“Tell her thank you.” He cocks his head to the side. “That what you were laughing at?”
“No. I thanked her for the mistletoe, and she told me she’d left more in that bag with the wreath in case I wanted to hang it elsewhere in the house.”
He grins. “There’s none over my door.”
“We can fix that later.”
After lunchwe haul the tree in from outside and get it set up in my living room. I already have the decorations down from the loft, and with Christmas music playing softly in the background, it doesn’t take us long to fill my house with more festive cheer than I think it’s ever had.
As I dim the lights and step back to appreciate the fully decked-out tree properly, Charlie comes with me, shoulder brushing mine. It feels natural to wrap my arm around him and pull him close.
“Tree looks amazing,” he says, smiling.
“It does.”
Coloured fairy lights gently fade in and out, illuminating the baubles and tinsel wrapped around the tree we picked out earlier. My house feels snug and inviting, like being wrapped in the softest blanket. I don’t know if that’s due to the decorations we’ve put up or the man standing next to me.
I’m terrified that it’s the latter.
Neither will last, but I know I’ll be fetching these decorations out again next year. Once Charlie leaves, that’ll be it.
He could come back too.
He won’t though.
I think we both know it.
I can’t leave here, I don’t want to. It’s not fair to ask someone else to do what I’m not willing to. And besides, it’s not like we’re together.
Jeez, Pete. Way to get ahead of yourself.
It’s probably the last thing on his mind right now.
Charlie sighs and wraps an arm around my waist. “Thank you,” he says softly.
“For what?”
“For letting me share this with you. There’ll be no point in doing it when I get home.”
I try not to flinch at the reminder of him leaving. “You’ll still have time.”
“Yeah, but it’s not the same. With the flat on the market, a lot of my stuff is already packed away. I guess it’s not felt like a home in a while.” He rests his head on my shoulder. “Not like yours does.”
That’s because you’re in it, I want to tell him. But I don’t. Obviously. Because that makes no sense and I don’t want to scare him off. Not now. Not when we’ve only got a few days left to have this.
“I’m glad I got to help you decorate. So thank you.”
I kiss the top of his head, can’t help myself. “You’re welcome.”
We stay like that for a while longer, enjoying the play of the lights across the room.
It’s captivating.
It’s also warm and cosy, especially with Charlie still tucked into my side, and even though I’m standing up, I feel my eyes drifting closed. I could fall asleep right here, until Charlie speaks.
“I should get going.” He gently eases out from under my arm.
I miss his warmth already. “You can stay,” I offer quickly.
