“sit tight like bookends / pages between us / written with no end”—Strong by One Direction
Sofia is still fast asleep by the time Peter and I get to the airport to pick up Colin and Lily. Or so Karin told me in the texts she’s sent me. I mean, someone kind of had to stay back and keep Sofia busy in case she wakes up, right?
I doubt it, but what if Sofia were to question where I am at, this early in the morning? It’s easier to say I’m out with her father to catch a couple last-minute Christmas presents instead of somehow having to explain why all three of us were gone.
Though, maybe Sofia wouldn’t believe the Christmas present excuse because as far as I’ve been told, stores aren’t open on holidays, and Christmas Eve here is like their Christmas day? It’s confusing, really. At least for me.
It’s so much more logical to wake up on Christmas morning and open presents than hand them out on Christmas Eve after dinner or something like that.
“Are the stores open today?” I ask Peter as we wait. I’m not asking because I need one more present to buy, but because I’m genuinely interested in finding out. Germany’s business hours are confusing as hell.
Peter nods. “Until two p.m., as far as I know. You need anything?”
“No, I’ve got all my presents. I was just wondering.” Yes, I even have a present for Colin and Lily, believe it or not. I’ve had that idea of inviting Lily and Colin for Sofia’s birthday ever since I knew I’d be here for it, so I bought a couple just-in-case presents.
Then, finally, Lily and Colin come walking toward us. Having to keep myself from snorting out loud when I find their hands interlocked, I manage to not gag and appear happy to see them both. I am happy to see them, I just don’t like seeing them being so… in love. It’s kind of strange, especially when my best friend has his tongue stuck down my sister’s throat.
I’m happy for them, truly. I couldn’t imagine anyone better for my sister, and I know Colin makes her really happy. Perhaps I’m still a little weirded out by what I had to witness on my birthday.
“Please cover up your face, my eyes cannot take this ugliness,” Colin says instead of a heart-warming greeting. But that’s him, I guess. I’d be worried if he were to shake my hand as hello or give me one of his all too loved bro-hugs only. I get those when he’s drunk all the time, or when he has something up his sleeves. “Man, my eyes were just recovering from the last time I saw you, and now all the progress is down the drain.”
Instead of a hug or anything alike, Colin is holding his fist out to me, naturally, I give in for the fist bump because, you never ignore one. Ignoring fist bumps or high-fives? Super uncool.
Then I move over to my sister, pulling her in for a brotherly hug. She chuckles, but eventually closes her arms around my torso to reciprocate the hug. “Didn’t get enough affection the last few days?”
“I did, but I figured a hug won’t hurt because you guys have a lot of work to do. So see this as my form of payment to you.”
We pull away from the hug, and I grin at the stunned face she makes. At least until Lily turns away to greet Peter.
Shortly after a couple of “how was your flight” and other small-talk attempts, we’re finally on our way back to the Carlsen’s house, or more like their barn. We haven’t quite managed to finish decorating everything before Sofia came back home yesterday, and as I didn’t want her suspecting anything, we all had to be back at the house to seem as unsuspicious as ever.
But now we only have a couple more hours to finish, tops.
It’s around six-thirty in the morning when we get back to the house and storm into the barn. Peter is kind enough to take Colin and Lily’s luggage into the house for them, that way there is a less of a chance for Sofia to spot them in advance.
“Oh, there are clothes for each of you in your room. I’d like to ask you to wear them, even if it’s not your color,” I tell them both, not bothering to explain any further.
“You really did mean big plans,” Colin says, looking around the mostly finished decorated barn. “Looks good.”
Lily does the same, just looking around with a rather impressed expression. “I start to understand why the party starts as soon as the sun sets.”
Makes sense once you see this. The number of goddamn lights everywhere… they’ll only look good in the dark. With sunlight shining through the two windows, it just looks weird.
“Yeah. But we still need to take care of all the flowers. They delivered them last night. Karin only had enough time to put them all in some water, so we have to put them in different vases now and, you know, make them look pretty all around here.” That’s going to be more work than I imagine, won’t it?
Of course it will be. It’s always more work than people imagine.
“I do wonder, though…” Colin turns to look at me, slightly narrowing his eyes. “It’s just Sofia’s birthday, right? Why go so over the top for it?”
“Because her stupid ex-boyfriend is planning to propose to Julia.”
Lily gasps, bringing both of her hands to her mouth. “No way.”
“Yes way. Can you believe that guy cheated on Sofia? Like, who the fuck would do that?” My blood still starts to boil whenever I think about that. Sometimes I wish Sofia hadn’t told me, because every single time I see Leon’s face, I want to do nothing more but to make him taste my fists and give him a free nose job.
Colin walks over to where the flowers are separated into five huge buckets. “Sounds like you’re really mad about it, babe.” He takes one bouquet out, looking at it like he’s questioning every single decision he’s made in his life.
“I am.”
He grins, though turns to not let me see he is. Too bad, I’ve already seen it.
“You know, for someone that claims not to have feelings for her, you get quite upset with shit that isn’t your fault and involves her.” Colin walks over to the table in the middle of the barn, putting the flowers in a vase. “The last and only time I got that upset about anything that wasn’t in my hands, it was connected to Lily, and we all know how that turned out.” He smiles at my sister, then winks when he finds her smiling back at him. “Okay, and maybe the shit Maeve is pulling with Miles. But that’s still a different kind of madness.”
Sighing, I start to do the same Colin does. Take a bouquet of flowers and put them in any of the empty vases. “I’m not like in love with Sofia. I just don’t like her getting fucked with.”
“Because you’d rather you fuck her,” Lily says, brushing off some hay from the chairs.
I groan. “Don’t say that.” Seriously, she’s my sister. If Colin said that, it wouldn’t bug me nearly as much as when Lily does it.
“It’s the truth though. You could barely keep your pants on with Winter around. I can only imagine how awful this must be for you when Sofia is around,” Colin adds for my sister. “Ever thought about just telling her how you feel?”
“I did.” They both look at me with raised eyebrows. “Kind of.” Sitting down on one of the chairs, I kick some hay in front of me away, tapping my foot on the wood. “We’re dating, you know. Like, genuinely. She’s my girlfriend now. But it’s… complicated.”
“Really?” Lily comes running over to me, kneeling while keeping her hands on my knees to keep herself steady. “You didn’t mention that.”
“It’s not that big a deal.” It is though, to me. I’ve been holding on to a promise for years, not knowing whether we’d ever get there or not. And now Sofia and I are dating, still there’s a huge possibility that it’s all for nothing. “She just might not ever come back to America after she’s graduated.”
“What?” Colin drops the bouquet in his hands in the vase, his head instantly snapping over to me. “Why the hell not?”
“For reasons I cannot say. But it’s huge and I’d totally get if she didn’t come back, you know. It’s just…”
“You’d be separated from an ocean again with almost to no way of seeing the other regularly,” Lily fills in for me when I just trail off. I only manage to nod. “You could move to Germany, though, right? I mean, you’d have to learn a whole new language because I doubt you could live here for the rest of your life depending on Sofia to translate.”
“I can’t.” Moving to a whole other country, that’s difficult as fuck. Getting a temporary work visa, or one for travelling is much easier than moving to the country you’re visiting.
“Yeah, he can’t,” Colin says. “He’ll be drafted to go pro, and that sure as fuck won’t be in Germany.”
“I’d drop hockey for her, but I doubt I’d be happy so far away from everyone.”
“And you say you’re not in love.” My sister rolls her eyes, plopping down to sit in front of me now. “Ever thought about that maybe Sofia wouldn’t be all too happy being away from her family either?”
I’ve thought about that just around a million times for two days.
“Besides, Ron, if you don’t think your relationship is going anywhere, why bother being in one in the first place?” Lily asks.
“Because I’d rather have limited time with Sofia than none at all.”
“Holy shit,” Colin says, followed by a long groan. “You were right.”
Right about what? I didn’t say anything.
Lily laughs, and for once it doesn’t bug me as much when she laughs without me knowing why. I used to hate it because I always thought she was laughing about me. But recently, even if she were laughing about me, it’s better than to never hear her laugh ever again. “Told you, Aaron is the dating-type.”
All right. Yeah, that’s definitely laughing about Colin for, apparently, thinking I wasn’t interested in dating.
I am not. Not unless it’s Sofia I am dating.
Colin pulls out his wallet from his pocket, opens it, sighs, and closes it again. He then looks up at Lily. “I don’t have money on me. But the second we’re back home, I’ll give you your fifty bucks.”
My eyes almost pop right out of my head. “You were betting about me ever dating someone?”
Colin shakes his head. “Nah, we were betting about you dating Sofia. I said no way, you’re too much of a pussy for that. Lily said you’d totally go for it the second you get the chance to.”
“I hate you guys so much.”
The audacity of them. I am having a real crisis here, and they’re making bets about me and Sofia dating. Unbe-fucking-lievable.
“Ah, shut it. You’ve done the same with Miles and Grey about Colin and me,” Lily says, waving me off.
“I did not.” I made bets with the entire team. I won.
“Oh, you so did. Miles told me about it.”
“When the hell did you speak to Miles?” Colin asks, now more concerned than he is whenever we’re about to lose a game.
Lily shrugs. “I don’t know. That one time on campus. He said Sofia and I wouldn’t have to watch Brooke during practice because Emory would have her.”
“And you proceeded to talk beyond that? Mi sol, he’s ready to jump your bones.”
“He is not,” Lily and I say in unison. Miles wouldn’t ever go for a dude’s girlfriend. Especially not his best friend’s girlfriend.
“Besides, I am pretty sure he has a crush on Emory.”
I slide a hand down my face, muffling a laugh whereas Colin lets his slip out like it’s nothing.
“Lils, Miles loathes Emory.”
Lily’s nose wrinkles. “Then how come she’s always around. Well, not always, but I see them together a lot. And she does get mentioned a hell lot of times.”
“Emory is Brooke’s aunt. Millie’s sister.”
“Twin sister,” Colin corrects. “And they dated once before him and Millie did, so she’s also his ex-girlfriend.”
And here I thought my love-life was complicated and pitiful.
