Chapter Two

Zane

Zane clicked ‘buy’ and crossed off the last item on his Cyber Monday shopping list. Looking over his Christmas shopping list, he didn’t have a lot of people to buy for since his family was small. Aunt Alice, Uncle Ed, and Spencer, his cousin. They may be small in number, but they were all he had.

That’s one thing he liked about the holidays. Zane enjoyed shopping for them. It was his way of giving back for all they gave him. When he was eight years old, he lost his parents in a car accident. His aunt and uncle took him in and gave him a home. He could never repay that, but it didn’t mean he would ever stop trying.

Christmas was his favorite time of the year. It meant time with family, and a large warm meal in the home that he spent the last handful of years before he went off to college. His uncle always brings out his special occasion peach schnapps, and his aunt bakes homemade cookies, pies, and cakes along with a big dinner on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Needless to say, they were eating delicious baked goods well into the new year.

Zane glanced at the small tree in the corner of his and Spencer’s apartment living room. It was a sad little thing. He had sold the one he had in Boston when he decided to move home and was now regretting that decision.

As a kid, his favorite thing was to decorate the tree. His aunt would make hot cocoa, they’d put on Christmas music, and all four of them would decorate the tree together.

Zane had just transferred back to Georgetown this school year and moved in with his cousin. It had been a long time coming and he was glad to be back home.

As much as he loved his family, he decided after high school he needed to get out on his own. His parents’ deaths had been hard on him, and even though his family was great, he needed to get his head straight. And moving far away from everything that reminded him of his parents seemed like the solution.

He was wrong.

Zane was a biomedical engineering major and found a highly regarded program in Boston. He was at the top of his class, but no matter how much he craved the academics, something was still missing.

He missed his family.

It was soon clear to him that moving away to Boston wasn’t the answer. That’s how he ended up back in Georgetown.

“Are you done with your online shopping yet?” Spencer complained from the kitchen.

Zane closed his laptop, adjusted his glasses, and smirked at his cousin. “Nothing wrong with online shopping. I get to avoid the over-caffeinated crowds and still take advantage of all the Cyber Monday deals.” Avoiding crowds was kind of Zane’s trademark move. Biomedical engineering kept his nose in a book, and that’s how he liked it.

“Nothing wrong with getting out once in a while either.”

Zane rolled his eyes at his cousin. “Spence, I get out.”

“Do you?” Spencer questioned, sarcastically.

“I do.” Zane wasn’t about to defend himself to his cousin. Spencer liked to pick on him about it. It was all in fun. “I’ve just been busy with school.”

“I know, time flies when your nose is stuck in a book,” Spencer teased. “Anyway, we’re out of coffee, and I’m starving. I thought we could go grab some grub then hit the coffee shop for some fresh coffee grinds.”

“You know. You could order coffee grinds online and have it delivered monthly. Then we’d never run out.”

“That’s great, Zane. But I enjoy walking around the Georgetown shops and socializing with the cute coeds.” Spencer looked around the apartment. “I can’t believe you haven’t gotten cabin fever yet.”

“I told you, I get out plenty.”

Zane re-opened his laptop with the intention of setting up a coffee delivery for Spencer because even Zane didn’t enjoy running out of coffee. Before he could log on to the website, Spencer walked in front of him and pushed the screen shut.

“Lunch is on me, let’s go. Time for some fresh air, Z.”

“Fine. I could eat. And as long as you’re buying,” Zane teased then headed toward his room. “Just let me put my contacts in.”

Zane pushed open the door of the local coffee shop, and the chimes over the door jingled. Spencer followed him in but made a beeline for the retail section of the café.

Walking around Georgetown made Zane realize just how much he missed this town.

It wasn’t that Zane was a hermit or anything weird like that, he just didn’t dig big crowds. Or maybe it was just that he preferred a good book. It was nice to walk around and see all the Christmas decorations. He was working on Spencer to get a bigger tree, and after checking out one in one of the shops on their way to lunch, he was pretty sure that he had his cousin convinced. Sure, they wouldn’t be at the apartment for Christmas Day, but it was more about the excitement of the days that led up to it anyway.

“My mom would love this!” Spencer pointed to a basket filled with different types of coffees and related items. “You know my mom loves her coffee. I could buy her a nice mug to go with it.”

Zane tilted his head and examined the basket. “Yeah, she’d like that. But does she need anything else? Something to go with it.”

Spencer moved around the coffee shop picking up then putting back down different types of mugs.

As much as Zane enjoyed buying people gifts and had a self-proclaimed knack for shopping for others, watching Spencer attempt it was almost painful. He distracted himself by checking out the posts on the bulletin board.

Lost cat. Study group meets every Tuesday. Dishwasher needed. Roommate wanted.

“What are you looking at?” Spencer nodded at the bulletin board. “You looking to join a study group?”

“No—”

“Huh. What’s this?” Spencer pointed at a handwritten flyer and pulled it off the community board. “This totally sounds like you, Z.”

“What does?” Zane continued to scan the bulletin board.

“Searching for a fellow Christmas enthusiast.”

Zane assumed his cousin was joking because who would put up a flyer like that? He stared at the paper in Spencer’s hand, and it stated exactly what his cousin read.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking about emailing this person?” Spencer asked.

Zane shrugged. “Maybe.”

Spencer squinted like he was deep in thought. “I was kidding, and it sounds strange, but now I definitely think you should respond.”

Zane followed Spencer to a table.

“Wait, you think that I should do this?” Zane asked, curious as to why his cousin suddenly changed his tune.

“I normally don’t go for things like this, but it’s not like she invited you into her basement, yet. And on the off chance that she does, then I’d for sure bolt.”

Zane shook his head, unsure if his cousin was serious or not.

“You’re way too excited about this, which makes me think this is a bad idea. Or I’m being punked.”

Spencer didn’t answer. He was busy looking at his phone, typing away.

“What are you doing?” Zane tried to look at his cousin’s phone screen.

Spencer held up a finger, the universal sign for hold on. Once Spencer finished typing, he looked up at Zane and had the biggest grin on his face, which worried Zane.

“What?”

“Looks like you just might get the Christmas you are always talking about. I just responded to Lily for you. Be sure to check your email for a reply.”

“You what?” Zane blurted out. “You mean for yourself since she’ll be replying to you. Right?”

“Sorry to say, cuz, I hacked your email eons ago,” Spencer said without any remorse.

“What?” Zane felt like a broken record, but he really didn’t know what else to say.

“Relax, Z. I don’t read your mail…” Then he added, “Much. But it’s not like you get anything earth-shattering.”

His cousin wasn’t wrong. While he’d been home, he hadn’t done much of anything exciting. His online course load was heavy and most of his time was spent studying. The last time he had a girlfriend was last year at this time, and she wasn’t a Christmas fan. That relationship was doomed from the start.

Spencer was still grinning like a fool.

Zane didn’t want to believe his cousin would do that to him. But his gut told him otherwise. “You didn’t really, did you?”

“Why not? You’re the big Christmas guy. The ad was literally screaming your name.”

Sure, Zane had thought about responding, so he couldn’t be too mad at his cousin. Yet all the same, now he didn’t have a choice.

“Cuz, you could use some time away from your laptop and meet some new people in the process.”

He looked from Spencer to the flyer that now sat on the table.

Searching for a fellow Christmas enthusiast to join me on an ultimate Christmas adventure. Please contact Lily.

He’d been wanting to do it big at Christmastime for a few years now, he just needed someone to do it with. This seemed like a good opportunity. And with a little push from his cousin, all he had to do now was wait for a response.