typical stuff you'd get for someone you really didn't know that well, which I was grateful for anyway.
"I didn't know you'd gotten me something," Wren said, grabbing my attention. He was holding up the two gifts I had for him.
"It's nothing," I said. "I didn't really know what to get, but I didn't want to get nothing."
"Hm," Wren hummed, tearing open the wrapping paper. I wanted to look away, for some reason feeling uncomfortable with him opening my gifts.
He opened the first one up and revealed one of my hockey sweatshirts, one that he hadn't already taken.
"Oh, you know I love this," he said with a grin. "Thank you."
I nodded, waiting for him to open the other one.
The next gift was just in an envelope. Wren carefully opened it and revealed his next gift, the bookmarks I had gotten him with quotes from the audiobook we had been listening to together.
"I know you don't really use bookmarks, but I found these online-"
"I love them," Wren said, and he sounded serious. "They're perfect."
I let out a deep breath, relieved.
"Well," Wren started. "Aren't you going to open yours?"
I was less nervous about opening these gifts than I was for Wren opening mine, but I was still uncomfortable with the fact that he had spent money on me.
The first one I opened up was a physical copy of the audiobook we were listening to, The Starless Sea.
"You said it was hard to follow along with the audio sometimes, so I just got you the book in case you'd want to read along," Wren explained.
I smiled at him and reached for the next one, which was a puzzle.
"I like doing puzzles, so I figured we could do this one together," Wren said. "I find them to be quite calming.
"I could always use something calming," I told him with a laugh before grabbing the last one.
The last gift was a journal with some nice pens. I looked up at Wren, who looked a little sheepish.
"I journal sometimes," he admitted. "It can be a great tool to let some emotions out."
I smiled at him and pulled him into a hug.
"Thank you, Wren," I said. "I love it."
He seemed relieved, and it felt good to know that I wasn't the only one nervous about giving gifts. Wren leaned in and kissed my cheek.
Later on, we finally got to go pick up Livi, even only for a brief amount of time.
"Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed, getting into Wren's car. "I've missed you."
"Merry Christmas," I replied. "I've missed you too."
"Hello, Olivia," Wren greeted.
Livi chuckled. "Hello, Wren."
Livi spent the next few minutes catching me up on her life. She was dating Jimmy Murphy for real now. One of her friends hated him, so the two of them were having issues. She was doing good in all her classes and doing well with driving.
"Oh! And I have a skating competition coming up soon in Providence!" she excitedly exclaimed. "Will you please come? Please?"
"Yeah, of course," I promised her. "Just let me know when. As long as I don't have a game, I'll be there."
We spent a little while longer with Livi, and I hugged her before she left, promising we would start seeing each other more often.
When Wren and I went to sleep that night I had a smile on my face, knowing this was the best Christmas I'd ever had.
**
Merry Christmas!!