Chapter 22 Jonathan
JONATHAN
It’s Christmas night, yet ever since my father passed away, it hasn’t felt the same. What was once my favorite holiday, filled with warmth and great food with family, has quickly turned cold and lonely.
With Lizzy and Chase in my life, it wasn’t too terrible this year, but it will never be the same. I turn the shower off and step out, wrapping a black towel around my waist and clearing a spot on the mirror so I can comb my hair back.
By now, Lizzy should be at her parents’ house having dinner, and in an hour, I’ll be sitting with Chase at Murphy’s, grabbing a few drinks before coming back home to an empty penthouse.
It doesn’t sound ideal, but I’ve been doing it for the last few years, so I might as well make it my tradition.
Though turning down Lizzy’s offer to meet her family and have a warm meal seems crazy now. Why didn’t I just accept the offer? It was a little soon to meet her parents, but with Lizzy, it feels like I’ve known her forever. Our relationship just works.
I’m regretting it now that I throw on my father’s old sweater and a scarf to keep myself warm against the snow that falls over the city. I could be toasty and warm with a full belly right about now. Not to mention, I could be with Lizzy.
But Chase has been the one I could count on for a long time now, and he never lets me be alone during the holidays, so I feel as if I owe him for that. My phone dings, and it’s my driver, announcing his arrival out by the curb. I grab my last-second items before locking up and heading his way.
With my keys, phone, wallet, and a little gift for Chase, I’m ready. Normally, we don’t do gifts, but this year, I was feeling extra festive. And seeing how well Lizzy’s gift went over, I couldn’t help myself.
“Good evening, sir. And Merry Christmas. Murphy’s tonight?” the driver asks as he opens my door.
“Merry Christmas, Lee,” I greet back. “Yes, please.” Sliding inside and shutting the door, we pull into the empty streets of New York. It’s one of the only nights of the year that barely anyone is out driving.
It only takes five minutes to pull up in front of Murphy’s, and once I rush inside to get out of the cold and hang up my coat and scarf, I spot Chase sitting at a tall table.
As I walk closer, I’m a bit surprised to find that Dani, Lizzy’s roommate, is sitting directly across from him, laughing as she twirls her whiskey glass in her one hand, while the other holds his hand on the table.
Lizzy mentioned that Dani goes out on Christmas, but I never expected to see her flirting with Chase. “Well,” I begin as I reach the table. “You two seem to be hitting it off. Hello again, Dani.”
Her eyes light up and she smiles, looking between Chase and me. “Oh, this is the friend that’s meeting you?” she asks Chase, and he nods.
“Sure is, but how do you two know each other?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing,” I reply. “I met Dani once with Elizabeth. They are friends and roommates.”
Chase nods knowingly, taking another drink of his scotch. “Nice. Well, Dani and I met a few weeks back and hit it off.”
It makes sense that Chase was always busy when I invited him over or why Dani kept slipping out of the apartment. I wonder if Lizzy knows about their relationship. A part of me worries that Dani will let it slip that we are together, but to my surprise, she goes along with my story.
“Yeah, I had dropped a few things off for her at the office and met Jonathan,” she replies. I smile, taking a seat with them and ordering myself a small glass of scotch.
“I hope I’m not intruding,” I add as the waitress sets the glass down in front of me and I take a drink. It’s warming as it runs down my throat, just the thing to take the chill out of my bones.
“Not at all,” Chase cheers. “She knew you were coming. Since you’re here, can you keep her company while I run to the restroom?”
Nodding, I agree, and Chase stands, walking toward the hallway in the back of the bar. Now that it’s just Dani and me, I can speak freely. “Hey. Thanks for keeping that stuff quiet. We haven’t really gone public at work yet.”
“It’s no problem. Can I be frank?” she asks, looking back to make sure Chase is still gone.
“Sure.”
She swirls the glass again and smiles. “I think you should go to her.” Her order is short and to the point, and it takes me by surprise. “You seem to need cheering up, and I know she would love the surprise. Besides … I’ll be more than happy to keep Chase occupied for the night.”
Her cheeks redden as she giggles and looks down at her drink, insinuating she wants alone time with him. I’d be more than happy to provide that, but surprising Lizzy at her parents’ house? That seems out of pocket, even for me.
“I-I don’t know. I mean, I don’t even know where I’d be going.” I think I already have my answer on what I’m doing. I’ve been regretting turning her offer down all day, and there’s nothing I’d rather do on Christmas than be with her.
“That’s an easy fix,” she says, and grabs a small notepad from her purse and a pen. Dani begins writing and slides a piece of paper across the table to me. “Here’s the address. If you leave now, you’ll get there in time for dinner.”
Am I really going to do this? I feel a rush going through my body that I haven’t felt since college. “You sure she won’t be weirded out?” I ask, wanting to give myself the courage to leave the bar.
She nods. “I’m sure. Now go. I’ll explain things to Chase.”
I clutch the small gift bag I brought for my friend, but I can always leave it for him to open. I wound up buying him cufflinks, similar to the ones Lizzy bought me for Christmas. “Okay, just make sure Chase gets this.”
Before I lose the courage I now have, I jump off the chair, grab my coat and scarf off the rack, and run outside where my driver is still waiting for me to finish to take me home. Sliding into the backseat, he jumps, startled by the commotion.
“Here, can you take me to this house, please?”
He inspects the paper and begins driving with a smile on his face. “We can be there in twenty minutes, sir. Meeting anyone special?”
“I sure am,” I whisper as I look out the window and fidget with my hands. I still can’t believe I’m doing this; showing up on her parents’ doorstep like some rom-com movie, but it feels right and the rush is unexplainable.
It’s like I’m in school again and sneaking out of the house. I just hope I don’t freak her out by showing up unannounced like this.
“I believe we are here, sir,” Lee announces as he puts the car in park outside of a small, yellow house with a bright red door and Christmas lights outlining the edge of the roof. I remain in the car for a moment, looking around and trying to muster up the courage to get out.
I don’t see Lizzy’s car, but she could’ve taken a taxi or something. Taking a deep breath in, I thank Lee again for the sudden detour and ask him to wait for me.
Every year, Lee keeps this night free just for me. He doesn’t celebrate Christmas and is always very happy with his holiday pay. He nods and pulls out a few magazines to read while I’m inside.
Climbing out of the car, my shoes leave footprints on the freshly laid snow on their walkway.
As I stand in front of the door, feeling both nervous and excited to surprise her, I hear small bouts of laughter behind the front door.
It brings me a sense of nostalgia from my childhood, before things exploded and my mother took off.
Sighing, trying to release all the bad memories, my knuckles rap loudly against the red-painted wood.
I assume I’ll have a moment to breathe before the knock is answered, but to my surprise, the door almost immediately swings open and a woman stands in the doorway wearing a long, red velvet dress with brown hair and eyes as bright as Lizzy’s.
“Hello, can I help you?” the woman asks, and I have to assume that this is Mary, Lizzy’s mother.
Clearing my throat, I close up my coat a little tighter. “Yes, ma’am, I was looking for Elizabeth.”
I shiver slightly from the ice-cold breeze wisping past me. She smiles brightly and turns to look for her, but Lizzy is already standing beside her, shooting me a confused look.
She looks as stunning as ever, wearing a black dress that hugs her body and stops right above her knees.
“I got this, Mom,” she says, shooing her mother away from the door. “What are you doing here?” Lizzy’s confused features quickly turn happy as she stares at me with those piercing blue eyes. She is wearing the necklace I gifted her, and it shines against the Christmas decorations outside.
“Hey, thank Dani.”
Coming here was the right thing to do as I see how happy it’s made her … How happy and warm I now feel.