Candle In The Wind

Chapter Sixty Five

Brahms

JJuliette loved Christmas. I thought I did, and I thought I would get way more excited than she would, but she loved every single bit of it. We had the tree up after looking for one for so long. Juliette and I had it decorated, we even built a train under the tree, that’s how much Juliette loved Christmas. I wasn’t sure if her love for Christmas was always there or if it’d just been discovered because she never mentioned any of it. Clay had a special way to change things. With him around I was willing to believe in anything if it meant starting some sort of tradition with him.

As much as I loved all the lights, the wreaths and all the other Christmas decorations—I had to admit, the elves on the shelf thing was getting really creepy and really out of hand. I wasn’t crazy or exaggerating. Just yesterday I got home from work, and I went to Clay’s room to say hello and found an elf in his crib instead. It was fucking creepy because the elf looked creepy, that creepy smug happy look on their faces—it was a really ugly evil looking smile and anyone who was sane, and wasn’t blinded by the strong Christmas spirit that seem to have blinded everyone’s judgement, would agree with me. The elves looked fucking creepy, and I might’ve started developing a fear of elves at this point.

A spider across the room I could deal with but an elf on the shelf?

That’s creepy as shit.

I forced myself to pull my eyes away from the elf that sat on top of the toilet.

I shuddered as I finished peeing and pulled my pants up.

I flushed the toilet and pulled the seat down, still trying to avoid looking at the elf that was directly in front of me.

It had to be spying on me—like actually, there was no way there wasn’t a spirit or a tiny camera inside of them.

And they were EVERYWHERE.

God, it was infuriating going to work and spotting them, going to Juliette’s shop and spotting them, going to my parents’ house and spotting them.

I was spotting them in grocery stores for fuck’s sake and it wasn’t because they were being sold there but because everyone was playing a sick game with these creepy ass fucking elves.

And they all looked the same! I was starting to go crazy.

The only thing that stopped me from throwing that little fucker away was Juliette—she noticed when they’d gone missing.

I knew because when I’d tried days ago, she came home that same night and immediately noticed.

I sighed as I turned on the water. “Julie!”

I shouted as I soaped my hands, “is it really necessary to put a creepy elf in the bathroom?”

What happened to privacy?

Couldn’t a man at least have the dignity to pull out his dick and pee in peace anymore?

The door pulled open and Juliette walked in. She looked at the elf and smiled, “what’s wrong, Rockefeller?”

She glanced at me as she pulled up her dress and pulled down her underwear and sat down on the toilet.

“Rockefeller?”

I whispered under my breath as I shook my head, “he’s creepy, every time I have to use the bathroom he stares at my crotch.”

Juliette shrugged. “He’s just a…toy, Cal,”

she said as she turned around to look at the elf.

It sounded like she was defending that damn elf. Now it was my word against his creepy ass face. And that damn smile. Surely, he had to know he won, that he’d always win, and I’d always look crazy to everyone else.

I nodded as I wiped my hands. “Have you watched Chucky?”

I chuckled, “he’s just creepy, place him in a corner or something. Somewhere he won’t watch me use the bathroom,” I said as I pulled the door and left the bathroom.

Place him in a corner facing the wall, that was the only way I’d feel some relief in this house. I couldn’t even relax in my own house because of these fucking elves. And if I felt that way, just imagine how Clay felt—poor baby has to sleep with one of those creepy sickos, tears welled in my eyes every time I thought about it.

Not even a couple steps into the bedroom, Juliette grabbed my arm and dragged me back into the bathroom as she waddled with her underwear around her ankle.

“Fine, I’ll remove him from the bathroom,”

she said with a sigh.

THANK GOD! I cheered internally.

I smiled as I watched her take her seat on the toilet again. I leaned against the door with my arms crossed over my chest. “Thank you.”

I now unlocked a new spot to hide from the elves when I was home alone.

Believe it or not, they were everywhere, they occupied the living room—the couch, the table, the TV.

They lived in the kitchen, hiding on top of the fridge, the island, the dining table, near the sink, in the pantry…the list of places went on and on.

Our closet was free of those things, so I’d often be there.

These past few days Juliette firmly believed I’d been looking at my watch collection closely so I might get a new watch from her for Christmas.

“Ava and Pinky are leaving on Christmas Eve,” she said.

My brows furrowed. “Ava’s leaving too?”

Juliette nodded. ”Yeah, she doesn’t want Pinky to go through the wedding alone, apparently it’s all going to be happening really fast.”

“That’s in less than two weeks.”

Ava was leaving in less than two weeks.

She was practically her girl best friend since Val already filled that initial best friend space. My shoulders dropped as I thought of Juliette who’d be left behind, losing a friend and having to fill a new vacant spot at work wouldn’t be easy.

“I know,”

she whispered.

I sighed as I pushed myself off the doorway and walked towards Juliette, and gently caressed her head. “I’m sorry. sweetheart, I know you and Ava have gotten really close over these past few months.”

Since Juliette opened her shop, it’d been the two of them, laughing through every situation and sticking together like salt and pepper.

The silence was cut through by the sound of Juliette peeing. My eyes widened as my brows shot up with the realization and it was a little funny.

“Wait, you couldn’t pee this whole entire time?”

She laughed. “No, you were in the room.”

“Yeah, you kept me in the room,”

I clarified because if I remembered correctly, she dragged me back into the bathroom shortly after I left.

I wasn’t complaining though, I thought it was cute. I liked it.

She sighed and pulled back. I took a step back as she reached for the toilet paper.

“Why Christmas Eve?”

I asked after realizing Ava and Pinky were leaving on Christmas Eve of all days.

Juliette stood up and pulled her underwear up, walked towards the sink, and turned the water on.

She looked at me through the mirror. “Pinky doesn’t want her parents to spend Christmas alone.”

“That’s nice.”

She nodded.

“Are we going over to your parents for Christmas?”

she asked while we were still on the topic.

I remained silent as I thought about it…if I was being honest, I hadn’t even considered seeing my parents for Christmas.

I didn’t want another repeat of Thanksgiving—what was next? Juliette and I were secretly married and I never knew, though…as creepy and shady as that sounded, I’d rejoice over that kind of news.

But I seriously didn’t want another repeat of that night, and with my father and how headstrong and stubborn he was, there was no guarantee.

If anything, he’d do something worse to ruin Christmas—like finding another way to bring up that fucking winery he was so fucking obsessed with.

That damn winery was ruining my life, and I knew I’d never be free from that speech until my father finally dropped dead and Ardley and I would finally sell off that fucking company.

His accomplishment in life was that winery, that’s all he was, that’s all the change and impact he made in the world.

I slowly shrugged. “I think my mom will drop by, she always does.”

She nodded as she turned around and faced me, “do you think she likes me?”

she asked randomly.

My brows shot up. My mom?”

She nodded.

“Yeah,”

I chuckled softly, “she adores you, and she’s obsessed with Clay.” I playfully rolled my eyes as I took a step in front of her. “I’m practically obligated to send her at least fifteen pictures of Clay every day.”

She laughed. “I don’t blame her, Clay’s growing so fast already,”

she pouted, “he can barely fit in his newborn clothes anymore,” she whined, “he used to be so small.” She cupped air in her hands to show me how small Clay used to be. It was easily noticeable because Clay was born malnourished, but Juliette’s milk had been very good to him—we saw the difference in his growth a week after she started breastfeeding him.

“I know, sweetheart, but that’s good though, soon he’ll be babbling and talking to us,” I said.

Juliette groaned as she turned to walk away. My eyes sliced to the elf that still lingered on top of the toilet. “Wait!”

I grabbed her arm and pulled her back, “get your creepy ass elf.” I pointed at Brahms from across the room.

Juliette laughed after studying the look on my face. Yes. I was dead serious.

“You’re so dramatic!”

She laughed as she walked back in the bathroom and snatched the elf up. She walked past me as she slowly shook her head, “you’re freaked out by these toys, but you can kill a spider without flinching?” She said it like it didn’t make sense to her.

But it did make sense. It made so much sense to me. It was simple, the fucking spiders weren’t spying on me, they weren’t deliberately placed in a room just to look creepy as Halloween deco—worse, a demonic artifact. They just existed and they just so happened to be in the corner of the room. I kill them, they’re gone, and I move on. Simple. Brahms looked like he could cast a demonic spell at any second, and it always felt like he watched me too closely.

“And get rid of the one from Clay’s room too. He’s been having nightmares,” I added.

Juliette glanced at me over her shoulder, “he told you that?”

I bit back a smile. I didn’t want to reward Juliette’s smart mouth attitude right now.

I coughed as I swallowed my laugh. “Yes, actually…he told me that in a dream.”

Juliette shook her head as she began to walk away from me, I followed her, “Clay was like, Daddy,” I put on a Victorian child accent, “that Brahms boy who sleeps next to me has been trying to switch bodies with me…”