Chapter 31
thirty-one
*LEO*
Soren and I look like we are moving house when he maneuvers his car onto the road. It’s stuffed to the brim with baskets and food, and obviously, Barkley, who has his own secure space. I wonder if Soren can even see anything through the rearview window.
“We might have gone overboard,” I admit. “Sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” He asks, looking all happy and relaxed. “It’s a short drive, and I willingly participated in everything. It was fun.”
I lean back, deciding I am allowed to be happy and just enjoy myself.
On the radio, they play mostly cheesy Christmas songs, which Soren and I sing along to.
Once we arrive at Aspen’s place, Robin is already here and helping us unload everything, before he drags me along to the small ice-skate ring at the far end of Aspen’s garden.
It’s a sunny day, but cold. Perfect for ice skating, but also perfect for driving, compared to the hazard a few days ago. It’s been forever since I went ice skating, but Robin takes my hands and helps me until I am more confident in my skills.
“You should really take him out to an actual ice skate date!” Robin yells towards the terrace door.
Soren waves to us from there, a cup of coffee in his hand. “I will,” he promises.
“We have a lake close by,” Robin tells me. “It’s huge, and you can ice skate for hours.”
“Does Soren ice skate?” I ask.
“No.”
“Aspen?”
At that, Robin laughs. “Double no.”
“But you do,” I conclude. “So, you definitely need to come along.”
“Let’s plan it for next week,” Robin agrees.
Eventually, we both get tired and cold. Robin leaves first to help Aspen with his last preparations in the kitchen, while Soren keeps me company.
That is, until Robin returns, peeking outside. “Get inside, you two lovebirds! Food’s almost ready.”
I take Soren’s hand, letting him help me off the rink. “I hope you are hungry,” he says with a grin. “I saw the amount of food Aspen prepared. Believe me, our dessert escalation is nothing in comparison.”
“I am hungry,” I chuckle. “But I am not sure if I’d ever be hungry enough for such a feast.”
Together, we hurry back inside. I put my ice skates away and swiftly freshen myself up, just in time for lunch to be served.
“Out of the way,” Robin yells. “Mr. Aspen is coming, with the roast.”
“Pok Boohhh~” It resounds through the room, and Aspen comes into the living room with Robin’s ostrich following him. He glares at the ostrich first, then at Barkley, who is sleeping right in front of the door leading to the kitchen. “You could have left him at home.”
“Barkley?” I ask. “Never!”
“I wasn’t talking about Barkley! At least, he isn’t a threat to humanity. I was talking about the psycho behind me,” Aspen complains.
“Don’t say that. Francesco is very sensitive,” Robin complains.
“Had I known Francesco would be here, I would have brought Cracker along,” Soren says seriously.
“Do you really think that would have been a good idea?” I ask skeptically.
“No,” Soren chuckles. “As a vet, I have to agree with Aspen. Ostriches are not particularly friendly animals. Who knows what he would have done to poor, little Cracker?”
“He doesn’t seem to mind Barkley,” I muse.
“Everyone loves Barkley,” Aspen says. “Unlike other pets in this room, he is easy to like.”
“Hey!” Robin complains. “No insults towards Francesco.”
Despite all his bravado, Aspen proves to be a huge softie, as usual. He has prepared a plate with fruits and leaves for Francesco, and a huge bone to gnaw on for Barkley.
“Say, are we expecting anyone else?” Soren asks, gesturing at the fifth set of cutlery.
“Oh, Michael will join us in the evening,” Aspen explains.
At that, Soren and I exchange a surprised glance. “Good thing we baked enough,” I say.
“Why did you invite him?” Soren asks, stunned.
“Sorry, we completely forgot to tell you,” Robin says. “It was very spontaneous. He called last night because he left his change of clothes at my place.”
“Robin and I were finalizing the preparations for today,” Aspen explains. “And then, we spontaneously invited him. He would have been alone for the whole holidays. His partner just dumped him. Damn, I wasn’t thinking… Is it a problem that we invited him?”
“It is, isn’t it?” Robin asks.
“Not really,” I say, to my surprise, really meaning it. Talking about my confused feelings towards Michael actually helped me put everything in perspective. “I’d hate for him to be alone on Christmas. He is a good person.”
“I don’t mind either,” Soren says. “Especially now that I know he is not going to take Leo back to the city.”
“Was that up for debate?” Aspen asks.
“Under what type of rock are you living?” Robin asks. “Michael came here to tell Leo that his name was cleared and offered him his job back. You were with us when we listened in on them!”
“Right, I forgot,” Aspen smiles at me. “I am glad he did that for you, but I am even gladder that you are going to stay here.”
“I am not going to move away anytime soon,” I reassure him. “Barkley needs me. And the town does too. Despite my best attempts, the festival was pure chaos. For next year, I’ll have more time to plan.”
“We still won the snowball fight,” Soren says. “And Aspen’s and Robin’s shop won best decoration.”
“Of course, we did!” Robin says. “Next year, the whole town is going to kill it.”
“East Sunhaven better be prepared,” I say.
Robin and Aspen leave to bring the rest of the lunch. It’s going to be a feast. Fortunately, I barely had breakfast and built up quite the hunger while ice skating.
“Are you really okay?” Soren asks me quietly. “With Michael coming?”
“Yes,” I reassure him. “It’s actually good for me to work on my anxiety and not connect him with everything that happened. He has always been a supportive friend.”
“Maybe he will hook up with Aspen or Robin now that he is single,” Soren jokes.
“Who knows? They both seem to find him hot,” I grin.
Soren chuckles. “I bet that’s the true reason they invited him. So much for their noble reasoning.”
We both laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Aspen asks us when he returns from the kitchen.
“Nothing,” I say. “We were just flirting.”
Aspen grimaces slightly at that and doesn’t enquire further. Once Robin is back with some wine, Aspen starts to load my plate full with food. I want to try everything, obviously, and he makes sure I get the best pieces.
Sometimes I feel like he spoils me too much, but at the same time, I am so happy that he does. I have never had anyone treat me with so much care before.
We eat for two hours, then take a coffee break with coffee that tastes a lot like someone mixed rum into it, and exchange presents.
“It’s Francesco in miniature!” Robin yells. “Look, Francesco!”
Francesco doesn’t seem to care for the mini ostrich, but Robin looks happy. Aspen gets tears in his eyes when he sees the watch and Soren—
“Seems like we share a braincell,” he grins when he hands me a box. In it is a handcrafted bracelet and… a key to his place.
I laugh. “Now we can both come and go as we please.”
Soren hugs me close. “Yeah, but let’s keep each other updated, or I will end up alone at your place and you at mine.”
Aspen gifts me a set of spices, where he crafted the small boxes himself out of wood, while Robin bought me a sweater with a Bernese pup and ‘Dog Dad‘ written on it.
As we are about to have dessert, Michael arrives, and Aspen brings out the main dishes again. “I think I lost the ability to breathe,” Robin mutters.
“Me too. I am having trouble eating some cookies, let alone an actual main dish,” I say, So, he and I keep eating dessert while Aspen and Soren join Michael by having a second go at turkey, mashed potatoes and beans.
It’s a long afternoon and evening, and while I love every minute of it, I feel my batteries running on low eventually.
Aspen’s garden is quiet and beautiful though, and I take the opportunity to sit at his terrace, looking into the night.
With the moon high in the sky and the snow on the ground, it makes it look like it’s not even night yet.
Somehow, it’s never fully dark when there is snow.
Or maybe that’s just my perception of it.
Eventually, I take out my phone and look at it, my heart clenching painfully when I notice there are no notifications, nothing.
“Leo?” I turn my head to meet Aspen. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I say.
He sits down next to me. “And really?”
“This morning I wrote to Mom,” I tell him. “I just wished her Merry Christmas, nothing more. That was stupid, huh?”
“No, not at all,” he says.
“She hasn’t replied. She hasn’t even read the message.” While it gives me a twinge to my chest to say it aloud, it’s not as devastating as it used to be. “It feels lonely sometimes,” I admit. “Like I am an orphan, but I am not. Does that make sense?”
Aspen pats my head. “It does,” he admits. “It feels the same to me.” He pauses. “We did not choose to be born into this family,” he says. “We could have been born into a different family, and be the same person we are now, and be loved and accepted there. It’s not us. We are not the problem.”
“I know,” I say before groaning. “Sorry for ruining the mood.”
“You didn’t ruin anything,” he says.
“You know, Aspen, you are a little too perfect sometimes,” I say.
Aspen snorts. “If you tell that to Soren and Robin, I bet they would oppose.”
“As a big brother you are,” I say.
“We have each other,” he says. “And we have Soren and Robin, and our other friends in this town. A chosen family might not be the same as an actual family, but with time, it can become even more. It’s people you choose to have around you, and who choose you to be around them.”
Right at that moment, the door opens, and Robin and his ostrich come running outside. Soren follows them. He bends down to squeeze me in a hug. “Are you okay?” he asks, looking from me to Aspen and then back to me.
“Yeah,” I reassure him. “I was just feeling a bit… emotional, I guess. Probably because it’s Christmas.”
Barkley comes trotting outside, burying his head in the soft snow first and rolling around, until he is covered in snow. It’s always funny when he has his zoomies.
“Okay, guys,” Michael puts a box on the ground. “Since I couldn’t bring any presents, I brought something else.”
Robin scoots closer, eyeing him curiously. “What did you bring?”
Michael hands us each a thin, metal stick before looking at Barkley and Francesco. “I just wonder if the pets are going to be okay?”
“They should be,” Soren says. “Francesco is pretty desensitized, but let’s play it safe.” He gets up, taking the pets inside again, giving each of them some treats and closing the door.
“What is this?” I ask, looking at the thin metal stick.
“Sparklers,” Robin beams. “The best type of firework!”
“Oh!” I sit up straighter. “And we can just hold them like this?”
“Yes, they are super safe.”
“I bought them for my ex and me,” Michael says. “It was supposed to be a romantic evening. I decided it would be a waste not to bring them along.”
When each of us has a sparkler in our hands, he lights them. They glow golden, at first, before a shower of sparks appears from them. “Look!” Robin says, waving his sparkler and drawing a heart into the sky.
I feel like a little kid again, but I don’t mind. I jump up, standing next to him and drawing a heart myself, then a star.
When they are burned down, Michael hands out new ones. “I brought along plenty,” he reassures us.
With the next one, I draw the letter S in the air, trying to spell Soren’s name. Robin eventually turns around to look at the other three. “Don’t act like three old men,” he complains. “Especially not you, Soren! You have a hot young lover.”
“Alright, alright, you got us,” Soren says, standing up and joining us. Michael and Aspen follow suit. We put our sparklers together, watching the shower of sparks around us. It’s so beautiful. It makes my heart feel warm all of a sudden.
Aspen is right.
This is my chosen family.
They not only gave me a home, they made me feel at home. For the first time in my life, it’s okay to be who I am, it’s fine to be myself.
I have a home, found that spark for my work again, and I am surrounded by people I love.
Soren puts an arm around me, before taking my hand and drawing a heart with our two sparklers. I smile, the sparks around us lighting up the night in golden colors.
I am free.
I am happy.
I will be fine.