TWENTY-FOUR
HAYDEN
MICHIGAN
DECEMBER - EIGHT YEARS AGO
I wake up to the sweet scent of Emerald.
“Are you awake?” she whispers, her hair tickling my nose.
Humming, I bury my face in her hair, my rough morning voice rumbling, “No.”
“Liar, liar,” she giggles, poking my side. I grin and pull her closer, kissing her hair and inhaling deeply.
“Are you sniffing me?”
“You smell nice,” I close my arms around her tighter.
“Oh. That’s sweet,” she sighs, cuddling deeper into me. “You’re sweet, Hayden.”
Sweet is definitely not an adjective I’ve ever heard when people refer to me.
Large. Solid. Tall. Tough. Strong. Goon. Stupid. Dumb. Slow.
But sweet?
That might be my favorite, especially since it comes from my favorite girl. Smiling, I crack one eye open and am met with the most beautiful sight—Emerald, dressed in Christmas pajamas with reindeer and candy canes, mussed hair, smiling brightly at me.
If I could wake up to this sight every morning, I would die a very happy man...
“Come on, it’s Christmas, sleepyhead,” Emerald says, suddenly bouncing upright.
Her movement nearly sends her tumbling off the queen bed—her bed—that I’m somehow taking up most of.
Panicked, I quickly reach out and grab her, pulling her back to me. Emerald isn’t even fazed as she laughs, pressing a kiss to my nose.
“Santa came.”
Santa, my lips twitch at the pure joy on her face.
“Hmm... never heard of him.”
“Don’t say that!” she gasps, teasing smile on her face. “You’re gonna end up on his naughty list.”
“You see me fight on the ice?” I snort, shaking my head. “I don’t think that constitutes as nice, baby.”
“You’re nice to me,” Emerald grins, biting her lip. I smile at the sight. “And Ruby. And my parents. And you didn’t even react badly when you walked into the Land of Oz.”
Ever since Emerald asked, I had been nervous to come home with her for Christmas. Emerald assured me her parents were excited to meet me, and that they would feel awful if I were alone on Christmas, and the thought of spending more time with Emerald was a no-brainer.
Ruby picked us up at school after coming home yesterday from Northwestern, where she’s studying law. Months ago, when Emerald and I shifted from a tutor-tutoree relationship to falling head over ass for this amazing girl, I asked her about her family.
“Ruby’s like if a shark made a wish to be a human,” Emerald told me with a wide smile.
I understood what she meant instantly when Emerald took off running in the parking lot and sprinted over to a tall blonde leaning against an older red Mustang.
“Ruby!” Emerald yelled, unashamed, and so full of joy I could only smile.
The stone mask of Ruby’s face melted, and she opened her arms for her sister’s enthusiastic greeting. Ruby placed a kiss on Emerald’s head before she looked at me as I approached.
Up and down. Pursed lips. Narrowed eyes.
I suddenly felt like I was on the stand, about to be cross-examined.
“This him?” Ruby asked Emerald.
“Yes!” Emerald said, wrapping both of her arms around my waist and cuddling into my side. “Ruby, this is my Hayden.”
“Hi, nice to meet you,” I nodded, not offering my hand in a shake when Ruby kept hers crossed. She studied me until I started shifting uncomfortably on my feet, while Emerald beamed brightly from next to me.
“Hm... put the bags in the trunk,” she said, sliding her sunglasses back on her face before walking to the driver's side.
“Oh! She likes you!” Emerald said happily, bouncing up to press a kiss to my cheek.
“I’ll take your word for it,” I replied, catching her lips in a quick kiss before grabbing both of our bags and tossing them in the trunk.
The Osgoods live right in the heart of Ann Arbor, and always have.
Linda was working as an ER nurse when Tim came in with a bad cut on his arm from his construction job.
Seems Tim is unlucky and prone to injury—a bump on his head, a scrape on his leg, shoulder pain, a leg cramp—all fake. He just wanted to see the woman he fell for at first sight.
And apparently, being full of shit paid off.
He and Linda have been married—happily—for twenty-five years.
They live in the kind of neighborhood I’ve only ever seen through the car window on the way back to our gated community in Chicago. Kids building snowmen in the front yard, every house decorated with colorful lights and wreaths.
My face was practically pressed to the window as Ruby drove. The houses aren’t perfect new builds. They’re older, lived-in, the kind of places that feel full of memory.
“They’ve got character,” Emerald smiled next to me when I told her my thoughts.
Ruby snorted from the driver’s seat, shaking her head. “Oh, just wait, you’ll see character.”
When Emerald warned me once again that her Mom was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz and that her house looked like an Oz museum, I thought she was exaggerating. I was expecting a couple of figurines, maybe a picture or two.
I was wrong.
It started with the welcome mat outside their front door.
There is no place like home, in bold script with a distinct yellow pattern.
Then, the little sign on the green wreath hanging on their front door— The Land of Osgood.
When Emerald stepped on the welcome mat, she gave me a sly smile and clicked her heels to wipe her feet. I laughed before doing the same thing, and Emerald smiled approvingly before opening the front door...
Into chaos.
Christmas music was playing from somewhere I couldn’t see. Immediately, I was hit with the scent of fresh-baked bread and tomato sauce, making my mouth water and stomach rumble.
Ruby brushed past us and headed upstairs, expertly stepping over the brown cat napping on the third step.
“That must be Toto,” I said, Emerald nodding, but her eyes looked at me like she was expecting me to either laugh or say something mean about her home.
How could I? My smile only grew the more I saw.
The runner on the floor spanning the length of the entryway was in a yellow brick pattern. As we walked further into the house, I glanced to the left—a living room—and saw a cozy, cluttered space with a blue gingham couch, and shelves upon shelves of books and many Oz-themed trinkets.
The walls were lined with pictures, and I smiled seeing all the ones with Emerald in them, from her as an adorable little baby all the way up to her high school graduation photo. Ruby has matching pictures right next to her.
Each one is in an Oz-themed frame.
Everywhere you look, you’ll find something from The Wizard of Oz, and now I understand.
“What do you think?” Emerald asked, her tone hesitant.
“It’s great,” I squeezed her hand still in mine and smiled. And it’s true. This place feels warm. I think of my parents' house, perfectly decorated, bland, and beige. There are no personal touches anywhere; my picture isn’t hung anywhere in the house. It’s sterile.
This place is... alive.
Emerald beams and, not letting go of my hand, tugs me excitedly down the hall toward the kitchen, as I try to take it all in.
My first thought when I saw Linda Osgood was, ‘So this is what Emerald is going to look like in thirty years.’
Linda wore a blue gingham apron, stirring a pot when we walked in. She saw Emerald, squealed so loud, and dropped everything. I let go of Emerald’s hand so she could rush into her mom’s open arms.
While I know Emerald lives at school, she sometimes goes home on weekends. The way Linda acted, it was like she hadn’t seen her daughter in years.
And it made my chest ache.
Because I can’t ever remember my parents missing me like that.
More than that, though, it made me happy that my Emerald had that.
Linda saw me, and her face brightened even more.
“You must be Hayden! Oh, come here,” to my shock, Linda pulled me into a warm hug that completely took me off guard, but also made me want to cry a bit. “It’s so nice to meet you. Emerald can’t stop talking about you!”
Linda pulled back, but kept her hands on my shoulders, mouth going a mile a minute.
“I hear you’re a hockey player—yes, that definitely makes sense.
You’re so tall! Oh, I’m so happy you’re going to spend Christmas with us.
Oh, darn, I forgot to ask Emerald—do you have any allergies?
Do you have any food preferences? Emerald said you follow a meal plan.
Is there anything special that I could make for you? ”
My smile was so wide as she spoke, words tumbling on top of each other. Emerald stood to the side, bouncing on her toes as she watched us, a very happy expression on her face.
Yes, this is definitely Emerald’s mother.
In that moment, all the anxiety, all the tension bled from my body in an instant.
I felt a feeling I had never felt before.
A sense of home.
“Come on, Hayden!” Emerald pokes my side again, bringing me back to the present. Emerald’s bedroom, my girl cuddled to my side. I catch her hand and playfully snap my teeth at the finger that poked me. She giggles, leaning down to press a kiss to my lips.
It lingers, and then her mouth opens, her tongue brushing against mine.
Then I lose all control because Emerald is underneath me, legs wrapped around my waist, my one hand cradling her face, and the other... wandering. Emerald lets out a breathy little moan that makes me hard as steel, and searching for friction, I grind myself into her.
We haven’t had sex yet. From lack of time, privacy, and a desire to really savor each other.
Not that I’m complaining, because Emerald has developed a new time for tutoring, and I’ve become very proficient at kissing my girlfriend.
I want to have sex with her. I’ve never felt this feral need for anyone before.
But Emerald hasn't had sex before, either. I want to take our time, enjoy each other, and not rush.
So, we've been making out and exploring each other's bodies.
She’s perfect. I’m convinced, and won’t hear any arguments against it. Her frame is short, and she has a more slim build. Her breasts, which she shyly said were small, fit her frame perfectly.