Chapter One
Darcy
“Dude,” my brother is standing outside the room I’ve grown up in. “You need to chill out.” What does he know? He’s been an adult for a hell of a lot longer than I have.
“Why are you hovering outside my room?” I’m pulling down the fandom posters that have been on the walls since I was in high school. I don’t know any college graduate that still has stuff like this decorating their rooms.
“To let you know Derrick is here.” He taps his fingers on my door frame. “Now, I think I need to stick around and make sure you don’t ruin your stuff.””
“Well, it has to go somewhere,” I sigh. “I graduate at the end of the next semester. It’s time for me to start acting like an adult.”
“Why would you do something insane like that?” Derrick’s voice has me turning so fast I rip the Thor poster I’m taking down. A part of me weeps at the damage but there’s nothing I can do about it now.
“Because, Derrick, after this semester we’ll have to go out and find jobs, pay rent, and carve out our space in the world.” I love him more than I thought possible, but sometimes he just doesn’t get it. I mean, his mom still does his laundry most of the time. Maybe I should focus on helping him grow up, too.
“Okay,” he drawls. “But I don’t understand what that has to do with your posters.” He motions to the small stack I’ve placed on the floor. “It’s not like employers will search your house.”
I roll my eyes and continue taking down all the childish things that shaped me. “I’m not dumb. I know they won’t do that. But you always hear people say dress for the job you want.” I gesture to all the things I’ve put in piles. “And, well, I figure that means what is in your personal space as well.”
“I guess.” Derrick takes a few steps toward Bradley and whispers something in his ear. My brother nods and leaves the room.
“What did you tell him?” I think I liked it better when they hated each other’s guts.
“Don’t worry about it.” He takes a few long strides across the room until he’s right next to me. “I think you need a break from erasing your childhood memories.”
“That’s not what I’m doing,” I groan. “And what exactly are we going to do? Stores will be a nightmare and most places are closing early.”
“There’s plenty we can do.” He pulls me into his arms and rests his chin on top of my head. I’d like to say it’s sweet, but it’s frustrating because I feel so miniature next to him. “Besides, we don’t go back to school until mid-January. Why are you doing this on Christmas Eve?”
“It’s on my list.”
“One of these days I’m going to burn all of your lists.” He shakes his head, messing up my ponytail. “Don’t get me wrong, I love how crazy organized you are, but it’s okay to live in the moment sometimes. Everything doesn’t have to be planned out in detail.”
That is one of the things I continue to admire about him. He’s able to roll with the punches. “I’ve tried that and it didn’t work out well for me.”
“Now you’re just being dramatic.” He kisses the top of my head. “My parents are official grownups and I catch them acting like teenagers all the time.”
“But they are established. They have a home, careers, and a sexy, pain in the ass son.” I pull myself away from him. “They’ve earned their playfulness.”
“Set your to-do list aside for the day and let’s hang out.”
I can’t believe he’s actually entertaining that idea. How am I supposed to get anything done? “But-–”
“Please,” he cuts me off. “This can be my gift from you.”
When he puts it like that, I can’t say no. “Fine,” I groan. I have a gift under the tree for him, but he doesn’t need to know that. “Lead us on this superb quest.” I point toward the door. Maybe I can sneak a small notebook into my bag. Lists and schedules are my comfort items, and I can’t imagine leaving them behind.
“After you, milady.” He bends in a low bow and gestures for me to go ahead of him. I can’t stop the giggle and moments like this are why I love him so much. Where I’m intense at times, he’s the person who levels me out.
Chapter Two
Derrick
I swear this woman is going to drive me to drink. And that’s saying something because I very rarely do it. It impacts my game too much. I can’t be going out on the court all sluggish because I decided to have a few beers.
She needs this, though. She lives and breathes by that damn list. If it’s not on there, it doesn’t get done. Hell, I’m surprised she even gave me a second chance when I caught up with her at Hilltown. There’s no way I was on her list. Especially after that disastrous double date.
“So, where are we going?” She’s looking at her phone in the passenger seat. Not paying attention to anything else around her. If I had my guess, she’s texting Cami about how awful I am because I’m forcing her to be spontaneous.
“It’s a surprise.” And it is. She wants to rush to be a “grown up”. To be this big grand thing and did everything in her power to be the top of everything in school. I’m extremely proud of everything she’s achieved, but she needs to learn how to just…be.
Minutes later we pull up to the mall. I try to find a parking spot close to the entrance but that’s like finding a needle in a haystack. Finally, I find one around the middle. “Please tell me we aren’t here to shop. This place is going to be insane.”
“Trust me, okay.” I love her, but sometimes she acts like I’m not capable of making wise decisions. Everything I’m doing today is thought out. I had planned it before showing up at her house, but after seeing her strip away everything that is a part of her, I had to add in a few things. I just wish she would have a little faith in me.
Darcy takes a deep breath and lets it out. “Okay.” She opens her door and steps out. “Is it just me, or did it get colder than it was when we left the house?”
“It’s definitely gotten colder,” I say. “The weather app said something about an ice storm coming through tonight.” I’m going to make sure we’re home before that happens. I don’t want to deal with distracted drivers on slick roads.
We walk hand in hand, as close as possible to keep each other warm. I didn’t dress for this weather. I have a light jacket and that’s it. This is one of the few times I wish I had Darcy’s attention to detail. I could have planned better for that.
The mall is crowded, just like Darcy said it would be. But we aren’t here for shopping and will steer clear of most of those that are. At least, I hope so.
“Are you going to clue me in, yet?” She bumps her shoulder into mine trying to avoid a family of four making their way out the door.
“You’ll see when we get there.” I lead her out of the store we came into, and head to the middle of the mall. In the center is a huge ice rink. It’s set up year-round, but there’s just something magical about skating on it with the huge tree in the middle decorated with lights and ornaments.
“Really?” She asks. She sounds terrified, but I don’t miss the brightness in her eyes. “All this time I’ve lived here, and I’ve never been.”
I find that hard to believe. I tried to come as much as possible. My parents even got me a membership one year. It was the best gift I ever got from them. Well, besides my car. “Why not?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugs her shoulders. “It didn’t seem that important at the time.”
“Not everything you do has to be important,” I roll my eyes. “Every once in a while, it can be something you do for nothing but absolute joy.” I give her hand a quick squeeze and lead her to the skate rental area. “If you need help finding your feet, I’ve got you.”
She snorts. “By the time we leave here, I’ll be skating circles around you.”
I shouldn’t have said anything. She’s now turned this into one of her goal challenge things. “The whole point of this is to have fun.”
“Oh, it will be fun…for me, at least.”
“We’ll see.” It’s all I can say. If she’s never done this before, she’s going to fall flat on her ass the second her skate touches the ice. I’ll help her up, of course, but I’m going to laugh while doing it.
Chapter Three
Darcy
“So, what was that about skating circles around me?” Derrick gloats as he’s literally skating circles around me. How the hell does he do that? As far as I know he hasn’t been this whole time I’ve been dating him. It’s not fair that he can go that long without actively doing something and pick it up like no time has passed. If I skip a week of yoga, I’m falling over on my mat every two seconds.
“Shut up,” I grunt. It may not be ladylike, but I don’t really care right now. My ass feels bruised from the falls I’ve taken. If this was supposed to be fun for both of us, he was dead wrong about it. Toddlers are skating past me with no trouble. “I don’t think I like this very much. Can we do something else now?”
“Yep,” he nods his head emphatically. “We’ll do whatever the lady wishes.” I open my mouth to tell him I wish to be home doing what I was before he dragged me away from it. He doesn’t give me a chance to say anything. “Except taking down all your posters. We can’t do that.”
“Why? I was having fun doing that, at least.” This has not been a good time for me.
“Because I’m helping you go outside your comfort zone. You can be a badass professional and still make time for the asinine things that make you happy.” He doesn’t get it. My planner and lists make me happy. But he’s trying to do something for me and I’m not going to complain too much.
“Okay,” I force a smile. “What are we doing next?”
His answering smirk leaves a bad feeling in my gut. I’m not going to like where this is going. “Let’s get out of these skates.”
I follow him back to the skate rental counter and slide my feet out of the God-awful things. This sport should be used as a form of torture. But only for those that can’t actually skate. They’d be ready to talk after busting their ass on the hard ice a couple of times.
Once we have our shoes on, he takes my hand and drags me to another part of the mall. For a second, I think we’re going to get a pretzel to share, but no. He stops before we get that far, and we’re in line…for Santa. “I’m not a child.”
“I mean, if we follow the logic you were spouting this morning, you still are until you graduate.” He’s waiting for my retort, but I don’t want to give him the satisfaction. He’s going a little far with this whole embrace your childhood thing. I was doing just fine letting go of mine. I’m ready to move on to the next chapter of our lives. He’s hoping to get picked up by a NBA team, and already has a job lined up with the athletics department in Asheville if that doesn’t happen. Me? I only have my degree. There’s no back up plan. Which is pretty crazy considering how much I plan things out, but I have no doubts I’ll find a job. I just need to get into that professional mindset.
It’s been a few minutes since I’ve said anything and Derrick is shuffling back and forth on his feet. I’m making him nervous now. Good. “We can get out of line if you really don’t want to do this.”
“I don’t,” I pause. “But I’m going to, and you are getting in the picture with me.” There. Let’s see how he likes that. I’m turning the tables on him, now.
He laughs. That’s not the response I was expecting. I thought there would be outrage and jaw dropping. Instead, I get this? “You didn’t honestly think I was going to make you go up there alone, did you?”
I nod my head. In fact, that’s exactly what I thought was going to happen. But I should have known better. He never misses a chance to act like a goofball. “So, you’ll be with me the entire time?”
“Duh,” he shakes his head. “I plan on getting the pictures and giving them to our parents in the morning.” He stares at the woman dressed as an elf beside the printing kiosk. “I think it’ll be a fun little gift they’ll enjoy. Who knows, maybe we can make it a yearly tradition.”
“I like that.” Maybe his ideas aren’t all that bad. I know our parents are going to love it. “Maybe we can get two pictures. One with us smiling and one with goofy faces. You know, to keep things interesting.”
“I’m really digging this spontaneous side to you.” He pulls me into his side, and I lay my head against him. This isn’t so bad after all.
Chapter Four
Derrick
It’s already dark outside when we leave the mall. I didn’t realize we’d been in there that long. Time seems to speed right the hell up when you’re having fun. I don’t like it, but it was worth it to see Darcy loosen up. To see her smiling and having fun without worrying about what she does and doesn’t need to get done. It’s the little things.
She has the pictures we took with Santa in her lap. Even though she didn’t want to take them, she really enjoyed it. At least that’s what the ear to ear grin she’s sporting tells me. I was serious about making it a tradition. I just hope she’s down, too. “Are we going home now?”
“And if we are?” I want to see her reaction. To see if she really would rather be at home ripping posters off her wall.
Her shoulders slump and I have my answer. “I mean, it would be cool. We’d beat the storm that way.”
“Ha,” I yell. “You’re having fun.”
“I am,” she concedes. “Not going by a schedule isn’t so bad. Although, I loathe not knowing what we’re doing.”
“You’ll live.” I back out of the parking spot and drive toward the highway. “We have one more stop.”
“Where’s that?”
“You’ll have to wait and see. I’m saving the best for last.” She sets the pictures on the dashboard and turns the radio to a Christmas station. It’s the first time since we’ve been home on break that I’ve seen her do anything holiday related. We’ve been jamming to holiday music at my house all week. It was starting to get annoying, but I’ll listen to Christmas music year-round if it puts that happiness in her.
***
Thirty minutes later we’re in a mile-long line to get into the drive through light show. I didn’t think there would be that many people here on Christmas Eve. I assumed they’d be home partaking in whatever traditions they have.
“The lights are gorgeous.” Darcy’s eyes are wide.
“Just wait until we’re actually inside.” They are so much better, and bigger, than what you can see from the highway. This is one of my family’s favorite places to visit. Not only are the displays magical, but all the profit goes to charities in the community. It’s a win all the way around.
Darcy is practically bouncing in her seat as we inch closer to the entrance. Her excitement is contagious and I put the radio on the station that syncs up with the lights. Finally, we’ve got the entrance fee paid and we’re ready. I turn the headlights off and creep forward.
“This is so cool,” Darcy says in wide eyed wonder. “The way they have the lights timed to make it look like they’re moving through the air. I can’t imagine how much time that has to take to make it perfect.”
It’s like she’s never been to one of these before. Did her parents never drag her along on outings? “I’m guessing this is another one of those things that just wasn’t that important and didn’t fit into your plan?”
“Pretty much,” she sighs. Not in exasperation with me, but at all she’s missed out on. “How many times have you been?”
“My parents have been bringing me here since I was a kid.” I shrug like its no big deal. In the grand scheme of things, it isn’t. Not really. “It’s just what we do. We love this place.”
We’re about halfway through the lights when I see the small shack that serves hot chocolate and snacks. I pull off the trail and into the parking lot. “What are we doing?”
“It’s cold. We need refreshments.” I open the door to get out, but pause. “Are you coming?”
“Yes.” She exits the door so fast I haven’t even turned the car off yet.
Once I do, I round the car and we walk to the shack. There are small bunches of families that had the same thought. The parents promising their kids hot chocolate if they are good for their picture with Santa. I remember being on the receiving end of those promises.
“I love the decor they have set up.” Darcy is taking in the tall lamp posts with fake lanterns lighting the line. “It feels cozy and like something you’d find in an old Christmas movie.”
“Yeah, I used to run circles around these things. Mom and Dad couldn’t keep up with me.” I have a lot of happy memories doing things like this. Spending time with those I love the most.
“I bet. I can barely keep up with you now.” She slides an arm around my waist and leans into me to capture some warmth.
“Look mommy,” a kid’s voice breaks us out of the moment. “They are standing under the kissing plant.”
The mom’s eyes widen and she mouths “I’m sorry” before turning her kid toward the front of the line.
We both look up and we are in fact under the mistletoe. “You know what we have…” I don’t get to finish my sentence.
Darcy leans up on her toes and presses her lips against mine. Her mouth moves against mine three times before she pulls away. Doing her best to keep it tasteful due to the families. “I love you, Derrick.”
I give her another quick kiss. “I love you, too.”
“Thank you for tonight,” she whispers against my chest. “It was nice not knowing what surprises you had in store for me.”
“And?”
She laughs. “And for showing me that I can still have fun even though I’m growing up.”
I squeeze her close to me. It’s cold and her warmth is the only thing keeping my teeth from shattering. “Good. And this means we’re hanging your posters back up, right? You can’t let growing up erase everything that made you, you. Without all the nerdy stuff, and fandoms, you wouldn’t be the same Darcy I love.”
“Yes.” She leans back and rolls her eyes. “The posters are going back up. You always seem to know what I need even when I don’t.”
“Always, babe.” And it’s the truth. I’ll always look out for her. When she’s in trouble and even when she doesn’t realize she’s in her own way.