Sunsets & Starry Nights Chapter 1
The sounds of cheesy Christmas music that floated through the house began to fade as she walked down the hallway, but somehow a peal of scandalous laughter travelled past Terri before bouncing off the closed door in front of her. She smiled beside herself; she could recognize that laugh anywhere. Aunty Pearl seemed to get drunk on just the Christmas spirit. Terri chuckled at the thought as she struggled to figure out how she was going to open the door with both hands full.
Balancing her plate on top of her cup in one hand, she tucked her phone under an armpit and then attempted to open the door with the other. It swung open successfully and she sighed in relief. It was the kind of sound you made when you got home after a long day; for Terri, it had been a long day.
Just the sight of the window seat brightened her mood. Light flooded the room even though the day was quickly approaching dusk. The lumpy, old cushion that was once a periwinkle blue, appeared white from where Terri stood, but that didn't matter to her. She'd spent countless rainy days and almost every summer night curled up on it, reading a book or listening to Grandaddy tell stories from "long time ago." The little seat with its faded fabric seemed to be stuffed to capacity with memories.
She walked over to it, the smile on her face growing as the distance between her and her sanctuary shrunk. She placed her paper cup in the corner, gingerly removing her fingers to test if the cup would remain standing without her support. When it was finally stationary, she gently placed the plate and her phone next to it. Realizing she had left the door ajar, she returned to the doorway to close it.
She scurried back over to the seat and climbed onto it, oblivious to the disaster waiting to happen. As she sat, the cushion underneath her sunk, pushing the opposite side upward. Her eyes shot over to where her drink had been previously. The cup was toppling over onto its side, the deep red liquid within, sloshing dangerously close to the edge. Luckily, her great reflexes kicked in and she caught it in time before it could spill. With a sigh of relief, she pulled her knees up to her chest and took a sip, savouring the sweetness and the little kick of the ginger. It really wasn't Christmas without sorrel --she glanced at the plate at her feet-- and black cake.
She sighed again as she looked out the window. The sunset was gorgeous, as usual. The colours seemed to be dancing with each other across the sky, just as she imagined the rest of her family was doing in the living room right now. She had made her escape as stealthily as possible. Dancing wasn't something she felt like doing at the moment, in fact, it was the last thing she felt like doing. She had spent most of the day on her feet already, but that wasn't the real reason she had run away. She didn't even feel tired, well at least not physically.
She stared into her drink, swirling it around in the cup. She could just barely see the particles at the bottom spinning in the whirlpool she had created. The sight brought back memories she was trying to repress, memories of a Christmas not too long ago. She closed her eyes and sighed. Who was she kidding? She shook her head, amused, because a part of her knew that she was lying to herself. If she were actually trying to keep unwanted memories away, she really wouldn't have come here. This same part of her knew that, in reality, she was seeking out the ghosts.
It was amazing really, how powerful the human mind could be, because she could see him, in full form, sitting right across from her and grinning like a fool. One minute he was offering her a piece of black cake and the next he was shoving it into his own mouth.
"You should choke!" she had said and immediately regretted it, when after swallowing, the stupid boy had started to cough violently. She stood, the abrupt motion almost spilling the contents of her cup as she proffered it urgently to the boy who was practically dying in front of her. He had taken it from her with some reluctance, gulping the red liquid down, not even leaving any of the dregs behind. When he was sure the cup was empty, he brought it away from his face to reveal a broad grin. The look of outrage on her face had only caused his grin to spread wider.
A series of blows directed at his person was her only appropriate response.
"Andrew! You little..." she punctuated with blows, "I'm going to--"
"Alright! Alright! I'll get you another cup!" His arms were up covering his face, while one knee, bent and curled towards his middle, protected the rest of him.
"You better," she pouted with her arms crossed. He had to duck to avoid another blow as he crossed in front of her to get to the door.
When he came in again, she had been sitting in the window seat staring out at a gorgeous sunset.
"Beautiful..." he breathed, approaching her.
"I know, right?" She didn't turn to look at him, "It's amazing how it happens everyday, but it never gets old."
He sat next to her, studying her, so that when she turned to him their eyes locked, "I guess that's the power of true beauty, it's timeless."
Something about the look in his eyes as he said the words had unnerved her and she couldn't maintain eye contact any longer. She grabbed the cup from his hand seeming to successfully dispel the uncomfortable feeling.
His gaze dropped to his lap. His hand still glistened with the condensation from her cup. He rubbed his fingers together, spreading the liquid across the tips that were still pink from their contact with the cold cup. The action was light and appeared to trigger the expression that slowly spread across his features. A mischievous smile was fixed on his face even as he looked up at her. She looked back at him suspiciously, waiting.
"Aren't you going to thank me?" he asked.
She snorted, "Oh please! You should be thanking me, that I didn't smack you where it really hurts."
Unconsciously, he shifted away from her, but his smile only faltered for a split second.
"I'm not talking about the juice."
"Then what are you talking about?" she sounded exasperated.
"I just gave you your first kiss."
Thankfully, she had already swallowed a mouthful of the drink before her brain could process what he had said. Otherwise, her subsequent sputtering would have furnished the couch and them both with a fine sprinkling of red spots. Her first response was to panic, as though she hadn't been present over the past few minutes to know for herself that no kissing had transpired, but it wasn't long before the rational part of her brain kicked in again and she relaxed, rolling her eyes before taking another sip.
"Did you mix up your glass with Aunty Pearl's by accident?"
He shook his head, laughing.
"Then, what are you talking about?"
"You practically forced me to drink from your glass. That, by right, was an indirect kiss."
Terri cackled before replying, "I'm sorry. I think I missed the part where we traveled back in time to primary school." Terri rolled her eyes and without waiting for a response, she turned back to look out the window again. It was amazing how the sun disappeared so quickly, one minute it was there in all its glory, the next it was melting against the horizon, soon to be replaced by thousands of sparkling stars. Terri-Ann had to admit that this scene possessed some charm in its own right, though not in the same way as the sunset with its loud, vibrant colours that seemed to scream, "Look at me! Look at me!" The night sky was different, quiet, and it was this silence that forced you to stare up at it in wonder. Her thoughts quickly changed their course as she made a realization.
He was silent. The thought disconcerted her. Andrew was never silent. She turned to look at him just in time to catch him sliding towards her. She couldn't hide her alarm at his proximity and he seemed to revel in an awareness of that. The smirk on his face sparked her anger, though if you asked her at whom her anger was directed she wouldn't be able to tell you.
He inched closer still and her heart rate picked up. His eyes searched hers, flicking from one to the other in quick succession. He finally spoke.
"Today's festivities have me feeling the Christmas spirit," he whispered, his voice low and raspy. His eyes flicked down her face and then back up to her eyes, "Since Christmas is all about giving..."
Terri-Ann bit her lip quietly and his eyes flicked down her face again, spending longer than the last time.
He cleared his throat before continuing, "Forget the indirect one, I think it's time I give you your first real kiss."
She gasped, her lips parting with the sharp intake of breath and Andrew, taking that as an invitation, leaned closer towards her. She was frozen. It reminded her of that one time when she was nine and had run across the road carelessly. She could see the car coming towards her, but she was powerless to jump out of the way.
Once again, the rational side of her brain, though too late for her liking, kicked in. She jumped up from the seat abruptly, her mouth gaping, no words seeming appropriate for the situation. She gulped down what was left in her cup.
"I-I'm...I need a refill," she choked out, before spinning on her heel and leaving the room.
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