Chapter 24: Chapter 23. She Looked Like a Goddess Sent from The Heavens For Me!

BLAKE

It was nine in the morning on Christmas day, and I was buzzing around my house like a bee. I was trying to get everything neat and tidy before Claire arrived. I had texted her the night before, asking her to come over at ten.

Right now, I was busy cleaning the table. My mom was in the kitchen, whipping up breakfast, while Anya was out by the tree, eyeing the pile of presents.

I’ll admit, I was pretty surprised myself when I woke up at seven to see the tree practically buried under a mountain of gifts. It seemed like every year, my mom went a little more overboard with the presents.

She was over the moon when she found out I had invited Claire over. It was kind of strange. She had only met Claire for a brief moment, but she already liked her. I guess I can’t really blame her.

I’ve been interested in Claire since the first time I saw her. We had just moved next door, and she was out shooting hoops in her driveway.

She was pretty good, especially for a seventh grader.

We first moved next to her when we were in seventh grade. She would glance at me occasionally, but never really acknowledged me.

Looking back, she didn’t really talk to anyone. When I first started school, I assumed a girl as beautiful as her would be part of the popular crowd, but she wasn’t. Instead, I was.

Every time we passed each other, she would keep her eyes straight ahead, not looking at anyone.

Apparently, Ashley and Claire used to be friends, until they had a big fight about something. No one knows what. But after that fight, Ashley kicked Claire out of the popular crowd.

But Claire didn’t seem to care. In fact, she seemed perfectly fine with it.

Then in high school, Ashley did something else to Claire, and they’ve hated each other ever since.

Nick was the one who told me about their history when I asked why Claire was always so quiet and never stood up for herself.

Nick said that no one knew the whole story, just that there was a fight that caused them to split.

It made me a little angry that Ashley was still so mean to Claire. It still does, really. I hate it when Ashley takes every opportunity to badmouth Claire, which is often.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Today was Christmas. Not a day for thinking about how much I wanted to punch someone.

“Blake, honey, slow down,” my mom chuckled from the kitchen. “She’s not going to be here for another half hour.” She grinned at me as I scrubbed the counters clean.

I shrugged. “Sorry. I was lost in thought,” I admitted sheepishly.

She nodded, a knowing grin on her face. “Thinking about Claire?” she guessed.

I could feel my cheeks getting warm, and I turned my head so she couldn’t see. “Well, she was part of it. I was just thinking.” I sighed, a small frown creeping onto my face.

I heard my mom’s footsteps as she came over and pulled me into a hug.

“Hey, no frowning! It’s Christmas! There’s no time for frowning on Christmas day, Blake.” She scolded me lightly, making me smile again. I let out a low chuckle.

She grinned back at me. “That’s better. Now, keep that smile on your face all day. Your dad will be home in about ten minutes, okay?” she said, going back to cooking the bacon, eggs, pancakes, toast, and biscuits.

I nodded, feeling a little relieved that for once, we wouldn’t be arguing. He was always a good dad on holidays and family nights.

“Anya, Sara, Blake, I’m home!” I heard my dad shout from the living room ten minutes later.

“Daddy!” Anya screamed, running over to jump on him.

I heard an “oof” before dad chuckled and walked into the kitchen.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of breakfast. “Christmas breakfast sure smells great,” he grinned.

My mom smiled at my dad. She put down her spatula, walked over, and wrapped her arms around him, leaning up to give him a quick kiss.

Anya and I made faces at the sight. “Ew,” Anya scrunched up her face in disgust.

“Guys, please, I know it’s Christmas and all, but you do have a room, you know,” I pointed out, gesturing upstairs to their bedroom.

My dad pulled back and grinned at me. “Son, this whole house is our room,” he winked at mom.

She blushed and slapped his chest. “No inappropriate talk right now, Daniel,” she scolded him, but she was smiling.

I knew my parents were in love. Despite everything that happened and how often my mom got mad at him, she would always love him. And he would always love her.

Mom went back to the stove as dad put Anya down.

“Oh, and Daniel,” my mom turned to dad. “Blake has a special girl coming over for Christmas. So, behave,” she told him sternly, her loving eyes now serious.

My dad raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “I hope she’s not one of those usual skanks you bring home,” he muttered.

Mom slapped his chest. “Stop it. And trust me”—she grinned—“she’s not. The first day I met her, she ran for the door.”

Mom laughed, remembering the day I brought Claire home after she passed out and then ran off as soon as she woke up.

Dad raised an eyebrow again. “You mean she was here?” he asked, sounding a little annoyed.

I sighed and shook my head, preparing to explain. “Dad, I promise. We haven’t done anything. Yes, she was here.

“But only because we literally ran into each other, and she passed out from the impact. So, I brought her here, and she freaked out and ran off as soon as she woke up.”

I tried to summarize it as best I could. “I promise, we’re just friends.” ~For now!~

Something in the back of my mind whispered. I shook my head, dismissing the thought. I definitely liked Claire.

But I was sure it was just a small crush. I mean, all guy and girl friends think that at first, right? And in the end, they’re just like siblings to each other.

My dad gives a nod. “Okay. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

Right on cue, there’s a knock at the door.

Anya’s face lights up and she dashes to the door. “I’ll get it!” she calls out.

I glance down at my outfit and my eyes go wide. I’m in my red gym shorts and a plain white tank top.

My parents chuckle from beside me. “You might want to change real quick,” my mom suggests, her gaze shifting to the living room as Anya greets our guest.

“Hi, Claire. Merry Christmas!” Anya’s voice rings out cheerfully.

Then, there’s a gasp! We all freeze, startled by her reaction, until she comes running back in with a beaming Claire.

“She brought presents!” Anya exclaims, her excitement infectious.

We all laugh, but my laughter dies in my throat as I take in Claire. I can’t help but stare, my mouth practically watering.

She’s wearing a knee-length, dark red dress that clings to her like a second skin. It’s tight around her hips and has a small ruffle at the top, forming a little V-shape.

It doesn’t reveal much of her chest, but it’s enough to drive any man wild. She’s wearing gold, strappy, open-toed heels. The dress hugs her body, accentuating every perfect curve she has.

Her lips are painted with a thin layer of red lipstick. There’s a light dusting of red eyeshadow around her eyebrows. Her hair is neatly arranged in a braided bun on top of her head.

She looks like a goddess, sent straight from heaven just for me!

Her skin is flawless and pale. She’s absolutely breathtaking.

She gives an awkward smile and looks down. “Too much?” She bites her lip, and it’s all I can do to keep from losing my mind.

I swallow hard, at a loss for words.

“You look lovely, dear,” my mom says, a smile playing on her lips as she takes in my flustered expression.

Claire lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. My mom picked out the dress. I thought it was beautiful, so I agreed to wear it. It didn’t take me long to get ready. Maybe an hour, but I’m okay,” she rambles.

Suddenly, she stops and blinks, as if just realizing where she is. A blush creeps onto her cheeks. “Sorry.” She coughs awkwardly.

My parents chuckle. “That’s fine, sweetheart. I’m Sara. Blake’s mom, obviously.” She grins, extending her hand to Claire. “And you look lovely, sweetie,” she adds, a warm smile on her face.

Claire returns the smile and shakes her hand. Then, she turns to my father. “I’m Daniel. Blake’s father.” He holds out his hand to Claire, locking eyes with her in a silent challenge.

Claire, seeming to understand this, raises an eyebrow and meets his gaze as she shakes his hand.

She looks as if she’s accepting his silent challenge. After a moment, my dad grins at her and pulls away. Claire smiles, a victorious smile. Satisfied that she won that challenge.

Then, Claire looks at me, and a laugh escapes her lips. The sound makes my knees go weak.

“Love the outfit, Blake. You put so much thought into it,” she teases, eyeing my pajamas.

I look down and groan. “Sorry. I’ll be right back,” I say, then head to my room to change.

The last thing I hear is my mother saying, “So, you and Blake…”

I close my eyes and silently pray that they won’t scare her away.

CLAIRE

I chuckle as Blake hurries away.

I turn back to Sara and smile.

“So, you and Blake?” she asks, her eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

I laugh and shake my head. “No, we’re just friends. I promise. We only started talking about a month ago, maybe a little longer.” I shrug.

Sara’s mouth drops open. “You two have been friends that long and he’s never even introduced us? Oh, that boy is going to hear about this,” she mutters under her breath.

I laugh again, watching as she crosses her arms. His mom is very beautiful, really. With her platinum blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and slim figure.

She looks young for a woman with two kids! But as I look between her and Anya, I can see the resemblance. Anya has the same hair and dark blue eyes as her mom.

Daniel, on the other hand, is a spitting image of Blake! With his dark, stormy, grey eyes, jet black hair, chiseled face and same nose.

Sara sighs, just as Blake returns. He’s now wearing dark blue jeans and a red and grey button-up shirt. Black leather shoes cover his feet as he stares at what’s in my hand.

Only then do I remember that I have a bag of presents for everyone!

I woke up extra early this morning just to go and grab Anya, Sara, and Daniel a gift.

As I said before, I love Christmas shopping! Plus, it was the least I could do, since they did invite me over.

I glance back and smile. “Right. I brought presents!” I say enthusiastically.

Anya comes running in and starts bouncing up and down! “Mom! Mom! Dad! Dad! Can we open presents now?” she shouts, her blonde curls bouncing as she jumps up and down. A wide smile on her face.

She’s wearing a toe-length red dress with a white ribbon and bow around the waist. Small ruffles cascade from the waist down and she has on tiny black flats.

She’s adorable with her wide smile, showing off her perfectly white teeth.

I’ll say this much, the girl sure knows how to get her way. She bats her long, dark eyelashes innocently and pouts. That’s enough to make both her parents give in.

Sara smiles lovingly at her daughter as Daniel chuckles. “Of course, we can, princess. Now that we have everyone.” She glances at me.

“We can open presents, and then eat breakfast.” She claps her hands.

Anya’s smile widens as she bounces up and down again.

I lean over to Blake. “How old is she, again?” I ask, my breath tickling his ear.

He shudders, but turns to answer. “She’s nine. Ten in May.” He smiles.

I smile back and turn to look at his adorable younger sister. She claps her hands and runs over to me. Her dark blue eyes brighten as she eyes the big bag of presents I’m holding.

“Can I have the presents?” She asks, her sweet innocent voice making the request.

I let out a laugh, nodding in agreement. Sara was busy scolding her daughter for her lack of manners, but I didn’t mind.

I rummaged through my bag and pulled out three gifts for her.

Sara gave me a warm smile, shaking her head. “You didn’t have to do that, honey,” she said, her voice filled with sincerity.

I returned her smile, shaking my head in response. “It’s the least I could do. Thanks for inviting me over.” I handed the gifts to Anya.

She clutched them tightly, her excitement evident as she yelled, “Let’s go! Let’s go!” before darting off to the living room.

We followed her, laughing. I couldn’t help but smile as I took in their massive Christmas tree.

It was a towering, dark green tree, adorned with so many lights that it was almost dizzying. Ornaments of various colors hung from its branches.

The sheer number of presents under the tree left me in awe.

The last time I had a Christmas tree at my house, I was eight years old. Even then, I never saw as many presents as I was seeing now.

Blake chuckled at my reaction. “Yeah,” he agreed, nodding. “It’s a lot. I swear the presents get bigger every year.” He laughed.

I could only nod in response.

Suddenly, Sara clapped her hands, a wide grin on her face as she and Daniel settled down on the blue leather couch. Daniel’s arm wrapped around her, pulling her close.

“Alright, Anya and Blake. Dig in,” she said, her smile never fading. “But Anya,” she added.

When Anya turned to look at her, Sara continued. “I want those presents Claire gave you. You can open them after you’re done with these.”

She gestured to the mountain of presents under the tree, her arms outstretched.

Anya sighed, but handed the three gifts to her mother.

I settled down on the red loveseat, watching as Blake and Anya began searching for their presents.

Sara and Daniel turned to me, guilt flashing across Sara’s face. “I’m sorry, honey. I would’ve gotten you something too, but I didn’t know until it was too late,” she said, biting her lower lip.

I shook my head, smiling. “It’s okay, really. I can’t think of anything I want.”

I shrugged. It was true. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted. I was more of a giver than a receiver.

Sara forced a smile. “Alright. But I’m still sorry,” she repeated.

I just shook my head and turned my attention back to Blake and Anya. I couldn’t help but grin as I watched their expressions change from shock to surprise to awe, and finally, to pure joy with each gift they opened.

An hour later, at 11:45 a.m., they had finally finished opening their Christmas presents.

The living room was a mess of toys, clothes, boxes, and wrapping paper. It looked like a Christmas tornado had swept through!

“Alright, now you can go to Claire for your presents,” Sara said, motioning for them to come over to me.

I laughed as Anya practically leaped over to me. She was the cutest little girl I had ever seen. Her smile was so wide, I was surprised she could still move her lips!

I handed Anya her gifts. She ran back to her spot and started to tear into them, but I held up a finger.

“Hold on,” I said. “Wait until ~everyone,~ including you two,” I pointed to Daniel and Sara, “has their presents,” I told her, raising an eyebrow.

She huffed, but didn’t try to open them anymore.

Sara looked at me in shock and guilt. “Oh, come on! You’re going to make me feel even guiltier,” she muttered.

I shook my head, smiling as I handed Daniel and Sara two gifts each.

Finally, I turned to Blake and grinned. “And for you, my dear friend,” I teased, pulling out three wrapped gifts and handing them to him.

His eyes widened at one of them. “What is that?” he exclaimed, pointing to the largest one.

I just grinned and handed them to him. “You’ll find out,” was all I said.

I looked at them all. They were all staring at their gifts, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation. Finally, I nodded. “Go ahead.”

Anya was the first to tear into her gift. A wide grin spread across her face as she pulled out a dark, floor-length, purple dress.

It had wide purple straps with little ruffled flowers on the chest and the hem. It was silky, with a purple ribbon around the waist and a silver beaded rectangle on it.

It was beautiful, and I knew I couldn’t leave the store without it.

She squealed in delight, and Sara cooed at how beautiful the dress was.

“Oh, Claire, it’s gorgeous!” Sara exclaimed. Everyone stopped to admire the dress, each of them commenting on its beauty.

“How much was it?” Sara asked.

I shrugged. “One hundred fifty dollars.” I brushed it off like it was nothing.

Sara, Daniel, and Blake all looked at me in surprise.

“What kind of job do you have? ‘Cause whatever it is, I want in!” Blake joked.

I just smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Now, keep opening!” I scolded.

The next gift Anya unwrapped was a princess coloring book with her own set of markers. It wasn’t much, but what kid doesn’t love coloring?

The last gift was a one hundred dollar gift card to Toys ‘R Us. She let out a squeal of joy and ran over to give me a tight hug.

Next, it was Daniel’s turn. He smiled when he saw the sleek, gray metal watch I had gotten him, and the seventy-five dollar gift card to Carrabba’s, an Italian restaurant, so he could take Sara out.

He thanked me, and then it was Sara’s turn. She unwrapped her first gift, a set of diamond gold studs and a matching necklace. Her second gift was a two hundred fifty dollar gift card to Macy’s.

She gave me a tight hug, thanking me over and over, before it was finally Blake’s turn.

I watched him, my patience steady as he began to unwrap his first gift. His laughter filled the room when he saw the Green Day CD I’d chosen for him.

“You remembered,” he said, a grin spreading across his face.

I nodded, chuckling. “Of course, I did. How could I forget?”

His laughter joined mine as he moved on to the second gift. His eyes widened at the sight of the hundred-dollar check I’d slipped inside the envelope. He looked at me, surprise etched on his face.

“Claire, I can’t…” I didn’t let him finish.

“Nope. It’s already yours. I gave it to you.” I smiled at him.

His smile mirrored mine as he reached for the last, long gift.

He began to peel off the wrapping paper, his movements so slow I thought I might burst from anticipation.

When the last of the paper was gone, he stared at the gray and red electric guitar I’d splurged on. It had cost me close to seven hundred and fifty dollars, but his shocked expression made it worth every penny.

“Claire—you—how—when?” He stuttered, his fingers tracing the smooth surface of the guitar.

Sara’s eyes were wide too. “When did you get that?” she asked, her voice filled with surprise.

I shrugged. “This morning. I went shopping yesterday and wanted to get everyone—you guys,” I gestured to Daniel, Sara, and Anya, “a present too. But when I saw that guitar, I knew I had to get it.”

I smiled, remembering the moment I’d seen it and thought of Blake.

Blake just stared at the guitar, his eyes wide. He seemed to be in a trance until his mom called his name.

He jerked his head up. “Yeah…” He blinked several times.

We all laughed. “Say ‘thank you,’” his mother gently chided him.

Blake blinked again, then turned to me, his gray eyes sparkling.

“Thanks,” he said, his smile warm.

I returned his smile. “Merry Christmas,” I told him.

Suddenly, he stood and darted upstairs. “Be right back,” he mumbled, disappearing up the steps.

He returned moments later with a small black velvet box. He handed it to me, a sheepish smile on his face.

I raised an eyebrow at him, curiosity piqued.

“Just open it,” he urged.

I looked down at the box, my fingers tracing the soft velvet before I slowly lifted the lid. A gasp slipped from my lips as I took in the sight of the heart-shaped pendant on a silver chain. It was stunning!

The heart was outlined with tiny diamond studs, the inside left open. It was simple, yet so beautiful.

“I love it,” I whispered, lifting the chain to examine it more closely.

“Merry Christmas,” Blake replied. “Here, let me put it on,” he offered, moving to fasten it around my neck.

He draped the necklace across my chest, then lifted it to my neck, his fingers deftly securing the clasp. I shivered as his warm fingers brushed against the back of my neck.

I bit my lower lip lightly, a habit I had when I was nervous or scared.

Once he’d fastened the necklace, he stepped back to look at me. His face lit up with a smile.

“You look lovely, dear,” Sara was the first to comment.

Everyone else nodded in agreement, and Blake just smiled.

“Yeah, you look beautiful,” he agreed.

After we’d cleaned up the living room, we all headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

It was now four thirty-seven in the afternoon. Dinner was set for five.

We were all gathered in the living room, laughing and sharing stories. Sara was in the kitchen, preparing the meal.

Blake was sitting next to me, our knees almost touching. The closeness made my stomach flutter with nerves.

Anya was sitting next to Daniel.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt genuinely happy on Christmas!

That is, until my phone buzzed with a new text.

Everyone jumped at the sudden noise, except for me.

“Sorry,” I apologized, pulling out my iPhone to check the message.

But as soon as I read it, I wished I hadn’t.

James

Merry Christmas, babe. If you know what’s good for your parents, you’ll meet me at the gym by 5:15pm. It’s time we talk.