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The cabin was quiet—too quiet—as Brynlee soaked in the tub, and I sat on the bed, flipping through the channels on the TV, looking for something to watch. She had grabbed some stuff at Waldon’s earlier, and the sweet scent floating under the bathroom door was pleasantly relaxing. I couldn’t tell exactly what it was, but it reminded me of the lavender lotion my mom always used when I was younger.
I knew I should have been writing instead of watching TV, but it was late, and my brain was fried. I had plotted the next few chapters, but I just wasn’t feeling the story, which made it that much harder to write. I was genuinely enjoying spending time with Brynlee, and that made me want to write even less. We hadn’t finished decorating the cabin yet, but I was hoping to carve some time out of the day tomorrow for that.
A rerun of an old cop show played on the TV, but my mind was still focused on Brynlee and her reaction to the tree topper I’d bought her. Her eyes had so much emotion that they pulled me in, and I knew I had to get it for her.
Feeling restless, I got up and paced the small space of the cabin, looking for something to do. The rest of the bags from earlier were piled up in the corner of the kitchen, out of the way, as we had only focused on putting the perishable stuff away.
I grabbed them and lined them up on the counter, putting the canned goods in the cabinets and replenishing the bottles of water in the pantry. We’d also bought a few extra packs of toilet paper, just in case, but there wasn’t any room to store them, so I left them in the corner. Once things were put away, I grabbed the strand of lights from the counter and got to work wrapping it around the tree.
I debated waiting for Brynlee so she could help me, but since it was more of a one-person job, I went ahead and did it. I couldn’t wait to see her face when she came out and found the tree lit up since she was so disappointed earlier when it didn’t turn on.
We would get the ornaments put on the tree tomorrow, including the few we’d picked out together today. But for now, it already felt a lot more like Christmas, with the beautiful tree lit up in the corner of the room. I couldn’t wait to see it tomorrow with the snowy landscape behind it through the windows.
I sat on the bed and watched It’s A Wonderful Life while Brynlee finished her bath. It was one of my favorite holiday movies, but I found myself wishing I was watching it with Brynlee instead. It was odd how I was growing fond of her so quickly and how much I loved the excitement of wanting to spend time with someone. It had been a long time since I’d felt it.
The movie was almost over when the bathroom door opened and Brynlee emerged wearing a pair of plaid thermal pajamas and her hair wrapped in a towel. She started taking it down but stopped when she spotted the tree.
Her eyes lit up, and her hands flew to her mouth as a smile exploded on her lips.
“It’s BEAUTIFUL!” she squealed, coming around the corner to see it better. “Oh my gosh, Sebastian, it’s amazing!”
I got up and stood beside her, admiring the tree.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“Like it?” she turned and looked up at me. “I love it. It’s the most beautiful Christmas tree I’ve ever seen.”
My heart swelled in my chest as I fought the urge to reach over and pull her to me. She wasn’t mine to hold, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy these special moments with her.