Chapter 21 #2
Ian emerges from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel. "James, we need more hands for food prep. The popcorn situation is getting out of control."
"Popcorn situation?" The three of us head back toward the kitchen.
"Ya'll found more people than we expected, and apparently, movie night requires popcorn in quantities I've never seen before."
The kitchen is a whirlwind of activity. Cameron and Brian are operating three popcorn makers simultaneously, with kernels occasionally flying out when one overflows.
Emily directs sorting operations, with separate bowls for toppings: butter, caramel, and something that looks suspiciously like Sriracha.
"We're also running out of serving dishes," Drew says, pulling open cabinets. "Any ideas?"
Scanning the kitchen, I'm thinking. "Check with Rex upstairs. He has that collection of weird souvenir plates from every state."
Drew nods. "Good call. How's the stray-collecting going?"
"Pretty well. We found a Japanese exchange student abandoned at the student center. His roommate ditched him."
Drew shakes his head. "Man, that sucks. What about you? Usual plans this year?"
Hesitating, I'm busy sorting through the cabinet for more bowls. "I was thinking of sticking around here. Last few years I've volunteered at Rainbow Haven House for Christmas Day, but..."
"But this year there's Caleb," Drew finishes for me.
"He's leaving tomorrow morning for his family thing, but yeah. Thought I'd hang here until he leaves."
"How's he doing with that? The family visit?"
Finding a stack of plastic containers, I hand them to Drew. "Not great. His dad's ramping up campaign stuff, so he's under more pressure than usual."
"That whole situation sounds rough," Drew says, lowering his voice. "Tyler mentioned, no details but... an incident a few years back?"
Tensing automatically. Caleb hasn't shared many details with anyone, but apparently, he told Tyler. "It's not my story to tell."
Drew nods, understanding immediately. "Totally. Just... keep an eye on him, okay? Family stuff can hit hard during the holidays."
"Yeah." My stomach knots at the thought of Caleb heading off alone tomorrow. "I know."
The kitchen door swings open, and Gavin enters triumphantly. "I solved the dish crisis," he announces, holding up what appears to be a collection of frisbees. These are clean, I swear."
"Frisbees?" Drew asks, looking skeptical.
"They have edges. Food stays on. Problem solved," Gavin says with the confidence of someone who has never been wrong about anything.
Emily appears behind him, sighs, but nods. "At this point, we'll take it. James, can you put together a quick playlist for between movies? Something festive but not too... jingling bells?"
"On it."
An hour later, the living room has transformed into a sea of blankets, pillows, and bodies sprawled in every possible configuration.
The potluck spread takes up two tables, featuring everything from Emily's perfectly arranged Christmas cookies to what Taj has proudly labelled "India-Meets-America Fusion Stuffing" to a mound of pizza rolls someone dumped on, yes, a frisbee.
The debate over movie selections is in full swing.
"Die Hard is absolutely a Christmas movie," Ian insists, brandishing the DVD case like evidence in a trial. "It takes place on Christmas Eve!"
"That doesn't automatically make it a Christmas movie," Marcos counters. "It's an action movie that happens to be set at Christmas."
Cameron sides with Ian. "It's about a guy trying to reunite with his family on Christmas. That's literally a Christmas movie plot."
"Yippee-ki-yay, motherfuckers, we're watching it," Ian declares, to both cheers and groans.
Looking around the room for Caleb, I find him helping Emily arrange more pillows in the back corner, a soft smile on his face as she chatters away. A year ago, I would have rolled my eyes at how homey this all is. Now, I'm leaning into it.
"What's with the face?" Caleb asks as he approaches, catching me staring.
"What face?"
"The one that's missing your usual scowl." He hands me a mug of what smells like hot chocolate spiked with something stronger. "It's almost like you're enjoying this chaos."
"Lies and slander. I'm merely tolerating it with surprising grace." The drink is warm going down.
He laughs, the sound still rare enough to catch me off guard. "Emily cornered me by the hot chocolate jugs. We're on Christmas cookie duty for next year. I've been enlisted against my will."
"You can bake?"
"My grandmother taught me. Don't look so surprised. I can do stuff that's normal too."
"Oh, I know you can.” My eyes stay on him long enough that his cheeks flush slightly.
The lights dim as Ian finally wins the Die Hard debate, at least for the first movie slot.
I follow Caleb to the back corner where he's claimed a nest of pillows against the wall, slightly removed from the main group but still part of the gathering.
He sits down, pulling a thick blanket over his legs.
"Stormy night," he says, nodding toward the windows where rain now patters steadily. "Temperature's dropping."
"Convenient excuse to share body heat." Sliding in next to him, I steal half the blanket.
"Smooth, Hunter. Very smooth."
As the movie starts, the room settles into comfortable silence, occasionally broken by laughter or commentary. Under the cover of the blanket, Caleb's hand finds mine, his thumb tracing patterns on my palm. It's such a small move, but I love it.
I look around the room, taking it all in. Tyler and Ethan are curled together on a pile of cushions, Ethan already half-asleep against Tyler's chest. The Epsilon Beta Mu freshmen have relaxed enough to join the commentary, Miguel laughing openly at Danny's whispered jokes.
Haru sits cross-legged between Gavin and Rex, his posture still formal, but his expression absorbed in the film. Emily is tucked under Drew's arm, her clipboard finally abandoned as she mouths along with the dialogue.
It hits me that this is what I've been missing all these years, not Christmas itself, but this sense of belonging, of being part of a family. Hodge-podge though it may be, these people are my family.
"You okay?" Caleb whispers, noticing my distraction.
"Yeah," I whisper back. "Just... this is nice."
His hand squeezes mine. "It is."
"What does your family normally do for Christmas?"
"Family obligation theatre," he replies, his tone light but expression tightening. "Formal dinner Christmas Eve, presents Christmas morning with photographers from my father's campaign, then a day of pretending we're the perfect American family."
"Sounds exhausting."
"It is." He's silent for a moment. "What about you? What do you usually do?"
Hesitating but only briefly. "Last few years, I have volunteered at Rainbow Haven House. They do a Christmas thing for the kids who don't have anywhere to go." I shrug while trying to make my voice casual. "Before that, just whatever. It's another day."
He studies my face in the dim light from the TV. "None of your foster families keep in touch?"
"Nope. Most foster parents aren't exactly keen on their temporary kids."
His hand tightens around mine. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I made my own family." I gesture around the room. "Dysfunctional as it is."
Under the blanket, his hand moves to my thigh, his touch gentle but deliberate. "Still. Everyone deserves something good on Christmas."
"I've got something pretty good right now." Wow, that’s… honest.
His eyes meet mine, something vulnerable flickering in their depths before he masks it with a smirk. "Careful. You're starting to sound sentimental."
"Must be all the Christmas cookies. Rotting my brain."
He chuckles, his hand inching higher on my thigh in a way that's definitely not appropriate for a room full of people. Catching his wrist, I raise an eyebrow.
"Behave," I whisper.
"Make me," he says with a smirk.
Across the room, Ian catches on to us and gives a knowing grin before pointedly turning back to the movie. There's no judgment in his look. I'm still getting used to that, being seen and accepted without hiding or explaining.
As Die Hard gives way to Mixed Nuts, my contribution to the movie marathon, I find myself paying less attention to the movies and more to Caleb's head resting on my shoulder, his breathing steady and warm against my neck. His hand is still in mine, our fingers intertwined.
There's a break where some people head out and others get up to stretch. Caleb and I are here for the night, so we shift around a bit but mostly just wait for the next movie.
When Tokyo Godfathers starts playing, Haru straightens up and is suddenly animated as he provides cultural context for some of the jokes and references. Everyone pays attention, and his stiff way of acting starts to break down as he gets excited talking about his favorite parts.
"It is about finding a family where you are not expecting it," he explains during one scene, his English becoming more fluid as he relaxes. "In Japan, we say 'en' for this kind of connection, like fate bringing people together who are meant to find each other."
His words hit me hard. I've never really bought into the idea of fate, not when my life has been more about random luck and paperwork than some grand plan. But sitting here with Caleb, thinking about how we went from practically enemies to... what we are now, it makes me wonder.
"I need a break," Caleb whispers as the movie continues. "Come with me?"