Chapter 6 Damon
Damon
“Hi, Trixie, Polly,” I say, already bracing myself. My twin sisters glare at me from the screen. Ellis lifts his head from where he’s seated next to me on the bed against the headboard, giving me a curious look. I ignore his stare and tell my sisters, “Please don’t be angry.”
“You promised you’d be home. It’s barely noon… maybe you can still get a flight? Tonight is Christmas Eve, Damon!” Trixie asks.
“No, sorry… flights are all still booked. Heather said the soonest she can get us out of here is on the twenty-seventh.”
Her eyebrows furrow, and her twin does the same freakishly identical expression. Anybody else wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. “Seriously, Damon. You suck for this. We even made the banana bread you’re so obsessed with, just like we do every year.”
“Aww.” I cock my head to the side. My sisters’ banana bread is incredible, and it’s one of the things I look forward to every time I go home.
It’s tradition at this point. “It’s okay.
The bakery here should have banana bread.
” Maybe. I wouldn’t know. “I’m sure it won’t be as good, but I’ll eat that so that I can pretend I’m home with everyone.
I’ll even watch Love, Actually like we always do. ”
“Ugh. We hate you.” It’s Polly speaking this time. “You need to come home as soon as you get a flight. If you’re not here by New Year’s, we’re disowning you.”
I put a hand to my chest. “I promise to be there by New Year’s.”
The girls hand the phone to my parents, who predictably do not mince their words either.
The entire time we’re speaking, Ellis watches.
Honestly, Ellis has been surprisingly behaved since we got to the Hilton last night.
I expected him to be extra annoying today since he seems to be mostly recovered, but no—he’s actually been…
pleasant? I’d say it’s nice, but I can’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop.
I’m not used to us getting along.
“Love you,” Mom and Dad say in unison.
“Love you, too.”
Mom blows me a kiss and I end the call. Without thinking, I look over at Ellis, who still hasn’t taken his eyes off me. Our gazes collide, and unlike any normal person, he doesn’t take that as his cue to look away. Ellis is uncaring that I’ve caught him staring so brazenly.
I’m the one who shifts in my seat instead.
“Your tradition is banana bread,” he states. “And watching holiday romance movies.”
His tone’s dry, and I couldn’t read into it even if I tried. Still, my hackles rise. “I know it’s silly, but—”
“Never said it was silly.”
I snap my mouth shut. Ellis hops off the bed in a too-swift motion that makes him take a moment, as if he got dizzy just from that. He puts his arms out as if to balance himself and blinks slowly.
“Are you sure you’re all better now?” I ask.
“Yes!”
He’s lying. I fucking know he is, judging from the way there’s still a slight sway to his steps. Always so stubborn though, Ellis puts his coat on and grabs his shoes, then turns to give me a wide grin. He gives me a mock salute.
“What… what is going on right now?” I ask.
“Leave everything to me, Dee.”
“Leave what to you?”
“I’ve got this! I’ll be back soon!”
“Ellis, what’s going on?” When he ignores me and makes his way toward the door, I raise my voice. “Ellis! Are you going outside? You just got better. At least cover up more! Wear something over your head! A scarf!”
“I didn’t bring any of that shit!”
The door slams behind him, and I sit here, utterly lost.
What the hell?
I grimace and press my palms against my eyes. “What the fuck, Ellis?”
He could at least have told me where he is heading. He may be a lot better, but I have no idea what he’s up to—he might be pushing himself, maybe walking around to God knows where for the next hour, and I’ll get a call from the police that they found him passed out on some snow-covered street.
“It’s none of my business,” I tell myself. “He’s an adult and I’m not his keeper.”
Still, I fret.
I fret way too fucking much.
In an attempt to keep myself distracted, I do my work—or, at least, I attempt to. I sit by the wooden desk with my laptop open in front of me. It’s not until I’m uselessly scrolling up and down my scouting report on Killian Schultz that I realize that half an hour has already passed.
Then an hour passes.
Where is Ellis? I debate texting him and asking him where the hell he is, but I again remind myself that he’s a goddamn grown adult.
Yeah, he decided to take a work trip despite being sick, and can’t remember to eat unless I shove food in his face, and does very questionable things such as pack flimsy clothes for a snowstorm, but…
Oh, God.
I’m definitely going to get a call from the police soon, aren’t I?
Maybe I should call Heather and convince her to see where Ellis is.
There’s an idea.
“It’s a holiday,” I remind myself, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Don’t bother Heather.”
The sun’s already setting when Ellis finally decides to grace me with his presence once more.
The door opens and I swivel around so fast I almost fall off my chair, and my jaw drops as Ellis struggles to come in with all the bags he’s carrying.
His hair’s in disarray and has flakes of snow in it, and his cheeks and ears are red.
Despite looking as if he’s walked a number of blocks with bags that look half his body weight, he smiles at me so widely it makes my chest ache.
“They didn’t have banana bread here, but I found some!
” he announces, lifting the bags and showing them off.
He’s got three bags, all of them from different places.
“Dee, check it out! I wanted pasta too and the best rated place wasn’t too far but the wait time was looong.
Christmas Eve is a busy time for them, who would’ve thought?
Then I stopped by the grocery down the street to grab some wine, because if we’re going to watch sappy movies all night, I’m definitely going to need the buzz. ”
“Ellis…” My voice cracks. “Jesus Christ. You didn’t have to do this.”
“Shut up and help me out! My arms are killing me.”
I almost fall over my own feet in the effort it takes to rush to him.
Ellis missteps and almost stumbles. Or maybe he lost his balance because he’s an idiot who hasn’t recovered fully yet, like I thought, and walking that distance with all this shit made him light-headed.
I grab him by the arm to steady him, and he only flashes me a wide smile.
“You’re going to get sick again,” I mumble.
“I’m fine!” Ellis shakes me off and unceremoniously hands me all the bags.
He takes his jacket off and discards it to the floor, and I must be totally out of it because I don’t even berate him for it.
Speechless, I set the bags down on the desk and gape at him.
Ellis, walking past me, puts a finger under my chin, and snaps my mouth shut. “It’s going to be an unforgettable night, Dee.”
Somehow, I don’t doubt that.
I’m peeking into the bags he’s brought when I hear sheets ruffling behind me.
“What are you doing?” I ask, baffled. Ellis is smoothing out the comforter and doing a terrible job at it.
“Preparing for our movie night,” he says with the tone that suggests he’s actually being rational right now.
“A movie night?”
“Yes.” Ellis stands up straight and cracks his neck, then he points at the take-out bags. “We’re going to make a spread out of all that.” He points at the television. “Watch movies, then exchange gifts when the clock hits twelve. Oh. Oh, shit.”
“W-what?”
“Gifts!” he bellows. “I knew I was forgetting something! Listen, in my defense… I don’t usually do this holiday thing. Usually, my parents both text me something lame and send me money, then I go hookup with someone hot in the nearest bar.”
“Ellis,” I say hoarsely. My hands fall to my sides. “You really, really didn’t have to do this.”
“Quit looking at me like that. I’m doing my best here and I’d love it if you’d appreciate it at least a little.”
My chest loosens at the weak smile he gives me. I don’t even think about it—I smile back and don’t miss the way his shoulders go slack when I do. Ellis rubs his nose and looks down, eyes trained to the ground, and I almost do the same but stop myself.
“Thank you,” I say. “I do appreciate it.”
He huffs. Ellis doesn’t speak for a moment, but even I know that’s going to be short-lived.
“Okay!” he yells, raising his hands. Just like I predicted. Ellis grins at me wide, his cheeks red. “Now help me with the food.”
I can’t even hold back my smile.
We spread the food out in the middle of the bed. Ellis warns me not to touch the Bolognese pasta, that that’s all his, and I solemnly swear that I won’t even go near it. By the time everything’s arranged—with my banana bread in the middle of it all—Ellis gives me a smug grin.
Then, without warning, his face falls. “Oh. Wait. I forgot to buy a corkscrew.”
Chuckling, I grab one of the three wine bottles he bought. It’s heavy, making it even more impressive to me that he was able to carry all of these for a few blocks. “These look expensive.”
“They are. I didn’t hold back.”
I smile at him. “Okay, wait… let me call room service. They should have a corkscrew and some wine glasses.”
“Nah, give it to me. I’ve got this.” He outstretches his arm, his palm facing up.
Blinking, I hand it to him. Ellis takes quick strides to the desk to grab a pen I was using earlier, then sits down with the wine bottle between his thighs. I stare in horror as he jabs the cork with the bottom of the pen.
“Ellis!” I hiss. “We should just call!”
“But this is way faster,” he says. He continues jabbing it with frightening accuracy until the cork slips down the neck and drops into the wine.
Ellis lifts his chin and grins at me, his expression all lit up. “Give me another bottle.”
“Why?” Still, I listen and hand him another bottle, exchanging it with the one he has.