Giving another gift to Shelly, Azrael gets another thank-you with a smile, to which he smiles back to as well. Shelly opens it and it's a soft blue sweater that is not cheap, but looks luxurious. But I don't think that Azrael attempted to get something that was just for money but actually thought about the gift when het got it for Shelly.
"It's so soft," says Shelly as she rubs over the sweater with her hand, "what is it? I don't think it's wool."
"It's mohair," answers Azrael, "do you like it?"
"I do," says Shelly as she lips an arm in to see how it is, "thank you, Azrael."
I guess that Shelly as Azrael's mother calls him as his name rather any Azzy.
"Why didn't I get that?" asks Luke curiously.
"They didn't have your size," says Azrael, "and also that's a women's sweater."
"Oh. Makes sense."
"And I got you this," says Azrael as he turns around and pulls another gift out from under the tree with Luke's nametag and gives it to Luke.
"What is it?" asks Luke as he rips open the wrapping paper an a dark brown sweater slips out.
"A sweater," says Azrael, "it's wool."
"Awesome," says Luke with a smile, "thanks Azzy."
"No problem."
I take the moment after to hand out my gifts to everyone, which in comparison to what Azrael gave everyone is not that nice. It's just chocolates and hardly anything. Though everyone takes their box and says a thank-you with a smile so that I feel a little better.
"This is for you," I say as I hand Azrael a wrapped box of the assorted candy.
Azrael gently pulls the wrapper open and looks inside, to which he smiles.
"Oh, Hogarth, thank you," he says as he pulls out a piece of candy, "ooh, I love these."
"It's not much," I say modestly, "compared to this."
By this, I mean the Mauser rifle that Azrael got for me which sits behind me on the ground. Brand new and untouched, it sits quietly and harmless behind me. Azrael picked one that's black and sleek, and I keep looking at it as I admire the smoothness of the firearm. Azrael promised when he gave it to me that he'd take me hunting.
"But I really like it," says Azrael as he opens the candy wrapper and puts it in his mouth, "so good."
"Well, I got you this," says Luke who is sitting with us and gives Azrael and I a wrapped gift.
Shelly, Clementine, and Rafael are in the kitchen a few steps away as they get some hot chocolate as the kettle started whistling a few minutes ago. Duke I think went to the restroom.
I unwrap the gift and from inside I pull out a dress shirt and black pants with a matching tie. Putting my fingers on the necktie, I feel the smooth silky texture and awe at the soft texture.
"Wow," I say, "thanks."
"No problem," says Luke with a nod and grin, "you like yours, Azzy?"
"Yeah," answers Azrael as he pulls up his own dress shirt with dark-grey pants and a necktie, "I think it matches me eye color."
"It does," I agree, and Azrael flashes me a soft smile.
"Here's something else for you," says Azrael as he pulls out another gift from behind him where the tree is, "Hogarth."
Handing it to me, I say "Thanks," while opening the wrapping paper.
The gift is not that large, but fits in two of my hands, and rupturing the wrapping paper a box with a pair of binoculars slips out.
"Is this for hunting?" I ask with a smile.
"Oh," says Azrael as he realizes that use for the binoculars, "I didn't mean it for that, but I guess you can use it as so."
"Well," I say as I open the box and look inside where the black binoculars rest in a Styrofoam cushion, "I like it. I can use it for viewing the scenery."
"Hopefully so," says Azrael.
"I'm hungry," says Luke as he stretches, "you two wanna eat lunch?"
"Yeah," we reply together.
We ate breakfast when we woke up and up until now we've been opening gifts and enjoying Christmas day. Outside snow continues to fall but the fireplace crackles with a effervescent flame and warms the air around. The Christmas decorations on the tree and tinsel reflects the warm yellow flames and also amplifies the soft warm atmosphere the fire creates.
Standing up, the three of us go over to the kitchen where food is set out for people to eat when they get hungry. I think Rafael and Shelly aren't going to eat yet as they seem to still be full, while Clementine eats with us. We've already all given out our present to the recipients.
"You not bored of turkey?" asks Luke to me.
"Not really," I say as I bite into turkey that I heated up in the microwave, "I think around this time of the year it's normal to eat it often, an I'm used to it."
"Yeah," agrees Azrael, "I actually look forward to eating turkey quite a bit around this time of the year."
"Do you like turkey?"
"I do," says Azrael, "I like turkey sandwiches. Especially when they have the right amount of mustard."
"I can agree," says Luke, pouring creamy gravy onto his potatoes and turkey.
"But," says Azrael as he holds up a corn on the cob before biting into it, "I might be getting slightly tired of eating turkey, as it seems to be getting rather redundant."
"True," I say.
"Speaking of," says Luke, "when are you two going to depart? Are you spending new year's here?"
"That's up for debate," says Azrael, "I have a plan for now to stay until the first, but I don't know if we'll stay another week, or just head on home three days from now."
"Is there something we need to get back to at the office?" I ask Azrael curiously.
"Well," says Azrael as he smiles a little, "I would be able to tell you, if I had my computer back."
"Oh, well," I say with a guilty feeling while looking away, remembering how I've kept his laptop successfully out of his reach up until now, "that is part of my job."
"But I can say a little about the topic," says Azrael, "that there is some business that is waiting back home. And that could be slightly pressing."
"Do we need to return?" I ask.
"I don't think so," replies Azrael, his eyes ducking away and nervously tapping the countertop we eat at.
He's hiding something again, and his body instinctually seems to betray that. However much that Azrael tries to tell a lie, he seems to by nature be honest of his emotion and sentiment. In this case, he reveals how he does think there's more to the situation with the office.
Eating more, we finish the meal, and I sense that Azrael is turning his eyes toward the back entrance, wanting to escape again. And he does disappear down the hallway leading to the door, but I follow him to the door where he stands in front of it silent and his head slightly tilted forward, as if he's contemplating something deeply. To run out again or face whatever he doesn't want to.
"You alright?" I ask, and Azrael jumps as he didn't realize I had followed him.
"Hogarth!" whisper shouts Azrael, "You made my chest almost explode!"
"Sorry," I say with a smile, stepping closer to him in the hallway, "I just was worried that you might try to outside in this weather."
"Oh, well," says Azrael glancing over his shoulder at the outside landscape through the widow in the door, "I was considering it, but I don't think I will."
"Why would you go outside?" I ask.
"There are many things on my mind," admits Azrael.
"Is it about when to leave here?" I ask, and Azrael tenses before nodding.
"It is," he says.
"Are you uncomfortable here?" I ask.
Azrael sighs once and things for a few moments before answering again.
"Well, it's more than that," says Azrael.
"What is it?"
"Well," says Azrael, "right now, we're moving as a unit. You're currently a part of me, Hogarth."
I almost smile in pleasure as he says that and can't help but feel happy about the words that he says. I know that he means it in a way that I don't think about, but it still makes me happy to hear that. I manage to hide the smile, but a shiver does run up my spine.
"And I don't want to be making decisions that will make you uncomfortable. Especially when it comes to you since I've already made you a necessary presence in my life," continues Azrael as he talks and makes shivers trail up my back.
"Well," I say as I try to hush my blush, in the hallway we stand in that is slightly dark as the only light is from behind us from the kitchen and living room, "I'm thankful that you take into account my feelings."
"But," I say as I think for a moment about the issue at hand, "if you want to leave here, we can."
Azrael doesn't take a moment to politely nod, saying, "I think that I want to take into account what would be best for you as well."
"I would like to take the option that puts you in the most comfortable situation," I say.
"But, don't you want to relax and try to stay in one place during New Year's?" asks Azrael, "I tend to not, but I heard people who try to take breaks when the year turns new like to stay in one place.
I try to avoid what Azrael says about working through New Year's as I say, "I do like staying in one place, but if you're uncomfortable here, we could go back to D.C."
"I...I'm alright," assures Azrael to me, "I think we'll stay here until the second. I'm pretty sure I could use the rest here at home."
"It wouldn't be a good rest if you were not comfortable," I point out.
"I'm fine," says Azrael, "I'll be fine if we do stay here for the time, I will be alright."
"You sure?"
"Positive," replies Azrael, "I mean, I'm not smoking, at least. So that's good."
"So we will stay here?" I ask to confirm.
"Yes," replies Azrael, "I'm sure."
"Well, if you say so," I say, and Azrael nods before motioning for us to head back.
Walking through the hallway, we pass by the picture frames again and I scan over family pictures with my eyes. I look for Azrael, and eventually find him.
"Is that you, by any chance?" I ask as I stop in front of a picture frame where a black-haired and grey-eyed teen who sits in a chair in what I think is a school.
"It is," says Azrael with a smile as he stops and observes the picture, "it's a picture from my senior year, from the yearbook."
Azrael looks good now, but he also looked good back then. His short black hair is pushed back from his brow in the picture and wears a light blue T-shirt. He doesn't smile at the photographer, but looks curiously at it, as if caught in the picture by chance.
"I like that hairstyle," says Azrael as he smiles more, "maybe I should cut my hair like that again."
Right now his hair falls over his brow slightly, but pushing his hair back would draw more attention his slim brows and grey eyes. Not that I need anything else to pull my attention to Azrael.
"That's me too, by the way," says Azrael as he points to another picture frame, this one a kid-Azrael present in the shot.
"Wow," I say as I step over to it and look it.
This picture seems to have Azrael around five years old. He has the same black hair and grey eyes, and wears kid clothes. And he has a winsome face and appearance. I like this picture too.
My eyes look around more, and I find a family picture. Not like the others, but with multiple people. Looking at it, I see Rafael and Shelly, though younger. Two teens with black hair I recognize as Clementine and Luke. Duke I guess Clementine hadn't met yet so he's not here.
But in this one picture, there's somebody else. An early-teen girl with light brown hair and grey eyes smiles back at the camera. She stands shorter than both Shelly and Luke, and it's obvious that she got along well with her two siblings. I don't recognize her at all though.
"Who's that?" I ask with a smile, expecting Azrael to answer.
Azrael looks where I'm pointing, but then freezes faster than a glass breaking, and a choking noise comes out of his throat, similar to that of back in Texas.
"T-that...hah," gasps Azrael as he tries to say something, "i-is, uh...a family friend. Yeah! Family friend."
I'm just about to ask again if something is wrong when Azrael talks again, saying, "Let's go back to the living room. I'm a little cold, and, uh, I think you might be as well."
Saying so he slips an arm under mine and pulls me to the living room. I can't help but glance back at the hallway where the picture hangs. Something about that girl, subconsciously, I feel is an important clue. Her eyes seem strangely familiar, and her waning smile seems also, almost, hereditary.
She's important, and I still can't figure anything out. But I'm getting closer.