“Fuck it’s cold.” Jason rubbed his palms together quickly as he dashed across the snow covered yard. The white stuff was at least a foot thick so it wasn’t so much dashing as it was a weird, almost painful to watch waddle. When he made it to the porch, he thought he was home free, but nearly slipped on an icy patch right in front of the little colonial’s door, catching himself on the door frame. Right on cue, it opened.
“What the hell are you doing out there?” The cheeky redhead that greeted him wore a grin a mile wide, the freckles on her cheek scrunched up into brown little blobs. She didn’t move and Jason growled, clinging to the doorframe.
“Move. I’m fucking freezing.”
“Not until you say the password.”
“The password is fuck you, now move!”
The girl frowned but stepped to the side and let Jason through. He hastily ran into the entry, jumping from foot to foot as if it would help him warm up faster. “Jesus fucking Christ! Why do we have to have Christmas up here? Why can’t we ever do it at my place? You know? Where the sun shines for more than two hours a day?!”
“Oh calm down you big baby. Nobody made you come.”
“Yeah right… If I didn’t show, Mom would never let me live it down.”
The redhead giggled. “And Dad would kick your ass.”
Mary and Jason Howlett continued their conversation as they walked further into the house, Jason’s boots and heavy winter coat left by the front door. His socks were dirty and his jeans looked warm, and there was a thick amount of stubble on his chin. Tall, stocky, and one look around the Howlett living room and anyone could tell he played highschool and college football. Unlike his sister, Mary, he had dark chestnut brown hair but they did share the same green eyes. Ruggedly handsome, he called himself.
On the flip side, Mary was small and petite, dainty in a white wool dress with red stocking underneath. Her hair fell past her shoulders and curled into the middle of her back, a menagerie of copper, gold, and crimson. Prim and proper, she had the body of a dancer, though she barely looked like she was out of highschool let alone enrolled in the prestigious Juilliard School of Performing Arts. It completely outshined Jason’s architect degree, but he didn’t mind. Mary was a very talented dancer.
“So where’s Dylan?” She hopped up onto a barstool at the island in the middle of the large kitchen.
“He’s coming a little later.” Jason opened up the fridge and scanned its contents, immediately reaching for his favorite: a chilled Budweiser. Nothing said Christmas with the family like cheap beer. He popped the top and took a sip, leaning back against the counter opposite of his sister. “He had some last minute thing he needed to do and couldn’t make the same flight I was on. I offered to stick around the airport but he said he wasn’t sure when he’d be landing, so he’d get a cab.”
“Aw… I hope he doesn’t miss the party.”
“Naw, he’ll be here.” He took another sip. “Just give ‘em some time… So who else is here? It sounds pretty quiet…”
“Uncle Jim and Aunt Stacy got here yesterday, and Cousin Amy tagged along with them. But you know Uncle Jim… He can’t stand the sleeper sofa so they got a hotel room. Laura and Anna are coming tonight, and everyone else is out right now getting the tree.”
“See, why do they wait until last minute? I never understood that…”
“Because they want everyone to be here when the decorate it!”
Jason scoffed and took his third sip, eyeing his sister. “So you got left behind to be my welcoming party?”
“I actually volunteered for the job… I was kinda hoping that Dylan would be with you.”
That piqued his interest and Jason set the beer aside. “Oh…? And why is that?”
Mary blushed and started to fidget with her hair, something she always did when she was nervous. “Oh, no reason in particular. He’s just really fun to be around.”
“Yeah, right. Fun.”
“Oh shut up Jason!”
Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)
